Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi ! i need your help guys ,
i'm a beginner , and i'm thinking about buying a 6-months old baby nile crocodile , i have everything that it takes to get it , and i'm capeable of housing it now & in the future ,
but is it very dangerous ? how many years does it take till the croco becomes capable of bitting hard & remove my finger ?

i'm also worried about catching salmonella , how can i prevent catching it from my croc ??

thanks Alot !

AT TWO FEET YOU COULD LOOSE A FINGER OR AT THE LEAST STITCHES

A nile croc is NOT a beginner animal you are dealing with the second largest crocodilian species in the world. If you are concerned with them beening dangerous crocodilians are the wrong way to go because there is always a risk factor. Depending where you live a nile would be a very difficult animal to house. Ronnie
WEBSITE

Hi,

Honestly the words 'beginner' and Nile crocodile should never go together. As mentioned by others they are certainly not a starter animal.

Given good conditions it will be about 12-18 months before the crocodile will be big enough to hurt you seriously. We have 2 year old Niles between 4-5ft. And yes they can be very dangerous.

Salmonella is not a problem as long as you keep your water clean.

Feel free to look around our website. We have a section devoted to Nile crocodiles and their care as captives.
Nile crocodiles

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CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'

Crocodilians in general are NOT beginner animals. Especially an animal like a Nile Croc. When you say "In the future" are you referring to 2 years from now or 10 years from now? An American Alligator in contrast is a relatively docile animal...but even they can inflict serious injury if they are having a bad day...thus causing YOU to have a bad day.

Salmonella in my opinion is a severely overblown issue. Wash your hands before and after handling...dont' put them in your mouth. Issue resolved.

Chris

>>Hi ! i need your help guys ,
>>i'm a beginner , and i'm thinking about buying a 6-months old baby nile crocodile , i have everything that it takes to get it , and i'm capeable of housing it now & in the future ,
>>but is it very dangerous ? how many years does it take till the croco becomes capable of bitting hard & remove my finger ?
>>
>>i'm also worried about catching salmonella , how can i prevent catching it from my croc ??
>>
>>thanks Alot !
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My Website
www.herpfanatic.com

thanks alot for answering me ,
i meant that i'm capable of housing it for more than 10 years , it's a life commitment , if i decided to have it i'm gonna be a serious keeper ,

but is it possible to have a tame croc if i held it everyday and trained it ? because i heard that crocs are very intelligent animals , and they can recognize people .

how many years does it take untill the croc is capable of removing or damaging one of my fingers ?

You dont listen or read very well! Your questions have been answered. As for tameing a nile croc it might be time to get a reality check.This is not umpa lumpa land and they are not umpa lumpas. These are apex prdators who happen to kill for a living,not puff the magic dragon.I traded a couple of emails with you and you just dont get it.10 years is not a life time50 plus years is.If you want a croc at least respect them for what they are and let them be exactly that.rover they are not I love crocs for what they are not for what I fantisize I can make them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!A true croc fan Archie Bottoms

There is NEVER a such thing as a "tame" wild animal. Some are just less wild than others. There will always be a "what if" factor when handling the animal. As stated by Archie, these are apex predators. They are perfectly built to quickly dispatch prey.

As far as your queries on handling, you must be careful. While all crocodilians are individuals and some respond to handling differently than others...NONE of them enjoy it. Handling too frequently (or at all) can be very stressful. Crocodilians are largely HANDS OFF animals. The only times they should really be handled are during cages maintenance or veterinary checkups. Beyond that, it is highly advised to leave them be. It is better for the animals and safer for you.

While I was only generalizing when stating "2 years compared to 10 years", these animals will last MUCH longer than that. Do you live in warm climates year round? If you're up north...you can pretty much forget keeping that animal for that long of a time period. These animals get too large for most people to be able to provide for them long-term in northern climates. I'm not stating that it CAN'T be done, but it will be VERY expensive and VERY difficult.

Chris
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My Website
www.herpfanatic.com

He is in Syria. The climate is actually going to be in his favor here.
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CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'

I forgot to add...

Yes, crocodilians are "intelligent" animals. Yes, they CAN be trained. However, from what I understand, it's a bit of a lengthy process and not quite as easy as training a dog. This form of "training" is referred to as "operant conditioning". This is a way of training your animal so that it greatly reduces stress on the animal and it is much safer for you.
However, no matter how well "trained" the animal is, there is always the risk of something going wrong. If you aren't prepared to lose a limb while dealing with these animals, then you shouldn't keep it. Obviously, you would want to avoid it like the plague and do everything in your power to ensure that all of your interactions with the animal are done so as safely as possible, but you never know what could happen.

Chris
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My Website
www.herpfanatic.com

All apologies for my tiraid. He is indeed from the middle east. I just get so tired of everyone wanting a tame croc.With that said this is the most posts on this forum Iv seen in awhile,an opinions from keepers that I KNOW keep crocs like crocs.That I respect........ArchieBottoms..ps I hope I can visit your place in the future chris

I don't why you are apologizing. I though that was one of the funnest post I have ever seen. Crocs aren't toys and if you seriously need to ask at what size they can hurt you. Come on. Ronnie
WEBSITE

I was apologizeing for getting mad, but you are right.Iam now just apologizeing to the umpa lumpas innocent by standers and puff..........Thanks Archie

as mr.dieter said , i live in syria , so the climate here will help me keeping the croc .
chris : can you give me more information about the trainings ?
thanks alot guys , i'll be very careful around my crocodile .
wish me luck

Get Chris`s book it will be a life saver and a must for all croc lovers.

The best place to go for information on training of crocodilians would be "www.reptiletraining.com". There are articles and videos pertaining to training crocodilians.

Chris

>>as mr.dieter said , i live in syria , so the climate here will help me keeping the croc .
>>chris : can you give me more information about the trainings ?
>>thanks alot guys , i'll be very careful around my crocodile .
>>wish me luck
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My Website
www.herpfanatic.com

Keeping a large crocodile can be very expensive. Make sure you have thought about that angle. Most of the cost is upfront when building adult enclosures after that it's maintenance and feed.
website

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CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'

Yeah i kow that , i'm prepared , i know a guy who can build me a nice enclouser for an adult crocodile .
Thanks alot for your help