Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am very interested in buying a caiman and have been researching
crocodilians for over a year now. i am torn between the palp.
(cuviers) dwarf caiman and the trigs. (smoothfront) caiman.
I love the looks of both. At first I was leaning toward the
trigs but now that i'm seeing pics of palp. And I also hear that
palps. have better temperments. HELP ME OUT ON THIS ONE!!!!
Thanks in advance for any help.

The smooth fronts and dwarf caimen are both excellent choices for captive crocodilians. The smooth fronts get approx a foot bigger are more heavily armored and most importantly are much more aggressive. If you are not an experienced crocodilian keeper a dwarf caimen may be just what the doctor ordered. Be sure your state allows possession of caimen, and good luck........

i will take all of what you said into concideration. today i
was going to call the fish anf game to find out about permits.
thanks again

kevin

I have seen both ends of the spectrum in both species in terms of temperament. If you go into this thinking you are going to have a "pet", best to make another choice. If you go into this understanding that for the most part, you are going to have a hands-off animal, and one that can do significant damage to you as an adult, then these two species would be the right choice for a crocodilian in a limited space environment.

Bill

My trig. Is awesome, he is Very entertaining to watch , and i personally like him better because they have a pretty cool armored body on them , makes them look pretty mean . As far as temperment, i have many Large monitors and my trig, all in which i had no intention in the first place of trying to "tame". My smoothfront wouldnt hesitate to take a bite outta me, yet when i have to handle him hes not all that bad. So if you want this animal for its looks, and curiosity you will have alot of fun, but if you want a pet dont get a smoothfront.
Hope i helped
Bobby

i understand what all of you are saying and it would definately
have to be a hands off animal to have. Just being able to watch
it and see it grow is enough for me. Much like how psusocr said
by the way i love the enclosure.

kevin