Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a 2 foot gator in a 20 gallon aquariam and wondered if that is good enough he has lots of room side to side but it is a little tight turning around the guy at super pets said a 20 gallon is plenty big enough since it is a 20 long

A two foot long American Alligator has no place inside of a 20 gallon aquarium other than to perhaps hold him there for approximately an hour while you are cleaning it's PROPER enclosure. The general rule of thumb is that the enclosure for crocodilians should be equal to 3x the animals length in width and length, but larger is ALWAYS recommended. That alligator shouldnt have been in that tank for that long. That most likely means that the alligator is completely in water as it most likely has no place to bask because you can't fit a place into it. That alligator needs a basking area OUTSIDE of the water. I would strongly recommend that you read the crocodilian FAQ about proper crocodilian husbandry before deciding to keep this animal for much longer.

www.crocodilian.com/crocfaq is the address. For your convenience, however, I will place a link at the bottom of the page.

My recommendation would be to consider the ownership of this animal in a very serious manner and ask yourself if this is what you really want to do. Getting rid of these animals are not very easy after a period of time and after they get so long. Luckily, there are some crocodilian rescues here and there throughout the U.S. that would be willing to take them in.

Best Wishes and study hard,'

Chris
Crocodilian FAQ

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U.A.P.P.E.A.L.
Uniting A Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League
www.uappeal.org

Also you might want to get this book The Ultimate Guide to Crocodilians in Captivity.