About Otters

Question 1

Otters are awesome! Where can I get one?

Answer

After watching some of the cute otters here in the videos you might be tempted to get an otter as pet and companion.

Unfortunately in many countries you can't keep otters as pets or you need a special license to keep otters.

If you are in the lucky position to legally keep otters, get your otters only from legal sources, where you know that they where raised with all the needed attention and care.

Asian small clawed Otters are very social animals and they need company. So it's better having at least two of them. In some cases even cats make good company for them too, as you can see in some of the videos.

Also before you decide to get an otter (or any other animals), try to learn as much as you can about how to care for them and also find a veterinarian who has good practice with otters.

Never forget - no matter how old they get - they will always behave a bit like toddlers and need a good amount of daily attention.

As you can see, Otters are not that easy to keep.

Question 2

Are Otters easy to keep?

Answer

Asian small-clawed Otters are extremely cute, energetic, very social, pretty intelligent and dexterous animals.

Otters are very energetic and need to play, swim and roam around. So they stay healthier, won't get fat and live longer.

Be prepared to go on 1-2 hours of daily walks, visit rivers and lakes with the otters, like Otterman with Aty and Ui does.

On top they seem to know how cute they are and can demand loudly to get pampered and spoiled, when they feel like it.

If you can legally keep otters, the first task will be to make the place otter proof!

As you can see in the video below, they are capable of opening doors, fridges and whatever if they want.

Check the following comprehensive guide from the otterspecialist group

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In the video below, the owner of Otter's Home explains 7 reasons why otters should not be pets.

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Otters are semi aquatic animals, so they need a lot of water, like a generous sized pool, a little river, a pond or lake.

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Question 3

What do Otters eat?

Answer

By nature mainly they eat fish, crabs and other seafood, but occasionally they even eat vegetables. However, they also seem to like chicken and cat food for snacks.

While, meats and cat food aren't their natural food, chicken and some cat food pellets (probably with fish taste) make nice snacks and fish and seafood is always welcome. This depends also a bit on the otter, as each of them has it's one personality and different food preferences.

They are avid fish hunters and it's said that the wild otters of Singapore have emptied some Koi Ponds…

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Question 4

Are Otters dangerous?

Answer

While carefully raised domestic otters are in general not aggressive, they are very playful, but even their play bites can be hurting if they get a bit too carried away in the play. It's the same that applies to cats, dogs and other domestic animals.

Usually otters like most wild animals are quite shy, but otters are also very curious creatures and despite their cuteness they are ferocious little predators.

So the rule of thumb is: if you encounter wild otters, keep the distance and stay calm, so they won't get nervous or feel attacked or cornered.

Don't disturb them when they eat or having pubs, this automatically puts them in defense mode.

Question 5

How old can Otters get?

Answer

Asian small-clawed otters get 3-4 years old in the wild. But with good care the oldest living otter in a zoo in Japan is 17 years old as of January 2022 as you can see in the video below.

Hopefully the otters featured here will get as old or even older and stay healthy.

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