I have also raised crocodilians (predominately caiman and alligator) both indoors and out and have a mixed view on this. While I have seen severe skull bone/teeth deformation on stunted individuals in other people's indoor care, I have had such a myriad outcome with both scenarios (indoor and outdoor environments) that I can't state one way or the other that there is any validity to this. What I am trying to say is that I have had lengthier snouts and straight teeth in individuals raised in an indoor environment, as well as those with crooked teeth and a seemingly shorter snout raised in indoor environments. And in turn I have had both of these results in individuals raised outdoors, after their 1st year of indoor growth to ensure a hardy physical condition before emerging into "wild-like" conditions. I have noticed that those individuals that were raised faster (grew more in a shorter period of time) had shorter snouts comparatively. However, I have often pondered as to whether or not this may have a direct corealation to an immature age and perhaps the skull would "mature" later as the reptiles grew and aged. (Much like rapidly grown pythons). When I began to notice that the individuals that were allowed to "winter" developed lengthier skulls this was where I began to form my second theory that hibernation may play an important and even vital role in proper skull development.
>>I would agree with Mike Talka down below. having raised crocodilians indoors and out, and a mixture of the 2. I would say the preponderance of my observations suggest it has alot to do with natural sunlight and the animals ability to use the calcium in the diet.
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>>Do I have concrete evidence for this, nope. But after observing alot of hatchlings to adults I haven't seen this in any animal kept predominately outside but I see it often in 'rescued' animals that have been kept inside predominately.
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>>Perhaps because this reptile groups jaws are so thick and strong in the head/jaw region the need for proper sunlight and calcium utilization is greater. The same thing can be seen in the shell of a turtle.
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