Nutria

toc

// Myocastor coypus // Order: Rodentia

=**__Husbandry Information__**=

Housing Requirements

 * Nutria are semi-aquatic, so enclosure should have a pool deep enough for the nutria to submerge and large enough for it to swim.
 * A shelter or den that remains dry is essential.

Diet Requirements

 * Nutria consumes about 1/4 of its body weight each day.
 * Diet should contain rodent chow or similar dry pellet along with greens, vegetables, especially root vegetables and a small amount of fruit.
 * Browse should be given on a regular basis. Cypress and sweet gum are favorites.

Notes on Enrichment & Training

 * Nutria can be easily clicker trained using favored foods as treats.
 * Since nutria are very near-sighted the use of touch or verbal cues works best. If using a target be sure to make it easy to recognise and distinguish.

=__Programmatic Information__=

Tips on Presentation

 * Presenting on a platform will make it easier to handle the nutria and avoid having to hold it.

Tips on Handling

 * The earlier you can start handling, the better. Early desensitisation to handling, harness, crate, etc. will make it much easier to handle when full grown.
 * They can be sensitive to loud noises, particularly when they cannot see the source of the sound.

Potential Messaging

 * Nutria have been introduced in several countries and are listed among the top 100 most destructive introduced species. They were brought to the US for the fur trade as a subtiture for otter and beaver.
 * Plastic/Styrofoam – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Conventional plastic and Styrofoam (That’s pretty much all plastic and Styrofoam.) do not biodegrade. Whether items made of these materials are thrown on the ground as litter or thrown away in the trash, they tend to end up in our rivers and oceans, each piece staying in these ecosystems for decades or centuries. Large pieces of plastic float in the water or wash up on the shore, often entangling birds, mammals, and fish and destroying coral reefs. Smaller pieces are mistaken for food and eaten by many species. Please ask zoo guests to avoid disposable plastic and Styrofoam packaging, opting for re-usable alternatives: cloth tote bags instead of plastic grocery bags, filtered tap water instead of bottled water, re-useable plastic food storage (like Rubbermaid containers) instead of Styrofoam boxes. Ask them to recycle plastic rather than throwing it away and to purchase products that are made of recycled materials. Participating in a beach or river clean-up is also a great idea. [] []

=__Acquisition Information__=

=__Comments from the Rating System__=
 * BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo: If obtained and trained young they can be very good program animals. They require a pool to swim in and a fair bit of space. Easy to deliver a great message about introduced species. It eats about 1/4 of its body weight per day so lots of food and lots of cleaning is required.

=__Natural History Information__=

Range and Habitat
Native to South America from Bolivia to Tierra del Fuego. Introduced in North America, Europe and Asia. Found in marshes, lakes and sluggish streams.

Physical Description
length nose to rump-18-23 inches. tail- 12-18 inches. Weight- 11-22 lbs.

Life Cycle
Polyestrous and non-seasonal breeder. Female gives birth to two or three litters per year. Gestation is 127 to 139 days and the female cycles again two days after giving birth. The average litter is 3-6, but can number as high as 13. Kits are precocial. They nurse for eight weeks and are mature at six months.

Behavior
Nutria are nocturnal or crepuscular, depending on the season. While it is somewhat mobile on land it never travels far from water. They form family groups of related females and their young along with one adult male. Bachelor males are generally solitary.

Threats and Conservation Status
In parts of their native habitat they are rare due to overhunting, however they are considered common elsewhere. In areas where they have been introduced they are considered a highly invasive species. Attempts to control the population of introduced nutria have had limited success. In 2005 the state of Louisiana began offering a $5 bounty to licensed trappers for each nutria tail they brought in. The goal is 400,000 animals per year.

=__Did you know…__=
 * In its native habitat it is called a coypu. Nutria is the Spanish word for otter. It was renamed nutria in an effort to market the skins as a substitute for otter.
 * Nutria build burrows in the banks of waterways that can be 40 feet long with multiple chambers lined with vegetation.

=__Photographs__=

=__Contributors and Citations__=
 * Baton Rouge Zoo
 * Houston Zoo, Natural Encounters

//When adding a new page, remember to add tags!//
 * //Activity Schedule: diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular//
 * //Continent of Origin//
 * //Diet Requirements: carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, etc.//
 * //General Habitat/Biome: deserts, forests, mountains, etc.//