As promised I have returned with an update to my ongoing Caiman Vs Crocodile tank journal. For anyone who missed the introduction you can find it here (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?521217-Caiman-Croc-Tank-Journal).
Today I'm going to illustrate some differences in feeding behavior between these two animals. First, what I feed. My girls (they are both female) are fed once every 3 days. During this time they get to each as much as they want or is reasonable, whatever comes first (I will explain this part later, it pertains to the crocodile). They get a mix of ground fish, chicken cartilage/bone, lean beef scrap, and sometimes I'll throw in something like a bit of raw egg, or once a week, a vitamin/calcium powder. I make this ground mix and push it into a strainer to remove as much water as possible once a week, after which it spends about 30 minutes in my oven on its lowest setting mostly to dehydrate it a bit. Then I make little meat balls out of it and freeze them, already dived into the portions I intend to feed with. On occasion I will also feed them chucks of something I get like salmon which is loaded with good stuff. I should note here if you are going to attempt to keep a Caiman or really any fish eating animal, do your best to avoid any scales. They contain very little nutritional value and I have seen them cause intestinal blockages if they are large enough and once, even a tumor that would fill with scales and had to be ruptured by a vet once every other month.
My feeding procedure: This may seem trivial but both Caimans and Crocodiles will learn when its time to eat if you stick to the same routine every time. This is useful for two reasons. First, it helps prevent accidental feeding response bites when you have to go into the tank for other reasons as they know they don't get food at this time of day. Secondly, its helpful in acting as a first warning that something may be wrong. If your animals eats every other day at 3pm sharp following your feeding routine and suddenly it skips 1 day's feeding this is usually all the warning I need to pull the animal and give it a very close inspection. 9 out of 10 times you will find a problem. My personal routine is When I first enter the room with the bowl of food I make sounds that mimic the sounds baby crocs/caimans/alligators make to summon their mother. As a side note the Caiman has figured out if it makes the sounds as well I will come to the tank. It does this I suspect when its hungry. I don't oblige it as I don't want it thinking it can call in the wild and get an instant meal but its kinda cool. This alone will cause a mad dash to the front of the tank. I pull the days meatballs and set them on top of the screen under the basking light to thaw. They see this and immediately begin circling like sharks to blood. Sometimes they will even attempt to jump for the food, usually with pitiful and amusing results. After that I use a 36 inch Hemostat to feed them in an alternating pattern one meat ball at a time. I do this both as a bonding exercise and as a way to keep crap out of my water.
Now, some differences. I will feed the Caiman as much as she likes. When she feels full she will simply turn and swim away. The Crocodile on the other hand is limited to whatever the Caiman ate in terms of number of meatballs. The reason why is baby crocodiles in my experience are total swines and will literally eat dangerous quantities of food and will continue eating to the point you get convinced your going to have a stomach rupture. The Crocodile just will not stop, no matter how full she is. Over feeding can also cause an intestinal blockage if they just eat way to much in one go and just in general is not good for them.
Feeding time is always a bit hectic and is the time the two have nipping fights as they jockey for position to be the first one to feed. Or at least they feel that way. I always feed the Crocodile first to get her mouth busy as she is far more likely to attack the Caiman over a meatball.
I should note here that I do maintain a school of 4 large minnows (about 2 inches long) in the tank to encourage hunting behavior, which they do. On occasion I will also put a mouse in there to encourage proper aquatic ambush behavior. Remember, every one of these guys I deal with will eventually wind up back in the wild and it is my job to ensure they have a proper understanding of how to hunt.
An addition note. Come feeding time I do not stick any part of me in the tank. In fact I put a fake backing up against the glass so they don't see me at all. I do not do this to avoid injury, I do it so they do not relate a human's presence with food. They relate the 36 inch Hemostat with food. The odds of a vacationer or Indian walking up the river carrying one of this is very small. This is a similar set up to people raising baby animals with puppets of the adults. They just don't want their animal to bond with humans. I do it this way because a 18 foot croc that grew up associating humans with food is a bad thing. I know it works because they dont have any form of feeding response to my presence. They don't get excited at all. Even when the fake backing goes up. Its when they hear the sounds I mimic and see the Hemostat and meat they loose their minds.
