Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been working with reptiles scense i was young and resently bought a house in Southern Cali. I've been wanting a crocdilin for awhile but with moving around i found it unfair to the animal. So my question is what type do I get. I have limited space in the backyard or garge, probaby 8'x9' max. Also i want one that can be tame but stays small, i was thinking a drwf camin but after reading up on them they seem to be snappy, i was wondering if investing in a draf croc would be better, if these are even on the market, or would a gator just be the best bet.
Thanks for your time, and i most likly won't being getting the animal for a year at lest, a becasue of money and b i want to make sure everything works out and things with the job and house don't fall through. Thanks again.

I've been working with reptiles scense i was young and resently bought a house in Southern Cali. I've been wanting a crocdilin for awhile but with moving around i found it unfair to the animal. So my question is what type do I get. I have limited space in the backyard or garge, probaby 8'x9' max. Also i want one that can be tame but stays small, i was thinking a drwf camin but after reading up on them they seem to be snappy, i was wondering if investing in a draf croc would be better, if these are even on the market, or would a gator just be the best bet.
Thanks for your time, and i most likly won't being getting the animal for a year at lest, a becasue of money and b i want to make sure everything works out and things with the job and house don't fall through. Thanks again.

Hi,
A dwarf caiman is your best and indeed probably only reasonable choice. Better to forget about a tame crocodilian. Most crocodilians tend to be snappy and for the most part a hands off policy is best. Most crocodilians tolerate limited handling at best and its always somewhat risky(the bite of even a 3ft caiman is no joke). Dwarf crocodiles are avalible although they are a little hard to get, costly and need permits as well. But from what I hear they tend to be just as snappy as dwarf caimans anyway and so wouldn't be a better choice even if they were easier to get. Alligators really get to big for a 8x9 cage, period. I hope this helps.
P.S California has some really nasty regs and I may be wrong but I believe its impossible or almost impossible to legaly get or keep any crocodilians there.

Seth

Thanks for the info, i'm going to wait and gain more info, but the more i resurch the more i think a camin is the best bet.
Although CA dose have some strict reg, it's not impossible to get the permits for reptiles, its hard with mammals though.

Why not try a Diamond caimen. I know they haven't been around long enough, but females are said to max 4ft and they are TAME. That would seem to fit you well.

Never heard of a Diamond caimen but i'll look into it, thanks for the advice.

Go to diamondreptiles.com and ask for Mitch.

There's bad news and bad news. First the bad news. California requires a permit for crocodilians. The rest of the bad news. The permit costs $600/ year and even if you have everything they require they rarely give the permits out.
crocodil