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hey everyone i am a 14yr old mal looking to buy a baby dwarf caiman do you think this is a good i dea any responds will be helpful thanks a lot tom

It's a joke, right?

If not, don't even consider it. Heh. I have no Crocodilian experience at all, but I can easily say a 14 year old wouldn't be able to take care of one.

I'd say the same thing for almost every other lizard out there. I can just see you (or any other person your age) getting one and getting bored of it later and having to get rid of it.

Don't think about getting a caiman just because it's "cool" (Which, I confess, it'd be awesome to brag about the Croc in your basement or where ever you keep it) but it's the wrong reason.

If you're bent on getting a reptile, look at Leopard geckoes or even some snakes (Corn snakes) They're easy to take care of and some are absolutely stunning in color.

I'm not bashing you or anything, but telling you that it would be a huge mistake.

i no it sounds stupid but that is not the reason it is because i have benn in love whit crocs for like my whole like since i was like 5 but thanks for the repli

thats not true at all. I know many kids that age who take very well care of their animals, a lot of them better than any adult I know. Many of the kids breed the animals and are very knowledgable when it comes to the reptiles/amphibians. Sure a caiman or any type of crocodilian would be a lot of work but that is non sense to say that a boy of 14 years of age could not care for a difficult reptile responsibly. Have a bit more faith in the younger generations.

Read the rest of my posts.

My biggest fear is him moving out/going off to college and having to have his parents take care of it or having to get rid of it all together.

I'm kind of suprised you guys would condone a 14 year old taking care of a Crocodilian. Would you guys think he could take care of a Nile Monitor? A burmese? A Retic? Anaconda? Or maybe even a venomous snake?

You'd be suprised at the number of adults I've talked to who caught and kept venomous snakes as kids. Not something I'd let MY kids do! I think times were a little different, say, 20 years ago. But I think the two issues involved with the caiman are A. The giant piles of money required to keep one correctly and B. The fact that the animal will still be there in 5, 10, 20, and 50 years
Also... C. Whether or not a minor should be allowed to keep an animal that can result in a hospital visit
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

take care of a caiman, but at this stage in your life, should you? I think others have given you great advise that will benefit both you and the caiman in the long run - wait till you are through with school, have a house and are settled in before you make that move. I personally changed my mind about what I wanted to do for a career about every six-months when I was your age.

This is a very long-term committment, is it really fair to have your parents take care of it (even if they are willing) long-term like 4 or 5 years in college (in my case six years to get a four-year degree). You have to know that you will not get home-owners insurance without some sort of expensive, high risk premium by a specialty underwriter - this would be no different for your parents. Do you know that if your house were to burn down and the caiman was found in the ruble the insurance company could refuse to pay the damages - even thought the caiman didn't cause it?

Don't get mad (not saying that you are) at the people who are giving you advise that you don't agree with, after all, you asked - right?

Bill

Hi tom, i understand how awesome it would be to own a Caimen but there are a lot of things you have to consider before you throw down your hard earned money for one of those beasts...First of all, Where are you going to keep it?..Dwarfs need a different kind of care than other crocs and can be very difficult to deal with..Not to mention expensive and dangerous, Dwarf Caimen can be vicious lil monsters and if your not experienced you could end up with a terrible injury and some serious stitches and possibly the lost of a finger or part of your hand if not careful...It's great that you have a love and interest for these animals but what you need is the right training and experince before taking one on for yourself..Tell you what you do, Find a place like a local zoo or reptile dealer in your town and tell them you want to learn about the care and handling of crocodilians...Tell them you'll volunteer your time to learn the proper way to care for these animals..Thats invaluable experince right there and one day when your ready and finacially able then you'll be ready to care for one the right way..Read EVERYTHING you can find one these animals as well..They are incredible creatures and you can never learn anough about them, but they are also very primitive dangerous animals that require a lot of care and a lot of respect..Goodluck

thank you so much on that info i am glad some fells the way i do about this situation but i am glad u did not resopnd the the comment like the other person did and shut my fellings down before you get a chance to now how much reptiles and crocsmean to me. and i will do anything to make sure they live happy lives.

