Crocodilians
and the
Private Keeper
Photo Courtesy of: Bill Moss
Crocodilians have been kept for hundreds of years in zoos and private settings. While a crocodilian is not the first animal most would think of as a good “pet”, they make awesome display animals and catch the fascination of many. These animals have captured the imagination of millions through the years and they bring about respect and fear at the same time. This guide is not just meant as a guide to keeping them in captivity, but more or less to educate you on what to look for when you are considering the ownership of these animals. I am hoping that during the reading of this guide, you will somehow be persuaded to NOT keep these animals. If I am unable to talk you out of this, I am hoping at least you will be educated enough to go into this with proper knowledge of the animal which you wish to keep.
Throughout the years crocodilians have been seen as gods in myths and legends. At the same moment many have feared these animals as ferocious and dangerous man-eaters just waiting for their next kill. Few actually stop to think about the animal at hand, and wonder exactly, “What makes this animal tick?”. The fact that very few take the time in order to understand these stunning specimens makes it harder for those who actually try to give these animals a chance to be accepted.
Crocodilians all have at least one thing in common. FOOD! All crocodilians thrive and live their daily lives all in a search to satisfy their hunger and to survive. Survival is one of the primary things that most humans seem to have a problem comprehending. These animals are considered ruthless, menacing beasts that don’t have a heart because they “take pleasure” in dragging helpless wildebeests, zebras, deer, etc. into the water to die a “slow” and “painful” death. Most people don’t think about the fact that these particular animals don’t have the luxury that we do of going to the grocery store whenever their cabinets and refrigerators are getting empty.
Crocodilians have evolved on this earth for millions of years. They didn’t last this long being stupid. Most people consider them just dumb animals that don’t have a heart and can’t feel anything. Nothing could be further from the truth. Crocodilians have a very bad and often undeserved reputation. Many people are scared due to the dangerous part of crocodilians, but never manage to sit back and just look at the animal. In all actuality, crocodilians are quite peaceful. They spend 90% of their day, swimming around gracefully in a body of water, or basking on a nice warm bank. These animals are only a danger in areas in which crocodilians and humans are plentiful, yet food for crocodilians is not. People tend to feed crocodilians, yet this can cause a disaster. This doesn’t cause problems for just an un-lucky human, but will be quite tragic for the crocodilian as it will most likely be trapped and euthanized.
This guide is intended solely for the use of helping humans to understand and accept crocodilians, as well as prepare the prospecting crocodilian keeper for keeping one of the world’s greatest predators.
All links are directed to Crocodilian.com species accounts and courtesy of Dr. Adam Britton
Ø Family Alligatorinae:
Ø American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
Ø Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis)
Ø Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
Ø Broad-Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris)
Ø Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger)
Ø Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus)
Ø Scheider’s Smooth-Fronted Caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus)
Ø Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare)
Ø Sub-Family Crocodylinae:
Ø American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
Ø African Slender Snouted Crocodile (Crocodylus cataphractus)
Ø Orinoco Crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius)
Ø Australian Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni)
Ø Philippine Crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)
Ø Morelet’s Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii)
Ø Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
Ø New Guinea Crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae)
Ø Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)
Ø Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
Ø Cuban Crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer)
Ø Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
Ø African Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis)
Ø False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii)
Ø Sub-Family Gavialinae and Sub-Family Tomistominae:
Ø Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
The Crocodilian Biological Classifications are as follows:
Kingdom: Animal
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Crocodylia
Family: Alligatoridae
Family: Crocodylidae
Family: Gavialidae
Basic Understanding of Crocodilians
Through the centuries crocodilians have been steeped in myth and legend. In today’s day and time, crocodilians are admired, hated, feared, and respected. Generally, the negative differences of opinions on crocodilians are usually based on non-factual information. Some may be as a result of an early childhood mishap. Some are just based plainly on ignorance. However, over the years there has been a steady increase of individuals who understand and respect crocodilians. They enjoy seeing them in the wild and have nothing but the most respect for these “outcasts” of the reptilian world.