As usual, I will do my best to answer any questions I get via replies or PM's. If there is a particular topic you would like to have me discuss please feel free to suggest it.
Grim
Today I'm going to illustrate some differences in feeding behavior between these two animals. First, what I feed. My girls (they are both female) are fed once every 3 days. During this time they get to each as much as they want or is reasonable, whatever comes first (I will explain this part later, it pertains to the crocodile). They get a mix of ground fish, chicken cartilage/bone, lean beef scrap, and sometimes I'll throw in something like a bit of raw egg, or once a week, a vitamin/calcium powder. I make this ground mix and push it into a strainer to remove as much water as possible once a week, after which it spends about 30 minutes in my oven on its lowest setting mostly to dehydrate it a bit. Then I make little meat balls out of it and freeze them, already dived into the portions I intend to feed with. On occasion I will also feed them chucks of something I get like salmon which is loaded with good stuff. I should note here if you are going to attempt to keep a Caiman or really any fish eating animal, do your best to avoid any scales. They contain very little nutritional value and I have seen them cause intestinal blockages if they are large enough and once, even a tumor that would fill with scales and had to be ruptured by a vet once every other month.
My feeding procedure: This may seem trivial but both Caimans and Crocodiles will learn when its time to eat if you stick to the same routine every time. This is useful for two reasons. First, it helps prevent accidental feeding response bites when you have to go into the tank for other reasons as they know they don't get food at this time of day. Secondly, its helpful in acting as a first warning that something may be wrong. If your animals eats every other day at 3pm sharp following your feeding routine and suddenly it skips 1 day's feeding this is usually all the warning I need to pull the animal and give it a very close inspection. 9 out of 10 times you will find a problem. My personal routine is When I first enter the room with the bowl of food I make sounds that mimic the sounds baby crocs/caimans/alligators make to summon their mother. As a side note the Caiman has figured out if it makes the sounds as well I will come to the tank. It does this I suspect when its hungry. I don't oblige it as I don't want it thinking it can call in the wild and get an instant meal but its kinda cool. This alone will cause a mad dash to the front of the tank. I pull the days meatballs and set them on top of the screen under the basking light to thaw. They see this and immediately begin circling like sharks to blood. Sometimes they will even attempt to jump for the food, usually with pitiful and amusing results. After that I use a 36 inch Hemostat to feed them in an alternating pattern one meat ball at a time. I do this both as a bonding exercise and as a way to keep crap out of my water.
Now, some differences. I will feed the Caiman as much as she likes. When she feels full she will simply turn and swim away. The Crocodile on the other hand is limited to whatever the Caiman ate in terms of number of meatballs. The reason why is baby crocodiles in my experience are total swines and will literally eat dangerous quantities of food and will continue eating to the point you get convinced your going to have a stomach rupture. The Crocodile just will not stop, no matter how full she is. Over feeding can also cause an intestinal blockage if they just eat way to much in one go and just in general is not good for them.
Feeding time is always a bit hectic and is the time the two have nipping fights as they jockey for position to be the first one to feed. Or at least they feel that way. I always feed the Crocodile first to get her mouth busy as she is far more likely to attack the Caiman over a meatball.
I should note here that I do maintain a school of 4 large minnows (about 2 inches long) in the tank to encourage hunting behavior, which they do. On occasion I will also put a mouse in there to encourage proper aquatic ambush behavior. Remember, every one of these guys I deal with will eventually wind up back in the wild and it is my job to ensure they have a proper understanding of how to hunt.
An addition note. Come feeding time I do not stick any part of me in the tank. In fact I put a fake backing up against the glass so they don't see me at all. I do not do this to avoid injury, I do it so they do not relate a human's presence with food. They relate the 36 inch Hemostat with food. The odds of a vacationer or Indian walking up the river carrying one of this is very small. This is a similar set up to people raising baby animals with puppets of the adults. They just don't want their animal to bond with humans. I do it this way because a 18 foot croc that grew up associating humans with food is a bad thing. I know it works because they dont have any form of feeding response to my presence. They don't get excited at all. Even when the fake backing goes up. Its when they hear the sounds I mimic and see the Hemostat and meat they loose their minds.
As usual, I will do my best to answer any questions I get via replies or PM's. If there is a particular topic you would like to have me discuss please feel free to suggest it.
Grim
