Can you have otters as pets

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The growing demand on the market for pet otters has seen an increase in low-welfare backyard breeding facilities, and poaching from the wild, particularly in Thailand. Because otter parents are so fiercely protective, poachers in Thailand use dogs to sniff their dens and then kill the parents in order to steal the cubs to be sold on the illegal online market.

All those things you find cute on IG are them showing their distress! Swimming in circles , chanting, running around like crazy is them showing they suffer! This craze of having exotic pets like fennec and foxes in Russia its popular , beautiful exotic reptiles and so much more is so wrong! Before they used to be chased by humans for destroying rice cultures but now the parents are killed at first sight to get the youngs to make money! I know a lady who owns an otter , she displays her on insta with her other exotic pets that rescued and even doing so much for her baby she still sees signs of distress!

Please be better than that and get a pet that we breed for generations. I understand how people strongly oppose having otters as pets. These animals are also preys in the wild and keeping these animals as pet increase their chances of survival greatly. I was headstrong about owning an otter and this article actually dissuaded me Or someone actually get it and have no proper information on how to care for it?

Listen people, trying to stifle information will only lead to more of that thing your trying to stop This article is very upfront and honest, however when reading the comments I was overwhelmed with all the ignorance. I have to say that most though not all of the comments cause me extreme concern regarding our society today.

I just have no words for it! Great job on this article, Melissa! Sometimes people can't handle the truth. I guess they'd much rather be coddled and have everything handed to them SMH. It's scary to think of what it'll be like in just more years. I thank you for the info! And for those shaming her in the comments. But if you do decide to own an otter telling you how to properly care for your new family member.

Stop being sensitive everyone. You should remove this article and every advise on owning exotic pets. All you say and recommend is ethically against your Vet degree! I do not even need to mention you all the reasons why. You should be ashamed Mellissa! A certified veterinarian giving advise on how to get an exotic animal to own as a pet?

They belong in the wild, where they can swim, run, hunt and live freely. In the wild they live in families of up to 15, which contrasts with their life in captivity. Not to mention the sad ways in which they are breed, in cages, only to then be separated from their significant others.

Animals and mostly exotic ones are not our toys or our means to make money. Shame on you! You just made that up and got angry for no reason. All 13 species of otters are wild animals, extremely sensitive to environmental changes, and are a marking, latrine species.

Over half of all 13 otter species are endangered or vulnerable and are not legally breed - they have to be capture, usually by killing the mother and confiscating the pups. I just bought a baby otter and it is really scared and it attack me how to tame and make him bite me. Unless you do what Joseph Carter does for his mink to keep them busy, I wouldn't recommend them as pets to most people.

Even ferrets are not necessarily easy pets but the first thing I would recommend as a mustelid for a pet. Valentina z not all exotic pets are ripped away from their habitat some are rescued. Also do you own any dogs or cats? They werent always domesticated they were rescued or ripped away from thier habitat as well for generations.

Its not like they are using them for fur or food. When you see horror movies about canibbals or something you feel freaked out do you eat meat how do you think the cows,pigs and lambs feel and so on. Point is people that invest this kind of money on pets love them. However, there are few countries which appear to favor having otters as pets. In Japan , pet fads appear with a certain regularity.

These have brought significant problems and it is very questionable if exotic animals will fare well in such environments.

Another relatively popular pet fad in Japan is the practice of keeping otters as pets. Unfortunately, this fad has lead to the illegal smuggling of otters into Japan [6].

Such illegal trafficking is detrimental to wild populations of animals worldwide. It is also something which could see a rise in other countries if the wrong information is spread. As stated in the introduction, otters are mustelids. Other animals in the Mustelidae family include the ferret.

Although the ferret needs their own considerations when adopted into a family, they are more suited to the role of domestic pet and are a good recommendation for those who previously considered having an otter as a pet. Share on:. Can You Have an Otter as a Pet? By Josie F. Turner , Journalist specialized in Animal Welfare. Updated: April 22, Some of the different types of otter species include: European otter Lutra lutra : used to inhabit all of Europe, from the Northern Arctic regions down to North Africa and even extending into parts of Asia.

From the middle of the 20th century, many populations severely decreased due to human interference. Populations are still falling today. Sea otter Enhydra lutris : other otters can live in rivers, lakes, marshes, lagoons or any places with fresh water, but the sea otter is the only one which lives in the sea.

They are the heaviest of otters, with thick fur to protect against cold seas. Although they can walk on land, they don't have to, mainly scavenging and hunting on the sea floors off the coasts of North America. They are an endangered species. North American river otter Lontra canadensis : often known as the common otter, these animals create dens close to the edge of the water and spend their time between water and land.

They are particularly known for their playfulness. Giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis : the giant otter is the longest of the species, the sea otter's weight and abundant fur, make it bigger overall. Giant otters can be attacked by other animals, but do not have any direct natural predators. Humans, unfortunately, have hunted them to near extinction in some parts. Asian small-clawed otter Aonyx cinera : so-called due to their partially webbed paws which give them amazing dexterity, more than any other otter species.

The smallest of all otters, they are also the one species which has been sometimes kept in domestic situations as a pet. We will explain explain below. So, here are some of the reasons you should not keep an otter as a pet: Otters are wild animals Above all, otters are wild animals that are happiest in their natural habitats and are not meant to be kept in our homes.

They need lots of space Keeping an otter in a home is a surefire way to destroy anything valuable you own. You can't provide the right habitat Space alone is not enough to mimic the otter's natural ecosystem.

They have very specific requirements The water not only needs to be the right temperature your local climate may not be able to maintain this correct temperature , but it needs to be free of disease-promoting bacteria.

It is extremely expensive Not only do you need the right enclosure and dietary resources to take care of a pet otter, but you need to have access to specialists in your neighborhood. It can be dangerous Expenses such as those mentioned above are not the only detrimental factors in keeping an otter as a pet.