If you are a crocodilian owner, you have a responsibility to promote crocodilians in a healthy, positive and respectful manner. If you do not do your part in being a responsible owner, you are not only negatively affecting the hobby, you are negatively impacting the overall view on crocodilians from the general public. For you and I, seeing a crocodilian in the wild, doing what it does best, ambushing its prey item, this is an awe inspiring sight. For the general public who don’t try to open their eyes to the crocodilian’s challenges of survival in the wild, this is a menacing beast. It is YOUR responsibility, to help improve the general public’s view of these magnificent creatures and help give them a better understanding of the animal at hand, despite what they see primarily on the television.
Respect your animal! Crocodilians are not toys. If you are planning on being an owner of one of the most dangerous predators on the face of this earth, there is a certain level of respect that you must have for the animal. At any given moment, that animal can cause a severe injury to you or even death. These are not golden retrievers, these are apex predators!! No matter how calm, docile, or manageable your crocodilian seems, it is still a wild animal and you must treat it as so. Failure to do so can result in ownership bans, declined positive outlooks on crocodilians, and declined positive outlooks on reptiles in general. You must remember at all times, that any mistake you make doesn’t just affect you. Your mistakes affect all herpetoculturists. Please make decisions wisely.
The future of captive crocodilians and reptiles in general lies in our hands. By promoting crocodilians in a safe and ethical manner, they will continue to be here for everyone’s enjoyment for years to come. Not only do we owe a level of respect to everyone around us. We owe the ultimate respect to our animals. These animals are not ideal pets and therefore should not be treated as pets. They should be treated as individuals and provided that type of respect. Learn to love your crocodilian and admire it. You will learn so much from your animal and everyone else will learn from it as well.
Crocodilians as “pets”?
Let’s start with one question. Do crocodilians make good pets? The answer is simply, not really. Now you may have noticed that I answered this question as, “not really, instead of, “no”. Crocodilians can make very rewarding and awesome captives, but that is for the “right owner”. Not everyone has what it takes to be a responsible and dedicated crocodilian owner. Crocodilians are dangerous. Size of the animal will determine how hard the animal is to accommodate. A Dwarf Caiman as an example stays pretty small. However, they are much harder to handle and are far more aggressive than any American Alligator in its weight class. Therefore, you are trading housing capabilities for double the aggression and dangerousness to own. Feeding is a relatively small expense at a young age, but that will quickly change. In a matter of a couple of years, you will have an animal that wishes to eat constantly. Then you have to think about heating, water access, and most importantly, it’s overall enclosure. If you live in the northern part of the United States, then you are up for a challenge.
Crocodilians do not work well with neighbors. Most of your neighbors will not appreciate an American alligator living next door to them. Regardless of how responsible of an owner you are, you must always consider your neighbors feelings, and you must first instill a sense of trust in them, so that they will learn that you will handle the animal responsibly and safely 110% of the time.
Many things can change a potential crocodilian owner’s mind in the future. Relationship changes, housing arrangements, loss of jobs, aggression that the owner was completely un-prepared for, and a general lack of research done before the purchase can all change an owner’s mind a little ways down the road. Before the purchase of a crocodilian, you must think, “What do I plan to do with this animal when it is 5-6 feet long?” You have to ask yourself whether you will be dedicated to that animal, or do you just want a “cool pet” that is dangerous so you can show off to your friends? What is your state of income? Do you live in a house or apartment? Are you married or currently dating? Do you plan to have kids in the future? If you are hesitant about answering any of the above questions, I think your decision to purchase a crocodilian should definitely be revised.
What is the difference between crocodiles and alligators?
One of the most commonly asked questions that I hear on a regular basis is, “What is the difference between Crocodiles and Alligators”? This is an honestly confusing question to people with no knowledge or experience in dealing with the above animals. So in this section, I will describe the differences briefly among each family.
Alligators:
Alligators are located usually in more moderately tempered areas in the world. Typically alligators have a much more rounded snout than members of the other two families. American alligators have been noted as being the most vocal of all crocodilian species in which could quite possibly make this animal the most vocal out of all reptiles in the world. American alligators as well have been noted that they are not quite as aggressive as their cousins in the “Crocodylidae” family. While the alligators’ jaws are fully closed the only teeth that can be made out, are those of the top jaw. Caimans also fall into the category of alligatoridae. These are typically much more aggressive but typically they are smaller. They have slender snouts, but their teeth can be viewed in the same manner.
