# Show us your crocs!



## LadyJ (Aug 3, 2010)

Hehe, I'm interested in seeing if anyone here has crocodiles, pictures of set-ups and the animal would be great!
I'd love to own one myself... but I can't see that happening, so if I could just drool over others that'd suit fine!
8)


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## LadyJ (Aug 4, 2010)

Anyone keep these beautiful animals? I'm so interested to see!


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## mckellar007 (Aug 4, 2010)

i'll charge the camera and try and get some pictures of them later today.


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## LadyJ (Aug 4, 2010)

mckellar007 said:


> i'll charge the camera and try and get some pictures of them later today.



Thanks a heap! Glad someone replied!


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## python_dan89 (Aug 4, 2010)

would be good to see some pics of there enclosures too.

cheers


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## lloydy (Aug 4, 2010)

ditto


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## bfg23 (Aug 4, 2010)

This is Irwin. 18month old freshie


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## Jay84 (Aug 4, 2010)

For those of you who keep crocs, what size caging will you be providing when they are adults?


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## bfg23 (Aug 4, 2010)

probably an unused pool in 20years time when it is adult.

Until then, i am about to start building his own shed with a 1.8meter diameter tank to swim around in.


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## Jay84 (Aug 4, 2010)

That sounds amazing! I would love a freshie, but the issue would be housing as an adult


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## bfg23 (Aug 4, 2010)

Just do it Jay. You have ten years at least before you need to worry about doing anything serious.


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## python119 (Aug 4, 2010)

love the photo of the freshie,i would love to own a croc but i cant becouse im in nsw.if anyone knows how to get a permit in nsw,let me know.


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## LiasisKing (Aug 4, 2010)

python119 said:


> love the photo of the freshie,i would love to own a croc but i cant becouse im in nsw.if anyone knows how to get a permit in nsw,let me know.


 
ditto !


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## Mr.James (Aug 4, 2010)

python119 said:


> love the photo of the freshie,i would love to own a croc but i cant becouse im in nsw.if anyone knows how to get a permit in nsw,let me know.



I think the only way is to hold a demonstrator licence from DPI.


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## Jay84 (Aug 4, 2010)

Hahahaha bfg23 !

Maybe.... maybe! They seem to only require a simple setup? Water heater, UV light and a good quality filter?

What is their growth rate?


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## bfg23 (Aug 4, 2010)

Setup and maintainence is so easy. I feed him off the tongs a few times a week and change some of the water out every fortnight or so, and thats it.

I have two internal filters and a 300watt water heater. 50watt heat lamp for the dock, and a household fluro tube for lighting. I feed him nearly completely on rodents and goldfish, so I dont supply UV.

I used to have the water a bit hotter and was almost powerfeeding him, and he was growing pretty quickly, but upon speaking to a few other croc owners I turned the temps down and stopped feeding so much, and the growth has slowed down a bit.

I have a photo of me holding it when it was six months old, and ill get some photos of me holding it now its 18months old so you can see the difference.

Nearly the most amusement I get out of all my collection is watching the croc hunt when I get him a dozen goldfish every now and then. Ill get some videos next time if I remember.


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## Mr.James (Aug 4, 2010)

Nice freshy & setup bfg23, can I ask who was the breeder?


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## Jay84 (Aug 4, 2010)

Thanks for the info bfg23, sounds like you have a great setup and a nice healthy croc!

Definitely something to consider once i own my own house i think!


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## bfg23 (Aug 4, 2010)

Mr.Boyd, to my knowledge nearly all the captive crocs come from croc farms. 
Freshies are sexually mature at 17years old(from memory), so to have enough room for a pair of adults, and to house the hatchies, in a private collection would be insane.

That being said. I will be surprised if there is any private breeders.


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## ShnakeyGirl (Aug 5, 2010)

bfg23 said:


> Mr.Boyd, to my knowledge nearly all the captive crocs come from croc farms.
> Freshies are sexually mature at 17years old(from memory), so to have enough room for a pair of adults, and to house the hatchies, in a private collection would be insane.
> 
> That being said. I will be surprised if there is any private breeders.


 
They dont all come from Croc farms actually. Our boy Lucian (Salty) came from Billabong Sanctuary in Townsville and URS breed Freshies, so yes, there are some private breeders.


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## bfg23 (Aug 5, 2010)

I was kind of referring to backyard breeders, rather than wildlife sanctuarys, but thanks for the information.

Where are the pictures of 'Lucian' then?


