Asian Small-Clawed Otter Husbandry Manual (1998)

NUTRITION AND DIETMike Maslanka and Sue CrisseyBrookfield ZooTo sustain a captive population of Asian small-clawed otters, the nutritional needs of the species mustbe met. Developing appropriate dietary guidelines requires consideration of: (1) feeding ecology, (2)target dietary nutrient values, (3) food items available to zoos, and (4) information collected from dietsoffered by institutions successfully maintaining/breeding Asian small-clawed otters. This chapter willaddress these nutritional issues in order to develop dietary guidelines for captive Asian small-clawedotters. It also provides an overview of the information that was gathered from the survey conductedduring the fall of 1997 and spring of 1998.FEEDING ECOLOGYThe Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea, hereafter ASC otter) is a member of the Mustelidaefamily. The otter is a carnivore in dietary habits because the diet of free-ranging Asian small-clawedotters includes: crabs, crustaceans, snails, mollusks, frogs, and fish (Table 1.1; Duplaix-Hall 1975;Foster-Turley 1985; Foster –Turley 1992; Engfer, 1986). Partridge and Jordan (1995) also indicatedthat octopus was consumed by free-ranging ASC otters.Nutrient Content of DietAlthough many of the items in the diet of free-ranging otters are established, the nutrient content of thoseitems remains unknown. Descriptions of the nutrient content of food items similar to those described inthe diet of free-ranging otters (although sometimes in distinctly different forms) can be found in severalsources (NRC 1982, 1986; Pennington 1989). However complete nutrient information remains limitedand should be used for estimations only.Asian Small- Clawed Otter Husbandry Manual/Nutrition Section- 1 -