I'm interested in purchasing SEVERAL types of caimens and crocodilians but I want to start off small. I've done a lot of reading and I watch WAAAAY too much Animal Planet and Discovery channel. I have the monetary means to purchase a caimen and finance the upkeep of such an animal. My family is planning on moving soon to a cottage with a lake. There is ample room to build an outdoor enclosure with access to a large swim pen. I have plans drawn up for such an enclosure and until I get used to working with glass for terria, the caimen could live in a 70 gallon tank with the set-up for any semi-aquatic turtles.
My question is; what would be the best type of caimen to get? It would neeed to be small...my mom is already paranoid about my boa being 12-18 feet long and my nile getting to be nine feet. Is there a certain species that is less aggressive than others and takes to being handled once every so often? I plan on using this animal for educational purposes so it'd need to be laid back...relatively and be comfortable being touched on the back and tail. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be extremely grateful.