Crocodiles:
Compared to that of the alligator, while the crocodiles’ jaws are fully closed, you are able to make out the bottom and top rows of teeth. Some species of crocodiles (particularly Crocodylus porosus) seem to be better equipped to handle saltwater much better than alligators. Alligators are only able to handle a small amount of saltwater for a shorter period of time, while some crocodiles are able to enjoy the saltwater just the same as fresh. However, all crocodilians thrive best in freshwater. Crocodiles tend to have a much more aggressive disposition than that of alligators. However, there can be notable exceptions in which case will be discussed further in this guide.
Gharials:
These odd looking animals of the crocodilian group are listed on this page for the reasons of introducing this animal to the general public. Most people are familiar with the terms of Alligator and Crocodile. However, fewer people have heard of the critically endangered Gharial. These particular animals are freshwater crocodilians that feed primarily on fish. They are recognized due to their very long and slender snout. These animals are typically not aggressive towards humans, although they will certainly look after their interests.
Crocodilian Locomotion
Most people primarily see crocodilians dashing out of the water in an attempt to catch a meal then drag it helplessly to its doom in the crocodilians home in the deep water. What people don’t seem to understand a lot of times is that crocodilians actually have a rather wide assortment of ways of locomotion.
The Belly Crawl:
This form of movement is a rather slow and low to the ground movement. Crocodilians usually use this method when returning back to its watery environment. The belly crawl consists of more or less dragging itself from point A to point B with chest, stomach, and its tail dragging on the ground.
The High-Walk:
During this walk, the crocodilian maneuvers much like normal lizards. The primary things still on the ground during this process are the feet and the final half of its tail. This is once again a very slow maneuver but it certainly has its uses.
Photo By: Chris Law (High Walk)
Gallop:
This form of movement is limited to the smaller species and is used for getting out of dodge fast. Generally this form of movement is used by crocodiles rather than alligators. The one specie that is noted especially for this form of locomotion would be the Australian Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni).
Swimming:
Hmmm, who would have thought of this? Swimming is the most efficient form of movement in crocodilians. This is what these dinosaurs were designed for. This form of locomotion is useful for a few reasons: Primarily for hunting, but is also used for being social with one another, as well as to help them properly thermoregulate.
Photo By: Chris Law
Jumping:
Yes, Crocodilians can jump! Usually jumping is done coming out of water. However, they can make small leaps on land as well. It has been observed that the smaller the species the better they can jump on land. Larger species are capable of making fasts bursts out of the water. Nine times out of ten this is used to catch prey items, which would normally be birds but from time to time a tourist attraction may provide an opportunity to witness this by holding meat from a large boat and causing the crocodile to lunge out to grab its meal. Crocodilians also use their muscular tails to aid in jumping by pressing it against the ground, on dry land or underwater, to thrust them upward.
Crocodilian Communication
Crocodilians are the most vocal of all reptiles. The American Alligator is noted especially for this and appears to be the most vocal out of all crocodilians. From the egg they start with a “distress call”, in which is often used by the mother for knowing if her children are in danger. These go from there, to hisses, growls, coughs, and bellows. Interestingly, crocodilians have no vocal chords, and create sound by moving air through their bodies thus creating vibrations and resonance. Some of the primary forms of crocodilian vocal communication are as follows:
The distress call:
The distress call is something of a, “eeeooow”, if that makes any sense. The younger the gator, then the lower the tone will be of course.
The courtship bellow:
This call is a rather deep shuddery growl. During this call large males will cause heavy vibration in the water in which can make the water “dance” on their backs. This helps them to find mates and rule out other potential competition. This to my knowledge has only been witnessed on the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).
The Threat call:
These come in several stages. These are typically hisses. Some of them can have a rather high intensity in which can result in the animal attacking what it feels is a threat. Watch out because these can usually mean a bite is coming on!! Low intensity hisses are typically warnings to stay away and nothing bad will happen (Note: It is usually a good idea to respect those wishes!).
Different crocodilians make different tones and different calls. Most sound pretty much alike. However, there are differences and if you plan on working with a specific type of crocodilian, it would be a good idea to learn more about the specifics of that animals vocal communication.
As a prospective or existing crocodilian owner, I would recommend that you learn your crocodilians vocal habits very well. These at times could possibly help you keep your limbs, or at the very least prevent a small injury that could have been avoided if you had just simply listened and understood what your animal was attempting to tell you.