It has nothing to do with "Shutting your feelings down" but more of the fact that the odds of you being able to care for it are slim to none.

Serious, go for it when you're older. But don't do it now. I'm not saying you don't love them. They're incredible animals and probably my favorite reptiles over all.

But you're 14. Do you have a job? Do you have enough money to build an enclosure for one? Do you have the time needed to take care of it between school and (if you have one) a job?

And your biggest mistake is looking at the situation *now* What about when you get older and possibly go to College? What are you going to do with it then? I doubt there are many dorms out there that allow people to keep Crocs of any sort in them.

And what about when you move out? Odds are, you'll live in an apartment first. What are you going to do then? Even if they allowed it, where would you keep it?

I'm not bashing you. I'm not trying to insult you. I'm trying to point out that at the age of 14, it's a bad, bad, bad idea for you and the Caiman.

You've got a long life ahead of you. It won't hurt to wait a few more years. These aren't easy animals to raise. They're big. Even dwarf caimans when compared to many other reptile pets out there are big.

Obviously, I can't stop you. But you would be *much* better off waiting until you were out of your parent's house and on your own with money to spare.

Okay, here's my two cents. The age doesn't matter so much,it's more the experience level.I would suggest to learn as much as you can about the dwarf caiman before aquiring one. Especially habitat requirements for an enclosure (trust me it can get expensive). However,I wouldn't doubt the fact that there are 14 year olds who are more able to care for crocodilians better than older people who don't have the experience. My point is that just because you are 14 doesn't mean you CAN'T care for the animal,but more importantly if you wait until say 30 and don't gain any additional experience that would not make things better. Bottom line : it's not the age,it's the ammount of experience and (with crocodilians) a pretty good ammount of cash to spend.Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. -Drewsky

I don't think I ever said he couldn't take care of it at the age of 14. I was saying that at the age of 14, he probably won't have the income to take care of it. And when he gets older and has to move out, he's going to have a *LOT* of trouble. There aren't many places that will allow him to keep a croc of any sort.

well, i'm 15 and have been researching caiman and other crocodilians for the past 2 years. over the summer i was considering getting one but due to the laws in my area i would not even be able to aquire one(there are not permits for them here). i do have a job and do believe i would be able to handle and take care of a caiman and know i would not loose interest in it. i have other pet reptiles and started out with a leopard gecko (as you suggested, yet many years ago).
although it seems i will not own one in the near future i hope to at least be around them down the road, my untilmate goal being to become a herpetologist.

i feel that if you do the research and have the love and devotion towards them then you should be able to take care of them no matter what your age may be.

sorry for the long post

That's my fear, though. I've said it many times, but I'll say it one last time.

During the course of becoming a Herpetologist, what are you going to do with the caiman? What are you going to do when you end up living in a dorm? Or an apartment? You'd have to get rid of it.

I think my parents would take care of it for the time i'm away(my dad also likes reptiles as does my mom). but since i don't have one i won't have to worry about any of that.

well! thank you everyone who answered me i have a lot to think about bc all of you pointed out major things to me. one thing is that i am going to collge in about 4 or 5 years and wat will do with it then. some1 said that it is not fair that my parents will have to take cARE O9F IT BUT YOU SEE THIS WAS MOSTLY MY MOMS IDEA SHE WANTED TO GET ONE AND WE HAVE BENN LOOKING UP IN FO ON THEM EVER SINCE WE CAME HOME FOR THE REPTILE EXPOR IN PENN. WELL THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP

~ TOM ~ 14

Buy some crocodile skinks (Triblonotus)... a tiny, cute substitute. You mom will still end up taking care of them, probably, but it wouldn't be such an imposition. Also, they're supposed to be easy to breed.
One caveat, most of the ones on the market are wild caught.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?