Owing a Aligator..help please!!

Like Eric said, we're just trying to help you and make sure you know exactly what you will be getting into. The last thing we wanna see if a headline on the news that your pet gator ate you or something like that. And to your comment that 90% of people who have them don't have experience is exactly why we are saying things like this. Just b/c someone else has done something doesn't mean you should...its just propagating a very dangerous and careless attitude. Also, just b/c you've done research doesn't mean you're ready, you need actual hands-on experience, just like owning a hot. Reading something on the net or books and talking to people who have them isn't enough to understand just how dangerous these animals really are. If you just go out and get one w/out any actual experience and just from the information you have read/heard you will inevitably get hurt. I'll admit the thought of a gator has crossed my mind and i've owned and care for many a large reptile species including burms, retics, various monitors but i know i'm nowhere near ready and probably never will be. This is an extremely expensive animal to keep which will take up a lot of time and money just to keep going, they will never ever be able to be trusted and will have the ability to kill you at any given moment. Again, nobody is trying to make offense towards you, we are just looking out for your safety as well as the animal's. If anything, how bout start with a larger reptile that isn't quite so dangerous....perhaps a water moniter or a black-throat. They get pretty big but aren't going to be nearly as difficult to care for nor as deadly. If you are hellbent on getting a crocodilian then maybe get a smaller kind like a dwarf caiman or something like that? While they are reportedly pretty aggressive i would much rather deal with something that only gets 6-8 feet vs. 10+ feet and very heavy. You say you have been talking people at the zoo, why not see if you can volunteer there and work with whatever crocodilians they have? That way you can get first hand experience as to what they're capable and make a much more informed decision. In the end you're going to do whatever you want but we're just trying to help keep you breathing and not another casualty in the papers.

Hey Tyler, I'm new to these forums, but not to herps. To me if you want one, get one-period. Do you need a 20'X20' to start out? NO! They can grow fast and do if properly maintained. Words of experience based wisdom: Only get one. Two is not twice the fun. Keep it warm and clean and keep up-grading its habitat and in 4 years you will have a 6 footer (like our two)! Be smart 'cause they're not lap dogs. They will NEVER be tame, so
let it be an alligator and he'll never dissapoint. Do it and do it with pride.

Hey Tyler, Just a note on tanks for gators: You sometimes can get great deals on used tanks at pet shops or even garage/yard sales. Even though a tank will only be temporary, the knowledge you will get from watching your gator eat/pursue it's dinner is huge. You'll be able to see how it uses it's sensory pits on the lower jaw to locate hidden prey. You'll see the second eyelid in action and how they sit with mouth agape for a minnow to swim by. Just remembering ours as babies bring a smile to my face. Later when you move him to a pond, you'll know what's going on when he swings his head from side to side searching for a piece of (or whole) chicken. As hatchlings, ours were fed every other day. M&M's I called it-Mice & Minnows. Many hatchling are super skinny when you first get them. This only makes them eat/grow faster. Three to four inches a month is not unusual for the first few. Sooner than later a trip to your local Lowes Garden department may be in order. The preformed plastic lawn ponds make great habitats when set into a plywood base, much like a whirlpool tub. We used an outside filter system made from a storage tote that held a heater/medium/pump combo similar to a pond canister filter. That system just keeps getting bigger as needed.
We raised ours as alligators not lap dogs. They were minimally handled, usually only during cleaning. What's the fun in that? They're alligators!! They are perfect specimens of what walked with the dino's, and survived! There is no great mystery to keeping them, just dedication and realistic expectations.

Mice & minnows were a great staple for our hatchlings, yet variety is key to a healthy gator. In addition to m&m's we fed worms, crayfish, grass hoppers, dry cat food, pcs of lean meat & fish. Locally caught small fish are great. All spiney fins should first be trimmed off with scissors before being offered. Also, I always heard that frogs wild mice are high in parasites, so we avoided those. If you are short on properly sized food items, it's best to cut them to bite size. Gators revell in tearing things up. If the food item is too big, they'll grasp it and generally try to shake it to pieces. While fun to watch, it will totally trash the tank and you'll end up with fish soup. The best thing with variety is it gives you options. Whole food items should be your goal. At 6' we're now feeding small chickens, jumbo rats, fish & mazuri croc diet (for convenience) once a week.

or volunteer @ a zoo or something