Feeding and Diet
Photo Courtesy of Israel Dupont
Feeding crocodilians are one of the more exciting times for a lot of crocodilian owners, at least until they have done it over and over again, but even then it is still enjoyed. No matter how much fun you may have of feeding your animal, you must understand that it is also one of the most dangerous times for you. Especially if you own the more aggressive and dominant species (Nile, Cuban and Saltwater), you definitely have to watch very closely. This is one of the best reasons to study your animals closely every day. The more you learn about your animal the safer you will be while “handling” the animal.
During the process of feeding, your animal will get excited and anxious to be fed. Therefore you must be careful, because this can bring on what is called a “bull-rush”. During this time the animal will sometimes charge at you in an attempt to get food faster or to simply get MORE food. This can generally be guarded against using a “croc-stick”. This is just simply a pole that is used to tap them firmly, but gently on the snout. This kind of negative reinforcement may take time to be effective, but regularity and consistency should suffice. When this is done, this will usually help back the animal off. Depending on the animal in which you own, you could possibly need a “portable wall” in which to hide behind during such times. This helps to put a guard between you and the croc, while allowing access inside its pen for maintenance or for feeding and training.
Crocodilians will readily accept anything that is thrown to them or made available as an opportunity to hunt. Being so, it is your responsibility to ensure that your animal has a proper and balanced diet. Whole animals usually suit them best, but a varied diet is the key to good nutrition. Whole animals, chicken, beef/chicken liver, fish (catfish, perch, trout, etc.), and beef slices typically make up a well balanced diet for crocodilians of any type.
If a well balanced diet is not offered, this can ultimately lead to health declines and bone deformities. This is primarily due to when a balanced diet is not offered, they are not getting the appropriate amounts of calcium and other essential vitamins. If this persists and diet is not corrected, this will in turn cause the early death of your crocodilian. It is your responsibility as a crocodilian owner to provide as much proper care to this animal as possible. This includes providing a proper diet. It is not complicated to provide them a reasonable diet, and if not provided it is simply laziness not inability that will be the problem.
Housing Indoors and Outdoors
Housing should be one of the first thoughts in your mind before the consideration of purchase. While there are a couple species that are easier housed like the Dwarf Caiman and even the African Dwarf Crocodile, it is still going to be a challenging task. Housing outdoors is relatively simple if you live in the climates that would be appropriate for the animal. However, the majority of us will not. Being an Ohio resident myself, I see the challenges of housing larger crocodilians indoors, which will ultimately be the requirement.
Before the purchase of a crocodilian, you should already understand the potential size of the animal in which you wish to purchase. A dwarf caiman in which typically gets around 4.5 feet in length, will be much easier to house indoors than an American Alligator. However, aggression in the animal will be triple what you would get out of that American Alligator.
As a general rule of thumb the enclosure size should be at least 3 times the animal’s length. If this is a juvenile (2’-5’ range) the enclosure should be approximately 5 times the animals length. This is typically due to bursting growth size. This will help to prevent constant enclosure changes and/or relocations that otherwise would be pretty frequent if you just stayed at the bare minimum enclosure size. Adults can stick with an enclosure that is 3 times their total length. Adults being much slower growing and closer to full size will not need enclosures built nearly as frequently and therefore at this point in time, an enclosure should be prepared that will last for the rest of their lives.
Water will be the next challenge after deciding the size of the enclosure. Depending as to whether or not this animal will be housed outside or inside will determine the complication. If you are in a warm state that allows the ownership of crocodilians, then you are in for a treat. It is just as simple as renting a back-hoe for an evening and dig a nice big hole in the ground and filling it with water. If you prefer to have something a bit more sturdy and long lived, a concrete pool can be cast at a much greater cost. A good sturdy concrete pool can run from $5,000.00-$10,000.00 and up. If you are planning on keeping your crocodilian indoors, a new challenge awaits you. There are options however, that could make this process a little easier. When they are smaller, appropriate sized kiddie pools outlined with bricks on the sides to stabilize it will work well. As the animal continues to grow and get larger, other options must be considered. Farm and livestock suppliers many times sell large stock tanks for around $300.00-$400.00. These will be adequate, but a ramp will need to be used in order to assist your crocodilian on getting into the tank. The largest sizes I have seen were 8’ in diameter. This will hold a decent sized croc, but will need to be revised in the future. Wooden platforms can be built in which appropriate sized and shaped holes can be cut into the platform to place appropriate sized hard-plastic pond liners. Pond liners are relatively cheap and come in a variety of sizes so that you may choose the appropriate sized pool for your animal
Heating of the enclosure will be the next challenge. Once again, if you live in a climate in which has appropriate temperatures year round, you are in luck. You get to save on electric bills as well as grief. If you are in the northern part of the US, you will need to design a way to hold in heat and appropriate humidity. The enclosure will need to be insulated to hold in the heat properly. Basking lights, Ceramic Heat Emitters, and Radiant Heat panels can be used as heat sources. Basking lights will almost be a requirement to provide efficient basking temperatures. However, the ambient air temperature will need to be achieved by use of air heater. Water temps will be pretty easy to achieve if the air temperature stays persistent. A submermisible heater may be used to warm the water to its desired 76-78 degrees. Once at that level the water temperature should be more than sufficient.
