Ive been wanting to keep a crocodile for a long time, nows still not the time. But after college and after i get stable enough to buy some land i'm planning on getting a nile croc. I've been learning about crocodilians since i was 15, im 18 now. But I was just wondering if it would be better to keep it natural in the winter, and just let the croc hang out in a hole like they naturally do in the winter. Or if it would be better to just have a light. Cause here in texas the winters aren't harsh at all. By the way also I'm in west texas, but i'm getting a degree in underwater welding so i'll probably be going to east texas, just incase humidity will be a factor.
Keeping a crocodile
- Thread starter 8ball
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As a professional zoo keeper, the only advice I can offer would be to not buy one. Visit one in a zoo.
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Lol.
Im planning on owning a croc when I move out of here.
Of course thats a couple of years from now
I just started studying them, so I cant help you there.
If you get one, good luck with it!
They're gorgeous animals.
Im planning on owning a croc when I move out of here.
Of course thats a couple of years from now
I just started studying them, so I cant help you there.
If you get one, good luck with it!
They're gorgeous animals.
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So are u gonna digg a big pool in your backyard 4 it too live then??
Cause its getting pretty big as u well know.
I think its a cool idea for those who have the space and will.
Cause its getting pretty big as u well know.
I think its a cool idea for those who have the space and will.
Yea it wont be for a few years but thanksLol.
Im planning on owning a croc when I move out of here.
Of course thats a couple of years from now
I just started studying them, so I cant help you there.
If you get one, good luck with it!
They're gorgeous animals.
well im gonna get land out in the country, build it a pond and fence it in. I wouldnt get a croc if i was living in city limits
I have to agree with this.
It's a lot more than just digging a hole and fencing it in for a crocodile (especially with how large one can become). They are extremely territorial and WILL want to kill you when you enter their space- which you will have to do, and if you plan on doing it alone you're asking for trouble. You not only need to worry about keeping it IN, but keeping others OUT. Also, the food bill, enclosure maintenance, enrichment (they aren't dumb animals that are happy just sitting with nothing to do for 20 years), heath.... all big hits to your finances and your free time.
I know it sounds like a great idea on paper, and the thought of owning such a powerful animal is appealing and quite thrilling, but in the end it's just a bad idea.
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Start with a caimen them work your way up.
John
John
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Sounds like a fantastic idea! :clap:
Im gonna assume that since youre 18 you havent even gotten into college and havent gotten a job that will allow you to afford such animals.
Maybe in 10, 15, heck even 20 years youll be able to afford one but even then... its gonna be a mission man.
Maybe in 10, 15, heck even 20 years youll be able to afford one but even then... its gonna be a mission man.
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99% of the general population has no business with a Crocodilian of any kind and the OP is no different in my opinion.
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What happens when you get married, have kids, get divorced, get offered a job out of state, die, lose your job, get seriously injured, go on a long vacation... I think you get my point. I don't know you nor do I need to know you to be able to say that you have no place owning a nile crocodile privately. You are planning on buying the worlds second largest crocodile, an animal that will outlive you, that will cost as much for you to keep as raising a child with disabilities and which within a decade will be capable of killing you, neighbors, neighborhood pets, etc. Wanting a crocodile is fine, I'm sure every herp enthusiast has thought it would be cool. Getting one is another. If you are dead set on having a crocodilian get a cuviers dwarf or a smooth front. Even then I don't recommend it. Keeping crocodilians as pets is folly.
3 years interest in such a dangerous exotic animal in no way makes you ready to own one. If you are dead set on it at a minimum you should study, get a job in a zoo caring for different crocodilians, spend 15-20 years at that job and then if you can afford it and still want it go for it. They don't stay small, they aren't friendly (don't believe anyone who says they can become tame) and they aren't cheap to feed either.
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First of all I know of know crocodile that at "hangs in a hole" in winter. Alligators are known to do this, not crocs. Regardless I think you'd be alright in Texas. I've never heard of any elaborate indoor croc enclosures being built down south because of the winters. Anyway you are probably better off starting with a Camain first anyway. Those guys are cute as babies, look crazy as adults and stay under six feet. People can keep crocs - I've seen it done. You can keep a baby morlets in a bath tub for some time, but whats the fun in that? One thing any keeper must keep in mind at all times is the resposiblity that they brought home along with their new addition. It is possible to happily keep a very large reptile, as you may wish too, but you must always remember exactly what you are doing and why.
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Keeping a caiman is no easy task. They are still large dangerous reptiles that demand respect and diligence from their keeper. Cute, and looking crazy should never be motivation for getting something, thats called impulse buying and for herps it usually means a lackluster and short life. Sure, anyone can keep a croc. My mother could keep a croc, but this is not about keeping one. There is a difference between keeping and animal and keeping an animal. If you are 18 years old and thinking of buying a crocodile then you have to expect to have an animal that will outlive you if you do manage to give it the proper care. Proper care isn't the bare essentials, it isn't a tub, it isn't a kiddie pool. You will pay as much to build a greenhouse as you will to build the proper outdoor enclosure for a crocodile. There are regulations regarding the housing design for these animals, check out german regulations for keeping crocodilians if you want a measure of what is the bare minimum. Before you even get a caiman you should look at these, take out a measuring tape and see just how much room you are going to need. Then think about how you are goign to make the area secure from curious kids. To the creater of this thread I have to ask, have you any idea the size a nile crocodile will attain even if it is a female? Do you have any comprehension of the power that animal will have? How about the bioload there will be in its pool. What sort of filter will you be able to afford to handle that much waste? How are you going to do maintenance on the enclosure when something breaks? Things will break, make no mistake there, things will break. Do you recognize how dangerous it is going to be? Alligators will tame up to a degree but even they will always be dangerous. A crocodile is going to associate you with food from the get go because you will feed it, and at the 8foot mark when its body starts to change and its skull becomes bulkier, its neck and back more robust, it will stop associating you with food and start looking at you as food. If you've continued to read this and think I'm being harsh I really hope you do. I hope you are just waiting to come back and tell me all about how wrong I am about this and about that, because I think the more you try to argue your points if you do choose to argue, the more you will realize how ridiculous the idea of keeping a "pet" Nile crocodile is.
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It would be completely stupid to get a crocodile of any kind. A croc. can also cause a pretty disfiguring bite. So you or someone else could end up loosing a hand. Most of the people I have met who keep crocodilians are adult men with a career, a house,and some land.
besides visiting one is a zoo, you could go to school and work with them as a biologist or maybe a keeper. Or do veterinary work with them. There are so many cool reptiles please do not keep these as pets. Most people only keep them for a year or so and sell them. I would say all are euthanized.
besides visiting one is a zoo, you could go to school and work with them as a biologist or maybe a keeper. Or do veterinary work with them. There are so many cool reptiles please do not keep these as pets. Most people only keep them for a year or so and sell them. I would say all are euthanized.
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I personally think you should start out with as big and aggressive of a croc as you can possibly get. Just let Nature take its course from there...
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