• Containment barriers for Mexican wolf facilities must keep wolves in, keep intruders out, and limit human access to wolves for public safety and wolf mental health. Barriers may be constructed of wire mesh (nine gauge or heavier chain link), solid walls, glass, or a combination of these materials.
• Shelters should be provided to allow animals privacy and escape from inclement weather.
• Enclosures should be provided with deadfall, logs, trees and bushes. There should be varied topography. These features allow the wolf an opportunity to climb, hide play, mark territory and carry out other natural behaviors.
• A minimum size of 930 square meters has been suggested for Mexican wolf breeding facilities. Wolves have shown considerable stress when housed in undersized areas as evidenced by pacing, aggression, nervousness, poor reproduction and care of offspring.
• Facilities should include areas for shifting, capturing, isolating and introducing animals.
• Enclosures should be designed so that less than 25% of the enclosure perimeter is accessible to zoo visitors, non-animal care staff and vehicles. Mexican wolves should not be housed where they have visual contact with other large carnivores.

• A breeding pair with young-of-the-year social groupings have proven to be quite cohesive. Also, groupings of a breeding pair with two consecutive litters has worked out well. In this case the primary litter benefits of experiencing and assisting with the growth an development of the secondary litter, while the secondary litter benefits from group social interaction.
• Denning is critical for pup survival in the wild. Significant loss of pups will occur if the female parent does not whelp in a natural den. It is beneficial for Mexican wolves to experience in actual den digging or to have come from a natural den as pups.
• Parent-raised offspring are preffered by this program. At times this approach to husbandry may be emotionally difficult for the animal care staff who recognize that they could do more to aid in the survival of individual pups. However, cautious, limited handling can occur under specialized circumstances.

• Under no circumstances are "uncertified" wolves to breed with "certified" Mexican wolves.
• Unlike dogs, breeding in wolves is seasonal and occurs only once a year. Breeding usually occurs in Februrary and March. The gestation period is from sixty to sixty-three days. Whelping takes place in April or May.
• Both males and females are sexually mature at age 2.
• Male wolf genetals recede in the spring and are reduced in the summer. In the fall there will be an enlargement of the scrotum and a loss of hair from the scrotal area.
• The breeding status of a female is not easily detectable. There may be an enlargement of the nipples and there might be a noticeable change in the behavior of males.
• Wolves exhibit strong pair bonding, however sometimes wolves will breed with a new individual.
• It is very important to allow the wolves to become familiar with eachother and their surroundings. Mating pairs should be put into a breeding pen several months prior to breeding season.
• Annual check-ups of breeding wolves should be done in the fall so as not to interfere with breeding.

• Nutritional requirements for Mexican wolves are assumed to be the same as those for domestic dogs.
• High quality extruded dog foods such as Ralston Purina Pro Plan™ or Hill's Science Diet™ should be fed.
• Adult Mexican wolves weighing 22 to 32 kg should be fed 1,300 to 1,800 kcal of metabolizable energy per day.
• Beef of horse shank are often fed to captive wolves. These are valuable as enviromental/behavioral enrichment, promote good dental health and strengthen cranial muscle and bone.
• Wolves should be fed once a day but can be fasted one day a week.
• Good nutrition is essential to successful breeding. Pregnant bitches need 30% more food than usual and lactating bitches need 2-3 times the amount of food.

-This information was provided by:
Kent A. Newton
Rio Gande Zoological Park
Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 1995

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