Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have seen way to often people on this forum and just people in general who see that baby caimen (croc or gator) in the petstore and think it is cute and decide to buy one. For those who have that thought go through their mind...please read throughly http://crocodilian.com/crocfaq/ This is all the info. one needs in order to be able to maintain such an animal. I am a proud caimen owner with 3 3 - 5 feet spectacled caimens and 2 paleosuchus pals dwarf caimens. If I was not so dedicated to them and had that passion for crocodilia I WOULD NOT HAVE THEM. Eventhough I have great respect and love towards my caimens, they have given me some nasty bites. So please take this into consideration, they are not cute little animals. They are "WILD", pre-historic reptilia from many years ago.
JUST STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT

ROBERT T. SMITH
CROCODILIAN ENTHUSIAST AND EXPERT
JOHNSON CITY, TN
tan_da_manus@yahoo.com

P.S. Feel free to contact me for any questions concerning captive care FAQ of crocodilia or their nature in general. I have the experience in both caimen and alligator species (trust me)

I think for most, they already have the animal when they find this forum.
On the positive side, those that take the time to read this, the FAQ, and other readily available information are probably those that will do best for their animals.

Bill

I hope you are right!

I just hope that people do their homework before they act. I have seen disaster happen to many times due to the lack of knowledge of what they are getting theirselves into.

Robert

I am thinking about getting a Caiman. I am doing all the research I can before I get one. The local petshop told me that they only grow to the size of the enclosure and a 70 gallon tank will do fine for a dwarf caiman it's entire life. I knew that was B.S.!!!! I wanted to hit the guy!!!
I have only 1 Blackthroat monitor now, chameleons, and water dragons. So far in my research I am figuring that a crocodidian is not for me, but I am continuing the reasearch. Who knows, I may end up with one at some point.
If everyone did the research on animals before they got them, the animals and the people would both be better off.

Damn straight.

I used to own a few newts and a green toad (bufo bufo) and before I aquired them I spent nearly a year reading up on them as well as coming onto forums like this with experienced owners to get their opinions and advice before I went ahead and bought anything.

It's always better to ask an experienced owner of animals such as crocodilians or any venomous or large reptile as they will have stories to tell and pass on knowledge they have learnt from their mistakes.

Places like kingsnake.com are valuable to reptile owners and prospective reptile owners alike.

Delfino