Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've always assumed that the majority of people that buy caimans from pet stores have no idea what they're getting into, have no plan as to what to do with the animal when it grows, and that almost all of them don't live long enough to grow to a large size anyway.

How do all you responsible pet owners house these large creatures when they become full grown? Don't all commercially-available crocadilians grow to at least 8 feet?

I've heard stories of people having old barns that they heat during the winter and keep caimans in there. Or do most of you just live in warm climates and keep them outdoors?

I live in a fairly mild climate on the coast of Texas so I let nature do most of the work. However, for the tropical species Niles, specs, etc I have built enclosures in my barn area with skylights and heated water for the few cold nights we do get.

It's amazing even on a clear cold day how warm you can make thier water/enclosure with a simple skylight heating the cage. The water body is fairly large so a good portion of the heat is retained until the next mornign when it all heats up again.

The biggest worries are cold, overcast days. Or extended periods of such, can be nerve racking. Firtunately our 'hard' freezes typicaly occur on very clear days.

Wow, do you have any pictures of your setups?

I've always been fascinated hearing about such setups, but I've never seen one, or seen a picture of one.

I'll try and take some digital photos and post them in the next week or so.

Haven't posted a photo to the forum so it may take awhile till I figure it out.

I live in Ohio so as you can imagine I dont fit in to the mild climate area. Summer from about June to August is great for outside enclosures. The rest of the months have to be either inside enclosures or greenhouse type buildings. I've had several different crocodilians over the years and currently still housing. My largest are American Alligators and they grow fast. It takes alot of space and alot of money to properly house these animals. Or at least this applies to me being in Ohio with cold temps most of the year (For crocs).