Do Otters Make Good Pets?

What exactly are otters? Although not easily pronounced, otter comes from the old English word oter - its most suitable rhyme is the word water which surprisingly, according to Wikipedia came from the root word derived from the word otter itself. Whatever the semantics, needless to say, Otters are water animals, which best befits its rhyming word.

Specifically, Otters are the largest members of the weasel family. Other members related to this mammal are the badgers, the polecats and the wolverines. It is just one species out of the 13 known and living species of semiaquatic mammals that primarily needs a close proximity to water in order to survive. They may be small but their energy is comparable to most active predators who can easily pound on a much smaller prey. Most otters feed on fish and shellfish, certain variety of birds, other invertebrates and amphibians as well as other small mammals.

Otters have long, cylindrical bodies with long tails and four relatively slender and short legs densely covered with thick fur and with webbed paws and sharp claws on their feet. The smallest of the otter species is the Oriental small-clawed otter while the largest ones are the Giant otter and the Sea Otter.

Although it may seem to be the in-thing to own an exotic pet, can Otters be brought home and treated as pets? Do they make good pets? Owning an otter is not legal in most areas. A permit is given, however, to those pet owners who comply with the different locality’s requirements.

Otters ought to be in the wild and domesticating these mammals may be a daunting task. However, there are some otters who have been domesticated enough and thrive in a pet-master relationship. Otters are generally considered part of wildlife and there are pertinent requirements that go with it.

If you are thinking about having an Otter as a pet, be ready to cope with these forthcoming concerns:


- Some Otters Produce a pungent smell and they do spray it just like the skunk’s spray. There are outside animals and not trained to stay indoors.

- Some Otters bite. They have claws and sharp teeth.

- All otters are nocturnal and they tend to look for food at night.

- All otters need water. If you have a pool for them, it is no surprise to seem them engulfed in it. Hope to have a river nearby if you insist.

- Be prepared to have a sufficient stock of fish. Otters eat 15-25 percent of their body weight a day and can spend as much as 5 hours hunting for food.

- You may need to have a permit to be able to take care of an Otter.

 Sea Otters Video