Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey this is Justin anyway my nile croc i have is captive bred an hes around 36 inches is there any possibility that he may always stay handlable an docile right now i can hold him without biting at me but when i get into his tank heshisses an tells me thats his teratory could that change i always here that if you treat an animal with respect they in return will have some tolerance of trust torwards you anyway captibe bred vs wild caught animals is a total different sitaution any advice would be nice thanks reguards Justin

Hi Justin, I'm just curious with your experince of dealing with and working with crocodiles as your post in some ways worries me...I personally have worked with and kept crocs in captivy for the past 20 years and although some of them tend to have nice temperments as youngsters, a lot of that is going to change as they get older...Nile Crocodiles are one of the most aggressive and dangerous crocs in the world and they are NEVER to be trusted at any level...I personally own a Nile/Siamese hybrid and although he's very easy to handle right now, as they grow they become a lot more independent and much more territorial and to be very honest and blunt here, they really do not mind showing you...Sorry if I'm making them sound like monsters from hell but they are what they are...And what they are is a very primitive animal with very primitive thoughts and instincts...Alligators are a much more laid back animal and i've been in pens with HUGE gators that never paid me any mind what so ever and allowed me to move them to another area to clean thier pens many times without incedent...But we are talking about Nile Crocs and they aren't quite as accomidating as gators are..Please do not get complacent with your croc and give it a lot of respect and caution as it gets older as to avoid a nasty accident....I'm sure you'll use good judgement and sorry for the bad spelling and lecture...Good luck and try to post some pics of your croc when you find the time...Mark

That summed it up very well..... docile now may not mean docile later..... right now it TOLERATING you, but that is a "deal" that is subject to change when it feels times are a changing !!

My croc statred out very nice, and still tolerates limited interaction, as in he doesnt flat out attack me, but i do know that he would most likely take a crack at me when given the chance.

Matt