Caring for Selected Otter Species (Asian small-clawed, Cape ...

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Ovulation may also ovulate spontaneously (Bateman et al. 2009) Copulation frequency Copulation duration Copulation position Copulation location Copulation initiated by Several times a day 20-45 minutes, varied. One >60 min. reported Dorsal/ventral most common, also ventro/ventral. Most frequently in the water, also seen on land Both. Female advertises, cooperates only when she is ready. She may initiate with invitations to play chase. Age at 1 st breeding Breeding behavior Sexually mature by 2 yrs. Several 2 yr. old males & a 1.5 yr. old female have bred successfully. Female may rub, mark or vocalize to advertise; male/female may initiate w/ play, chase, splashing, genital sniffing, or “butterfly stroke”. Gestation Pseudopregnancy Pair management Total gestation: 332-370 days, documented for 12 litters. 285-380 (Liers 1951); 302-351 (ave. 333.3 ±15.7) days (Bateman et al. 2009) Actual gestation: 68 – 73 (ave. 71.67±1.48) days (Bateman et al. 2009) Pseudopregnancies seen with and without breeding and does not always result when breedings are unsuccessful. The period of elevated progesterone ranges from 68 to 72 days as in true pregnancies. (Bateman et al. 2009) Most facilities separate the male from the female, for his safety. A few leave the male in exhibit with female and she keeps him away from pups until they can swim well. One facility offered pair selection, females showed preference for certain males. Group management Signs of parturition Pupping boxes Contraception Sire can be reintroduced to female and pups after pups are swimming well. Generally done at about 3-6 months. Females may show visible weight gain, teats may show through coat, increased nesting behavior, change in attitude to keeper &/or male. She may go off food as parturition nears. Pupping boxes should be filled with dry bedding (straw or hay). A choice of birthing boxes should be available. MGA implants and PZP treatment in females. A few males have been neutered. L. maculicollis: Schollhamer (1987) reported that females at the Brookfield Zoo came into estrus for the first time at about two years of age, but females typically do not conceive until they are three years old. Cycles vary between individuals, but average about 45 days, and estrus generally lasts 5-7 days. There is a postpartum estrus 2-3 weeks after parturition if pups are pulled or die soon after birth. Males may attempt breeding at 1-2 years of age, but typically are not successful until they are 2-3 years old (Schollhamer 1987). Mating occurs in the water (Schollhamer 1987; R.Willison, personal communication), and involves the male neck biting the female and clasping her with his fore and hind limbs. Copulatory bouts may last up to 45 minutes, generally occur repeatedly over the course of several days (R.Willison, personal communication), and at any time during the day or night. There are no vocalizations associated with copulation in this species in captivity (R.Willison, personal communication) or in the wild (Reed-Smith in prep.). The rate of conception is increased if the male breeds the female for the entire 5-7 day cycle of a typical female; the conception rate is poor if the male only breeds the female for 2-3 days (Schollhamer 1987). 48
Gestation is roughly 60-63 days (R.Willison, personal communication). Captive births in North America have occurred in January/February and April (R.Willison, personal communication). Births in the wild were recorded during September, based on one year of observation in Tanzania (Proctor 1963); ongoing research in Tanzania substantiates this observation with breeding observed twice in June (2006 and 2007) which would result in late August to mid-September births. However, work by Bateman et al. (2009) and observations of half-grown animals throughout the year in Tanzania indicate that births may occur anytime with a peak during August/September. Further research is required. Separation of sexes/conspecifics If it is necessary to separate animals for reasons associated with reproduction (e.g., to promote or prevent it), a holding area connected to the exhibit is recommended; ideally this should include a pool with clean water available at all times, proper lighting, a sleeping or den box, enough floor space for grooming and drying areas, and at least one nest box that is heavily bedded to allow excess moisture to be removed from the animals’ coats (Lombardi et al. 1998; Reed-Smith 2001). Holding pens should have non-climbable sides. If chain-link barrier are present, the sides should be covered with lexan or similar material to prevent animals from climbing too high and falling. See species-specific recommendations below. A. cinereus: Females become very aggressive prior to parturition, and remain so post-parturition. It is not necessary to separate them from the male or older siblings. It is necessary to provide multiple nest boxes. The sire plays a very active role in rearing the pups, and should not be removed prior to their birth. Male behaviors include nest building, carrying pups, and bringing food to the pups during weaning. Access to pools and water sources should be strictly monitored to prevent newborns from drowning. A. capensis: Pregnant females should be offered nest box choices and separated from the male to give birth (R.Meyerson, unpublished data). To date, records indicate two institutions have successfully bred this species in North America. One facility had one male with two females; both females bred and produced offspring. The other facility housed a pair. The animals were housed together 24 hours a day; females were separated to give birth at both facilities (Reed-Smith & Polechla 2002; R.Meyerson, personal communication). The male can be reintroduced to the female and pups when they are swimming well. L. canadensis: There seems to be a mate preference for breeding with some females showing a definite preference for particular male, and lack of interest in others when they have a choice. Some successful zoos separate pairs for