All otters have webbed feet, but the Asian Small-clawed Otters feet are different. The otter does have a natural odor that you may want to consider when placing their caging. Poisonous bite symptoms…. Asian Small-Clawed Otter Aonyx cinerea Claws, Paws and Whiskers These otters have very short claws that do not extend past the fleshy pads of their partly webbed toes making their forepaws very dexterous. If you cannot provide an outdoor area, you must provide a large, heated (it must not fall below 50°F), secure indoor area, with a pool kept at 75-85°F. Exopetguides is created by a group of exotic pet enthusiasts, who like yourself, was learning the ropes and struggling to care of our own exotic pets. International Zoo Yearbook, 15: 63-65. In captivity, diets can vary somewhat but need to provide a lot of basic nutrients. Lutra cinerea was the scientific name proposed by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger in 1815 for an otter collected in Batavia. The story of how I became a zookeeper is a little different from most zookeepers. This species relies on their dexterous and sensitive fingers to forage for prey, and so lack the long claws most otters have. Lifespan in Wild: Unknown. Both mom and dad teach the pup how to swim. The Asian small-clawed otter is 1 of 5 different otter species that is native to Asia. They are cunning and intelligent and predatory and like to know every nook and cranny of their dwelling place. To stay warm in the water for so long, otters have incredibly thick fur, and very fast metabolisms, which means they need to eat a lot – 20% of their body weight per day, during certain months. Their favorite foods are salmon and tuna! They can stay in the water so long by slowing their heart rate down and using less oxygen. Joanna is a writer and contributor to many pet sites. To keep themselves warm when swimming, Asian small-clawed otters are coated densely with double layers of fur. Their temperaments are unpredictable – they are wild animals at heart – and can be dangerous, especially if not under supervision near children. (Complete Budgie Diet Guide), What does a fennec fox eat? They get a wide variety. I think he even uses the pebbles to get his treats now! Otters communicate mainly through the use of scent marking to establish territorial boundaries. The conservation status of theses particular otters is labelled vulnerable, which means that they are in the area of the conservation status scale where animals are threatened. It lives in extended family groups with only the alpha pair breeding; offspring from previous years help to raise the young. The otter is a carnivore in dietary habits because the diet of free-ranging Asian small-clawed otters includes: crabs, crustaceans, snails, mollusks, frogs, and fish (Table 1.1; Duplaix-Hall 1975; Foster-Turley 1985; Foster –Turley 1992; Engfer, 1986). The mom will just throw the pup out into the deep end and watch it try to figure out how to swim. The name ‘otter’ derives from the Old English word otor which, alongside other Indo-European cognates, ultimately stems from the root word *wódrÌ¥, which, you guessed it, gives us the modern word ‘water’. AZA annual report on conservation and science 1999-2000. The females are capable of giving birth to up to seven young twice a year during their 10 year lifespan in the wild, or up to 20 years in captivity. Captive otters are also required to have a registered veterinarian who is happy to see them whenever required, which is hard to find at the best of times. But what do you think? But they are legal in some states. Don’t take this as an endorsement of keeping them, but in purely legal terms, you may be able to own an otter in the following states: In the majority of the US, it is completely illegal to keep an otter as a pet. 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