Otter (Lutrinae) Care Manual - Association of Zoos and Aquariums

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Association of Zoos and Aquariums 116 Otter (Lutrinae) Care Manual Ideally, release from quarantine should be dependent on obtaining two negative fecal results spaced a minimum of two weeks apart either initially or after parasiticide treatment. In addition, all animals should be evaluated for ectoparasites and treated accordingly. Vaccinations should be updated as appropriate for each species. If the animal arrives without a vaccination history, it should be treated as an immunologically naive animal and given an appropriate series of vaccinations. Whenever possible, blood should be collected and sera banked. Either a -70ºC freezer or a -20ºC freezer that is not frost-free should be available to save sera. Such sera could provide an important resource for retrospective disease evaluation. The quarantine period also represents an opportunity to, where possible, permanently identify all unmarked animals when anesthetized or restrained (e.g., tattoo, ear notch, ear tag, etc.). Also, whenever animals are restrained or immobilized, a complete physical, including a dental examination, should be performed. Complete medical records should be maintained and available for all animals during the quarantine period. Animals that die during quarantine should have a necropsy performed under the supervision of a veterinarian and representative tissues submitted for histopathologic examination.” Quarantine procedures: The following are recommendations and suggestions for appropriate quarantine procedures for small carnivores: Required Strongly recommended 1) Direct and floatation fecal exam 1) CBC/sera profile 2) Vaccinate as appropriate 2) Urinalysis 3) Appropriate serology (FIP, FeLV, FIV) 4) Heartworm testing in appropriate species
Association of Zoos and Aquariums 117 Otter (Lutrinae) Care Manual Appendix G: Giant Otter Enclosure Design Adapted excerpts from the “International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management Information and Guidelines (2005)” for WAZA Website, and with added U.S. units of measurements (Sheila Sykes- Gatz 2006). The total minimum size enclosure for one giant otter pair should be at least 2,583ft 2 (240m 2 ) and when indoor enclosures are needed, they should be a minimum of 807ft 2 (75m 2 ) of the total area. In temperate climates, it is necessary that an outdoor enclosure (with or without heated outdoor water) provides access to a heated indoor enclosure. Both indoor and outdoor enclosures require the same recommended conditions (i.e., land to water ratios, substrates etc.). At least 2 dens (i.e., separable rooms) to contain nest boxes/briefly hold animals should be provided, and at least 2-3 nest boxes (or natural underground dens) are needed. Providing the recommended land to water area ratios (i.e., enough land area), substrate types and depths to cover all surfaces, and deep digging area sizes, is just as important as the need to provide a swim area in all giant otter enclosures. These are among the most crucial husbandry provisions needed to maintain giant otter physical and behavioral health, and they are also necessary to promote successful pup-rearing and adjustment to new/unusual situations. To meet these needs, nearly the entire enclosure surface area, including dens and nestboxes, must keep sufficiently dry, soft, and sanitary and otters need to be able to effectively dig and groom throughout that entire area. The enclosure must also offer a sufficient proportion of land, deep digging, and water area. The provisions in the two paragraphs below are essential to providing these conditions. Different enclosure sizes require different land to water area ratios. As enclosure sizes decrease below 2,583ft² (240m²), proportionately increased land area sizes are needed. It is necessary to provide, within each indoor and outdoor giant otter enclosure, at least the minimum percentage land area that the following formula determines. Convert enclosure sizes to m 2 (ft 2 x 0.093 = m 2 ). For every 1m 2 that the (indoor or outdoor) enclosure size is below 240m 2 , multiply that number (without the m² symbol) by 0.1, then add the result to the number 60, and this resulting number is the minimum land area percentage (%) that the (indoor or outdoor) enclosure requires. For example, a 1,615ft 2 (150m 2 ) enclosure requires a minimum of 69% land area, and an 807ft 2 (75m 2 ) enclosure requires at least 76.5% land area. Enclosures between 2,583-6,458ft 2 (240-600m 2 ) in size require at least 60% land area. It is crucial that nearly the entire area of surfaces/substrates that giant otters are directly exposed to are soft, natural, well-draining, not coarse, sufficiently dry and deep, and loose enough so that otters can easily dig into them. It is necessary that every indoor and outdoor enclosure surface, including dens, is nearly entirely covered with soft pebble-free sand or mulch (i.e., tree bark pieces only), at least 4-8" (10- 20cm) in depth, or deep soft loose soil with the needed qualities. The substrates used should not have gravel, pebbles, rocks/stones
Page 1 and 2:
Otter (Lutrinae) Care Manual Create
Page 3 and 4:
Association of Zoos and Aquariums 3
Page 5 and 6:
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
Page 13 and 14:
2.1 Space and Complexity Careful co
Page 15 and 16:
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
3.1 Preparations Animal transportat
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Table 3: Target dietary nutrient ra
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
• 182g Dallas Crown Carnivore Die
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
of placement for all but the giant
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44:
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
Page 49 and 50:
supervisors, their Institutional An
Page 51 and 52:
Table 8: Common causes of deaths in
Page 53 and 54:
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66: Association of Zoos and Aquariums 6
Page 77 and 78: Behavior Verbal cue Visual cue Crit
Page 87 and 88: 10.1 Known Methodologies AZA believ
Page 115: Association of Zoos and Aquariums 1
Page 125 and 126: Commonly Trained Behaviors for: Mus
Page 147 and 148: Part 4: SKIMMER BOXES Association o
show all

Otter (Lutrinae) Care Manual - Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?