I was thinking about getting a cuvier's dwarf caiman as my first crocodilian. I am getting a 180 gallon tank(or larger) to house it as I was told that it could last it's whole life. Any opinions on this type of crocodilian to start and if it is true that this size tank can last it it's whole life. Thanks for your input.
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First Crocodilian
jimi_1971
May 01, 2005 07:43 PM
Replies (1)
goini04
May 02, 2005 08:50 AM
a 180 Gallon tank WILL NOT last the animal it's whole life. A dwarf caiman is a great croc to start with mainly because of size but you have to realize that its gonna be pretty aggressive. A dwarf caiman will certainly be more aggressive than any gator in it's weight class and thus harder to handle/manage. A 180 gallon tank will hold it from a baby for a nice little while......say around 2 feet. Remember you have to have plenty of space for excersise and thermoregulation. I have a 150 Gallon stock tank at home that was used to hold my gator. Hes about 3 feet now and thus that cannot work. You will have to make him a nice sized enclosure for him as an adult.
Read the crocodilian FAQ at:
www.crocodilian.com/crocfaq
and
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/cnhc/csp_ppal.htm- palpebrosus info
