Hellllllp! Gator Rescue!!!

Ok, heres the run down on our little foundling.... We are in Wyoming, one of the worst places to even think about owning a gator - Which wasn't sold as a gator in the first place.... There is an unscrupulous pet shop in Casper's Eastridge mall that not only sells penny turtles, but is also now selling American gators as dwarf caimans! A fellow here in town bought one, and found out that it can and will bite (DUH).... So he put it in the local pet shop to be sold as "a dwarf caiman" again... He/she was being kept in what looked like a 29g tall tank with about 4 inches of water MAX, no filter, and a little gravel built up on one side... The only source of heat was a lamp set up about 3ft off/away from the tank... She was surprised to learn that it was a gator, and ended the reptile talk with the usual statement that she knows nothing about reptiles at all... We couldn't leave him there... Dave (my partner in crime) paid the full price after trying to talk the owner down, and brought it in to me at the vet clinic. the gator (in it's shoe box) weighed in at 0.9lbs (at approximately 1.5ft long). He was being fed nothing but a few crix and a bunch of goldfish at the pet shop and it showed......... Anywho, hes in a warmed tank now, ate his first mouse the other night and is downing gut-loaded crix and night crawlers like candy. The little thing now has a belly instead of a sucked in furrow for an abdomen. We would love to keep him, but this is no place to raise gators and we are not the most experienced people with the crocodilian family. Therefore, we are now looking to place this boy/girl(?) with an EXPERIENCED keeper... And I must reiterate that, EXPERIENCED ONLY.... Hes been through enough, period, and needs not only an experienced keeper but a decent enclosure (PICS of where he'd be kept are a MUST). PLEASE help get this boy along! Help him retire in a nice sunny southern state!

-Sara & Dave

PS: There are a few stipulations here...
First off, we will not ship him/her until it's reached at least 2-4lbs of weight minimum and has a lot more thickness to the tail/entire body.

Second is the most important stipulation: NO FARMERS/RANCHERS - THIS gator is to die of old age - NO boots, NO bags, NO belts!

Thirdly: We would like a bit of money for this guy/gal, not only for shipping but to cover feeding expenses and help with the other rescues we will more then likely come across (this state just does not have the reptile loving populace as most the other states, about 50 years or so behind in reptile care and husbandry).

sara, are you still in search for a home for this guy? email me at brb_1957@yahoo.com. thanks josh

I live in Effingham SC and I'm surrounded by swamps with fish and other creatures aligators like to eat. It's private property so there is no worry of poachers or belt makers.

I coulde travel and meet you half way or you can crate the animal and send it to me. I'll be happy to send you pictures of it's reease and where it will live. We have spotted other gators in the area.
All of which seem to be 4 feet and under. I believe they use the swamps as a nursury to hide from the big gators which are most likely in the deeper waters far away.

I'm not sure how much I can pay you for the gator. My wife teaches advanced placement biology at a high school and I'm medically disabled.

E-mail me whAT amount you have in mind. Then we can work from there.

Dear Shai Girl,
I think what you've done is a great thing, and should be very, very proud of yourself and Dave. Not many people would do what you did! We need more people like you in the world that respect and are willing to nurture and take care of our wildlife. Although I myself cannot buy this gator, I would like to see him go to a nice home, and wish you the best of luck. You are truly what Steve Irwin and I call a 'Wildlife Warrior!' Best of luck in all of your reptile related endevours, and thankyou.

-Zar

I'm utterly flattered right now, thats about the sweetest thing I've heard in a long while about the gator! Anyhowdy, "Grumpy" was shipped out last week to a rehabilitation center in Florida alongside 2 iguanas and a Savannah monitor. Back to nature by way of rehab for the gator, free range of an enclosed facility for the iggys, and rehab for the savannah! A few more to add to the list. Anyhowdy, thanks for all the inquiries and thanks to that nice beam of thanks!...... Next mission: Close down that shop thats still selling hatchling gators as pets! (We've already stuck it to them for selling penny turtles, now we're going to stick it to them again, petitioning the state to ban all large crocodilians as pets!).

-Sara & Dave

Hi again! Good for you! You are helping all us reptile lovers out there to protect those scaly creatures we love so much. You need some kind of nobel prize. Dýou have and email, mine's zahr90@hotmail.com
Again, good luck!

-Zar