International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

[4”] in width, could be placed 10 to 15 cm (4” to 6”) behind the edge of the pool side for the
same purpose. It should have a softly rounded edge for safety. This technique has not yet been
reported to be used for giant otters. All borders/edges used must still allow otters, esp. cubs,
parents carrying cubs, and old animals, easy and safe pool exits and entrances. I.e. these
surfaces should not be raised too high above the land and floor surface, be placed directly
against pool edges, or be slippery etc.. Drain outlets, filters, and skimmers can also be
covered or designed to help prevent furnishings from blocking them. E.g. drains can be
covered with simple fence covers or fitted with pipe extensions or a capped pipe that allows
water through (drilled) holes or just underneath a small gap created between the pipe and pool
floor. Although these systems have been very effective to help prevent pool water drainage /
filtration problems, some substrates do end up in the water with these methods.
Keeper access doors/gates to enclosures and animal shift doors/gates should be designed so
that substrates (or even toys etc.) will not block the door or gates’ path/movement/tracks.
The animal shift and keeper door/gate frames should be positioned (raised) somewhat above,
e.g. approx. 10 cm [4”], the surface height of the intended substrates to help prevent this
from occurring. If the keeper doors or shift gates are not already designed (e.g. raised) to help
prevent substrates from blocking them, simple modifications can be made for the same
purpose. Log borders can be placed near the front/back of keeper or shift doors/gates to keep
substrates behind and away from the doors or gates. If necessary, only a small area, just wide
enough for the passage of the door, should be left without the recommended substrates, although
other designs/modifications could be made to avoid this. Logs, that extend just beyond the
width of the shift door/gate frame and that raise about 10cm above the tracks, can be placed
directly against the shift frame. Shift doors can also be simply modified, if already
constructed, with an approx. 10 cm (4”) wooden lip that is made to fit immediately in the front
and back of the door/gate track to serve the same purpose.
A small border/edge (e.g. made of wood/plywood boards) can be placed/fixed along the
outside bottom edge of containment barriers that are not solid (i.e. fence, lattice etc.) to
prevent loose floor and land substrates from pushing through containment barriers or to
prevent cubs from crawling between barrier mesh.
It is ideal to keep mulch and sand land and floor substrates adjacent to each other, but not
mixed together. Simple borders can be made from logs (e.g. see above), large rocks, boulders,
etc. to help keep the substrates separated. Mulch and sand can also be kept separate from soil
with this method as well.
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