Temperature and Humidity will be the most important part of your animal’s enclosure’s capabilities. Ambient air temperature should be between 85-88 degrees. Basking temperature will be at around 100-105 degrees. Water temperature should remain between 76-78 degrees. These temperatures can typically drop a little cooler at night by around 10-15 degrees. A day/night cycle should be offered with basking lights on 12 hours and off for 12 hours.
Typically, greenhouse enclosures will be your better bet for housing crocodilians. It would be in your best interest to secure the enclosure completely, as larger crocodilians are extremely strong and can do quite a bit of damage if the enclosure is not built properly. You MUST make sure that this enclosure is escape proof. An escaped crocodilian is certain to make the headlines. Once again, I cannot stress the level of responsibility that you are taking upon yourself.
Substrates are another portion of the enclosure that will need to be considered. Sand, straw, mulch, grass, and dirt are all good substrates. Your main concern will be to determine which one will be the most beneficial and user friendly on your behalf. If you have a smooth concrete floor, then sand will most likely be impractical. You might want to consider mulch instead. If you are on a more dirt surface but muddier dirt surface, you may consider sand. If you are on grassy surfaces, it would be best left as it is. Use your imagination (as well as common sense). Typically the more basic you keep the enclosure the easier it will be for you to maintain. Don’t add any “furniture” to the enclosure as it will just be re-arranged according to your crocodilian’s preference. Keep electrical cords/devices out of reach and if you know what’s good for you, you will keep food out of the view of your croc. Crocodilians have the ability to recognize food containers (more about this later). This could help prevent an injury due to the animal not getting a quick feeding excitement, and therefore making for easier control of the animal.
It is recommended to place some large objects strategically around the enclosure. Stumps, large rocks, bricks, etc. can all be placed in certain areas that you can use to your advantage in the event that you croc doesn’t like you being in the enclosure at the moment. Hiding behind a stump or something of that sort can help to save a keepers life or limb.
Handling: Tools of the Trade
Crocodilians are quite demanding captives if you haven’t already made this conclusion so far. At one point in time you will have to move your animal to another location for cage maintenance, or to move them to a different location all together. The larger the animal is, the larger the task will be. Depending on exactly what type of moving you are doing, will ultimately determine the type of tools that will be needed.
A guard stick is #1. This is simply a rod that can be used to help direct the animal or allow him to know that he is not doing what you want him to do (not by way of beating the animal though). Sometimes during feeding procedures, your animal may get a little rambunctious. Bull rushes can sometimes happen creating a very interesting situation. A croc stick can actually help to deter the animal from making this move.
Photo Courtesy of Kevin Torregrosa
A portable wall is also a recommended tool. This is simply a board with some handles on one side that will help to prevent contact between you and the croc. This can be used at pretty much any time, particularly cage maintenance and feeding. This is highly recommended for larger more aggressive species as you are much more likely to get “bull-rushed”. This can help save your life or your body parts.
Snout-nooses are highly recommended. Whether you realize it or not, your animal is going to get much larger at one point in its life. Also, whether you realize it or not, you will have to move that animal from one place to another. The last thing you really want are jaws that are freely used. Some individuals prefer the “pouncing” method in where they jump on the crocs back and try to “wrestle” it. Trust me….the snout-noose will be much more efficient. Yet again, this can help you keep your limbs.
