Stress

[sparkon16]

I just wanted to know what types of stress crocodilians can go through??? a very important factor in keeping a croc!!!!!!

Another question to! Can ppl give me some good croc websites and book names too!?!?!?!?

Thnx Deuce:zi:

[anothermonkey]

Crocodilians may experience stress from the following:

1. Inadequate cover. Without places to break line of sight and places to hide, they may feel exposed and vulnerable, which could lead to health problems, odd behaviour or often, a great deal of aggression. No fun for the croc or you.

2. Stress from lack of space. This is the same as cover...the more distance between them and you or other crocs, the better. Compress this distance and watch stress and aggression increase.

3. Incorrect husbandry. Inadequate temperatures in water, air, basking spot, incorrect enclosure (space and cover again), or even inadequate food ...food offered the wrong way or inappropriate prey items.

4. Handling. In my experience no croc likes it, even the rare one that seems to tolerate it better than others.

The very best places for croc information are as follows:

1. The captive care FAQ located at www.crocodilian.com written by Dr. Adam Britton, whom you may have seen on National Geographic programs.

2. Christopher T. Dieter's excellent book "The Ultimate Guide to Crocodilians in Captivity" which contains a foreword by Dr. Britton.

3. The crocodilian forum located on www.**************. It has extensive archives you should search before asking questions. Last time I was there, Dr. Britton and Chris Dieter could be found there from time to time, as well as a very knowledgeable guy by the name of Bill Moss. There are other excellent croc people there as well.

If you are going to get a croc, my personal recommendation is Paleosuchus palpebrosus, the Dwarf Caiman. It still gets big, mean and strong, but especially if you get a female, is more manageable than the other species. Others may disagree with me, but I'd never get a Spectacled Caiman. They get too darn big, especially if you live in Canada or the cooler parts of the US where they can't be housed outdoors, and Dwarfs tend to look cooler, in my opinion, with their armoured heads and chocolate brown to reddish eyes.

[anothermonkey]

It seems this website attempts to protect its traffic by omitting the names of other providers of similar content. Fair enough, although I'm not sure if it's really necessary, given the nature of their audience.

Anyway, that last site URL that got blanked out...you probably already go there. It's the..um...OTHER big reptile community online. I wouldn't make an issue of sending you there, but there's information there a prospective croc owner needs to see.

[sparkon16]

thank u very much!