Baby alligator info

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jewbo

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 18, 2010
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Florida
i dont have one yet but I'm planning on getting one eventually and wanted to do some research before i do like what are the Florida requirements for owning a hatchling and what and how often do you feed them when they're babies?
I know about adults and how big they get and how much they grow in a year but i dont know anything about them while they're babies so any information would be great and please dont say its a bad idea and that they get huge and what do i do when it gets 15ft I've already heard it i just want some info before i make a decision like i did with my 13ft African Rock python which surprisingly did not become aggressive and is the sweetest python I've ever seen and I'm glad i got her, so please just the info, no opinions. Thank you.
 
If I recall correctly, when I lived there, the Florida fish and game web site explains the laws on native, and many non native, species. I don't know much about the rest.
 
Yea but the fish and wildlife conservation dont go into great detail about the requirements and they just changed them from class III to class II
 
jewbo;4816875; said:
Yea but the fish and wildlife conservation dont go into great detail about the requirements and they just changed them from class III to class II
Click to expand...

I have had good luck calling them directly when the printed information was not answering my questions completely. It helps to have clear questions and explanations of what you are trying to find out before you call.
 
Because they are now on the class II permit I believe it means you need to get mentoring hours with them the same way you would with venomous snakes. Last time I spoke with Graziani about it that is what it was sounding like to me... 1000 hours of training, $100 anual fee, FWS will come out to inspect your place to make sure you have a proper secure enclosure, and will request you have an emergency plan in action in the event of a natural disaster or whatever else.

As far as babies go..... you can feed every other day for a year or two then every three days or so, depending on what and how much you are feeding them it can vary quite a bit. At the wildlife place I volunteer at we feed gators 3 years and older twice a week. babies every other day. they all get raw poultry, ground turkey, and horse meat (horse meat is the main meat given to all the animals there) babies get the occasional mouse and feeder fish as well.

They do respond well to target training if you start from the moment you have them and never miss a feeding time. by target training I mean that you can train them to go to a certain area of the enclosure for feeding, you can also train them to know when it is feeding time by using a recognizable object to symbolize the food... a paper bag is always a favorite... bring the food out in a paper bag and the gator knows it's feeding time. If you don't have a paper bag they have no reason to go into feed mode and are usually easier to deal with. This all takes a very very long time for them to associate that though so don't think it will work after the first few times.
Gators are easier than others to tame down but even so babies can be very skiddish and do take time and constant work to get to the tame show quality animals you see in public educational displays and such.

You are going about this the right way so hopefully no one will flame you for that. just be aware that they do eat much more a snake and will be significantly more expensive because of that... also because they need a larger more complex enclosure. the good thing is that they grow relatively slow, generally around a foot a year for the first couple years, so it gives you time to build a decent sized enclosure.

i think thats all I have to say for now....


oh and if you want more positive information on the permit thing contact Greg Graziani, he is very knowledgeable and very helpful on the subject.
 
Wow, thank you so much! I actually had no clue about the paper bag trick which seems like an excellent idea. As for the permit it sounds a lot like the reptiles of concern permit which i had to get for my African Rock python only with more requirements obviously. Is there any way i can get in touch with Greg Graziani?
 
I would go away from a gator. Bigger, needs more food but calm. Gators are cheap and readily available but not worth the cost IMHO. I got a smooth front, and again IMHO smooth front>gator. Mine will stay smaller(my enclosure in my basement will be her hoem forever) but much more aggressive than a gator. Gator just needs WAAAAYY too much room and too much food.
 
If you live in an area zoned Residential, you can't own a Crocodilian over 5 or 6ft even if you have a Crocodilian Permit.......
 
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