several months prior to the breeding season, introducing them every few days once the female’s estrus begins. Others offer multiple mate selections to the females, and others have been successful keeping single pairs together year around. An extensive captive study (N=13.14 animals) attempted to determine breeding associated behaviors in captivity across the species over two years. The study’s behavioral results show an increase in pair association, mutual grooming, and extended copulation in those pairs that reproduced successfully (N=3), but was inconclusive otherwise (J.Reed-Smith, data in preparation). In the wild, males do not participate in pup rearing (Melquist & Hornocker 1983; Rock et al. 1994). In captivity, parturient females should be given privacy (particularly for primaparous females) and nest box choices supplied with plenty of dry bedding (all females). Males have been successfully left in the exhibit with parturient females in large exhibits that provide numerous visual barriers, and allow the male to stay out of the female’s sight (e.g., St. Louis Zoo, Homosassa Springs, and others). In all other cases, the male and female should be separated prior to the birth to prevent injury to the male or neglect of the pups by the female. In multi-female groups, other females may also need to be separated from the parturient female. When separated, the male or non parturient female should not be required to pass the parturient female’s den to enter the exhibit; if this cannot be done, the other animals should be removed entirely from the exhibit, or the female sequestered away until she deems it time for the pups to meet the male (see below). Males can be reintroduced to the female and pups once they are swimming proficiently, as early as 60-75 days or more typically by 80 to 90 days (Reed-Smith 2001). Actual gestation is calculated at roughly 68-73 days (Bateman et al. 2009.); pair separation should occur either when the female becomes aggressive towards the male, or roughly 10-14 days prior to anticipated parturition date. Due to this species delayed implantation and total gestation time of >10 months, it is often difficult to anticipate delivery date, particularly for primaparous females. In these cases, staff should base their 49
Page 1 and 2: Version 3, 9 December 2009 Caring f
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Taxonomy ........
Page 5 and 6: Pup development ...................
Page 7 and 8: * Some recent resources are still u
Page 9 and 10: This semi-aquatic species is found
Page 11 and 12: Facilities that rely on climate con
Page 13 and 14: - Chlorine: Chlorine can be used, i
Page 15 and 16: The minimum exhibit size (including
Page 17 and 18: olfactory, and audio separation to
Page 19 and 20: CHAPTER 3: Transport Preparations T
Page 21 and 22: oth institutions notified as quickl
Page 23 and 24: The only social grouping not recomm
Page 25 and 26: a daily basis, allowing all animals
Page 27 and 28: CHAPTER 5: Nutrition Nutritional Re
Page 29 and 30: Diet formulation should account for
Page 31 and 32: • Grated fruit and vegetables: ca
Page 33 and 34: - Vitamin E: 400 IU/kg dry weight b
Page 35 and 36: Preventive Medicine It is important
Page 37 and 38: Parasite control Otters should have
Page 39 and 40: Urination Defecation Frequency, amo
Page 41 and 42: - Ketamine: 12-15mg/kg & midazolam:
Page 43 and 44: Kimber, K. DVM, G.V. Kollias DVM, P
Page 45 and 46: Pair management Group management Si
Page 47: infections, which frequently cause
Page 51 and 52: L. canadensis: Pups can be removed
Page 53 and 54: and scattered around the enclosure.
Page 55 and 56: formula feeding and 8-10% body wt i
Page 57 and 58: 3:1* 22.90 10.97 8.63 1.54 1.59 1.5
Page 59 and 60: - First spots seen ~6 days, whitish
Page 61 and 62: CHAPTER 8: Behavior Management Anim
Page 63 and 64: Behavior Verbal cue Visual cue Crit
Page 65 and 66: - Can it be used as a weapon - Can
Page 67 and 68: Factors that should be considered w
Page 69 and 70: CHAPTER 9: Education/Conservation M
Page 71 and 72: References AAFCO 1994. Association
Page 73 and 74: Gatz, V. 2002. Protected contact tr
Page 75 and 76: Arbeitstagung der Zootierärzte im
Page 77 and 78: Yerke, R. and A. Burns. 1993. Evalu
Page 79 and 80: APPENDIX A: Photos Included here ar
Page 81 and 82: Squeeze cage design used by several
Page 83 and 84: niacin helps the body to convert en
Page 85 and 86: APPENDIX C: Pup Weights of Captive
Page 87 and 88: APPENDIX D: List of Commonly Traine
Page 89 and 90: APPENDIX E: Enrichment Items Common
Page 91 and 92: APPENDIX F: Resources for Enrichmen
Page 93 and 94: Bloomsmith M, Laule G, Thurston R,
Page 95 and 96: Age of Game Fish in Ozark Otter Sto
Page 97 and 98: The husbandry, maintenance, enginee
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o o o o o Microbiology Incubator Fu
Page 101 and 102:
APPENDIX 1: GLOSSARY OF RELEVANT TE
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The use of any filtering substance
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION Project: Otter
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Have you ever failed to complete an
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OTTER EXHIBIT LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM R
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1. Inspection a. Examination: The c
Page 113 and 114:
APPENDIX 3: DISINFECTION Bromine Br
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In its liquid form (sodium hypochlo
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APPENDIX 4: SKIMMER BOXES All skimm
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119
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APPENDIX 5: ALGAE CONTROL Algae in
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APPENDIX I: Female Otter Reintroduc
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Version 3, 9 December 2009 APPENDIX
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____________ live in aquatic ______
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Otter is hungry. Can you help him f
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