Electrical tape is another great thing to have on hand. Upon taking your animal in for a vet check (or in many cases, having the vet come to you), or relocating your animal it is safest to secure the animals jaws. Electrical tape is a great way to do this and it is really cheap too! (Note: Be sure to keep a sharp eye where your fingers are located during this process)
Rope is a necessity. At one point in time you are going to have to catch your croc at a larger size. This task is not as easy as Steve Irwin might make it look on TV. Even still you must notice that even Steve typically has a team of people to help him stay out of a sticky situation.
Feeding tongs are also another thing that you should consider. While you don’t necessarily NEED them, they will certainly be beneficial and allow you to stay a relatively safe distance from the animals during feeding time. While younger crocs can be fed using a set of forceps, as the animal increases in size it would be best to get a set of tongs similar to snake handling tongs.
You must remember that in order to keep these animals responsibly, you must have all of the tools needed to get any job done safely. Despite whether there are any escapes and such, you must remember that even if YOU are injured by your animal, word gets around. Keep in mind that when the owner takes a hit, then so does the hobby and the animal. Typically, everything will go much better with your neighbors as long as everything goes “according to plan” in the keeping of your animal.
Safety First
Photo By: Chris Law
The jaws above don’t look too pleasant do they? I consider safety to be one of the more important factors of crocodilian (or any inheritely dangerous animal for that matter) ownership. Simply put, if you don’t feel that you can conduct ownership in a positive, safe and ethical manner….do not purchase the animal. Once again, I cannot stress the fact enough that these are APEX PREDATORS and not toys. You are looking at an animal that can have your meanest Rottweiler for lunch! In this section I would just like to list some safety precautions that must be taken when handling these extreme predators.
Don’t misjudge distance. You must always keep in mind that crocodilians, while not normally the fastest animals on the planet, they can give very fast, sudden bursts of speed which can catch you completely off guard if you are not a safe distance away. This can save your life or limb at any given time. Keep your distance and don’t let your guard down at ANY time.
Watch where the animal is at all times. It would be in your best interest to not allow the animal out of your sight. Remember at all times that these are ambush predators. Not knowing where you animal is could be very dangerous.
Any animal 4’+ should never be handled alone. In the event that something goes wrong, you at minimum, might have to have someone call 9-1-1. It is very possible that you might have to have someone unlock your “pets” jaws from around your leg or arm. If you are by yourself, nobody will be able to hear your cries for help. With that being said you should always have someone within earshot at all times when working with larger specimens.
Always make sure that you have the tools for the job. Depending on what you are doing in the enclosure at the current moment, you will need to properly choose your tools for the task. It is best to at least keep your croc stick with you while you are within the enclosure walls. Being un-prepared can at times put you in a very sticky situation. Make sure that all of your tools are easily accessibly at time of need.
Crocodilian Health
Crocodilians are pretty hearty creatures when kept in ideal conditions. These animals due to their impressive biological structure are able to overcome some of the harshest environments possible. Crocodilians typically live in bacteria infested, filthy, hostile environments where most animals couldn’t even imagine surviving in. However, in captive conditions there are several things that can go wrong in their health if this is not paid special attention to. Most of these have been mentioned throughout this guide but I will provide a more straight-forward list.
- Improper Diet
- Improper Temperatures
- Inappropriate Housing
Crocodilians require special needs in captivity that they often-times don’t receive. Diet is one of the most important factors, coupled with appropriate temperatures to help ensure that they are able to properly utilize the food ingested. Providing a good balanced diet is the key to a healthy crocodilian. Providing the animal with the ability to thermoregulate properly and reach its PBT is essential. If these items are not provided, an unhealthy animal can result. Bone deformities can result from calcium deficiency. Poor muscle tone can result from a lack of proper food intake. Bacterial infections can result from unsanitary conditions. Respiratory infections can result of improper temperatures and basking abilities or providing too cool of water in a warm environment.
There are some instances however, that
Below are pictures of crocodilians with some type of health problem as a result of improper care:
Photo Courtesy of: Bill Moss (Improper Bone Structure- Possible Calcium deficiency)
Photo Courtesy of: Bill Moss (Splayed Teeth- Possible Calcium deficiency)
Photo Courtesy of: Bill Moss (Splayed Teeth- Possible calcium deficiency)
Photo Courtesy of: Shane Heck (Bacterial Infection-Unsanitary conditions)
Photo Courtesy of: Shane Heck (Bacterial Infection- Unsanitary conditions)