When do dwarf caimans grow the most?

Hi, I was just wondering when to expect the most growth from a caiman? I've done some reading and have different answers. Do they go through growth spurts? Is it just about a foot per year? Or do they grow fastest when young and slow down? Thanks.

The general rule with most if not all crocodilians is around a foot per year for the first few years than slow down. So they start of fast then slow down....

Thanks.

This is also very interesting to me... A dwarf species would still grow at a foot per year? So an adult make can be fully grown in 5 years or less?

Just a side note, I have a 5 year old DC who is just under 4 feet, but i took him in a little over a year ago at 28 inches... I know his previous owner didnt have the correct setup (just an all glass 90 gallon with 8 inches of water) so he could have been 'stunted' but then hit a growth spurt with the much much larger pen i made and a proper diet/amount of food.
I would say that feeding and housing would play just as important a role in any case.

You will not see 1 foot per year from a dwarf. Not even close.

Originally Posted by Le Plat

You will not see 1 foot per year from a dwarf. Not even close.

i agree. Like i said, the 5 year old i have is under 4 feet, and i saw the pics of your girl on the other page, same thing for the age/size ratio def not being a foot per year

1 foot per year is a rough rule of thumb. Where as a large alligator may grow a foot per year up to 6ish feet then slow down a caiman may grow a little less. If your caiman is 5 years old and only 28 inches it is stunted. They can reach sexual maturity at around six years old. Now I guess I should clarify rule of thumb of 1 foot. It is hard to be exact cause there are so many factors that can effect how fast they grow: stress. diet, cage size, heat, ect. My two dwarfs I got in the fall as babies and are already 15-16 inches. All crocodilians grow fast the first couple years and then slow down. Its for survival so many things love to feed on baby crocodilians. Im no expert but have watched the growth of my spectacled and dwarf caimans.

Originally Posted by Tbone21

1 foot per year is a rough rule of thumb. Where as a large alligator may grow a foot per year up to 6ish feet then slow down a caiman may grow a little less. If your caiman is 5 years old and only 28 inches it is stunted. They can reach sexual maturity at around six years old. Now I guess I should clarify rule of thumb of 1 foot. It is hard to be exact cause there are so many factors that can effect how fast they grow: stress. diet, cage size, heat, ect. My two dwarfs I got in the fall as babies and are already 15-16 inches. All crocodilians grow fast the first couple years and then slow down. Its for survival so many things love to feed on baby crocodilians. Im no expert but have watched the growth of my spectacled and dwarf caimans.

Well then... if you read the post i have, it explains the caiman is 5 years old and just a bit under 4 feet. I got him 1 year and half ago and he was about 28", so that is 3.5 years old, which would mean he should be 36" by the rule of thumb you say, but then you also say dwarfs grow slower, so would that 8 inch difference be be his slower growth?

Then i also said he was porb stunted due to his diet and his cage, which you then pretty much repeated so theres no new info there lol.

oh, and also... i have read from a few sources that maturity is based on the size of the animal and not the age in dwarf species... any input? (males at 3'6", females around 3')

http://crocodilian.com/crocfaq/faq-1.html

Some good info regarding growth rates there as well as other croc care.