Otters also blow air bubbles into their lower layer of fur, which is very soft. They use those paws to comb through the fur, and then because they’re so flexible they can really twist and turn and reach every part of their body,” Vens-Policky said. “Otters have very dexterous paws, and they have additional vertebrae in their backs so they’re really bendy.
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The surrogate moms who arrived this week know how to get the job done - thanks in part to some limited surrogate parenting they themselves received - and they can pass that knowledge on to pups. Pups learn grooming skills by watching their mothers, and by being groomed by them. Otter pups have to learn to groom themselves - a skill that helps keep them warm - and mother otters are the ideal instructors, although humans can step in when there’s no alternative. Teaching happens in baby steps that build up to bigger goals, Vens-Policky said.
If an otter can return an item, she will move on to retrieving it from a greater distance. “We can do that in a number of different ways, so we might give the otters a toy item or an enrichment item and ask them to give it back to us.” “We use positive reinforcement training, so if we see an animal doing something we like, we let them know to keep doing that,” said Vens-Policky. Staff will also teach the otters (currently housed behind the scenes) to retrieve objects, which should eventually translate to retrieving and carrying a young pup. A lot of their feeding will involve staff scattering and hiding food in their exhibit so the otters can practice searching for it. Staff will encourage the surrogate moms, both about 9 months old and about 30 pounds, to practice diving and foraging. Rescued orphans who received some surrogate mothering but were not suitable for release into the wild, the duo will hone their otter skills at the Shedd, Vens-Policky said. That’s where the Otters 926 and 929 come in. Sea otter moms care for their pups, teaching them vital survival skills, so when a pup is orphaned, it’s a challenge to prepare him or her for a return to the wild.
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