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## D3pro (Aug 5, 2010)

Im sure some one with a few acres could breed freshies lol


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## Karly (Aug 5, 2010)

I would sell my soul to be allowed to keep a freshie... Stupid QLD laws. 
Lucky there's enough in the wild around here to keep me relatively happy ;-)


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## D3pro (Aug 5, 2010)

Karly said:


> I would sell my soul to be allowed to keep a freshie... Stupid QLD laws.
> Lucky there's enough in the wild around here to keep me relatively happy ;-)


 
you can in qld... u just need a dem. licence


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## Karly (Aug 5, 2010)

D3pro said:


> you can in qld... u just need a dem. licence



Yeah they're rather expensive tho. Maybe I'll get one some day.... after I win the lotto


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## ShnakeyGirl (Aug 5, 2010)

bfg23 said:


> I was kind of referring to backyard breeders, rather than wildlife sanctuarys, but thanks for the information.
> 
> Where are the pictures of 'Lucian' then?



Right here, didn't have any saved on the laptop I was using in my first post. You will find there are 'backyard' breeders of crocs by the way


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## waruikazi (Aug 5, 2010)

An awful lot are wild coleected as eggs in the NT too.



ShnakeyGirl said:


> They dont all come from Croc farms actually. Our boy Lucian (Salty) came from Billabong Sanctuary in Townsville and URS breed Freshies, so yes, there are some private breeders.


 
Folks just remember, when ur thinking of gettign a pet croc, that crocs get this big!


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## ShnakeyGirl (Aug 5, 2010)

waruikazi said:


> An awful lot are wild coleected as eggs in the NT too.
> 
> Yeah, I know, it's disgusting. That's a whole other kettle of fish though!
> 
> Great pic! Is it a local?


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## LadyJ (Aug 5, 2010)

Loved seeing the few pics! Thanks everyone!


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## python_dan89 (Aug 5, 2010)

no many on here who keep crocs i see...


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## crocodile_dan (Aug 5, 2010)




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## waruikazi (Aug 5, 2010)

ShnakeyGirl said:


> Yeah, I know, it's disgusting. That's a whole other kettle of fish though!
> 
> Great pic! Is it a local?


 
It's not disgusting. It's sustainable and humane. AND if you buy off anyone other than a private breeder you are supporting the practice.

Yes that one is a local. It lives in 'White Lady' on the East Aligator. Big grumpy thing it is too, growls at your boat when ur driving past and has tail whipped my boat.


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## imalizard (Aug 5, 2010)

crocodile_dan said:


> View attachment 157753


 

Is that yours?


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## crocodile_dan (Aug 5, 2010)

No I work with them (six salties, one freshie) when I'm not at uni, I have my little 3 footer though looked after by work while i'm studying


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## imalizard (Aug 5, 2010)

I was going to say that that place looked a lot like dundees wildlife park


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## python_dan89 (Aug 5, 2010)

nice pic dan =)


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## crocodile_dan (Aug 5, 2010)

yep Dundee's! Have you seen my croc? He's the one in the modified rainwater tank by Heartburn, I built it completely out of my own pocket to try and initiate the park to improve the small crocs enclosures, you would have seen their tanks, I've tried for 3 years now to try and upgrade the croc tanks but because the park is owned by the hotel it's near impossible to do anything about it due to we need approval before we do anything, and almost all the staff feel the same way (don't get me wrong by this the park takes great care of them and they are loved but they simply need the little crocs in enclosures that they can easily access them for our holding tours so they are in very simple small setups)


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## nathanlew (Aug 5, 2010)

hi guys where is the best place to buy a freshie from as just getting my demonstrater licence and realy want to get hold of one they are so cool


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## python119 (Aug 5, 2010)

im in nsw,if i get a demonstrater lisence does that mean i have to show the public in demonstrations.


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## Kruger88 (Aug 6, 2010)

In NSW the best way to go about obtaining a crocodile permit is to hold a non-indigenous animal permit. That way you are not required to display the animal, however you must prove to the DPI that you are capable and trained to work with crocs. Around 8 yrs ago the then National Parks and Wildlife Service had an amnesty in relation to reptiles that were unregistered and unlicenced, the NPWS granted a few owners of crocs "Special Permits" these are no longer on offer and only those people who were granted them are allowed to keep crocs (even then only the animals they originaly owned). In order to satisfy the DPI you must also have plans of enclosures, contingency plans for escape, vet details, a contract with the place you purchase the croc that if you are unable to care for the animal it can be returned, council approval (varys on area concerned if you are rural its unlikely you will need this). However if you are very dedicated and willing to jump through the hoops and comply with all requirments then it is a rewarding and wonderfull experience to own a croc.


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## python119 (Aug 6, 2010)

thanks kruger88.
will look in to it and make some phone calls.


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## JAS101 (Oct 22, 2011)

heres some pics of my little freshie


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## Rhomany (Oct 24, 2011)

One day I will own a freshie and it will be SO TOTALLY AWESOME!
Till that day I will look at these threads and be very very jealous.


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## edstar (Oct 24, 2011)

very jealous! cant someone breed a pigmy croc? lol


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## ollie (Oct 24, 2011)

Funny you should mention it, there is a dwarf form of Crocodylus johnsoni from the Liverpool River in the Kimberley that only grows to 1.5 metres. Melbourne zoo keeps and breeds them and hopefully one day they might be available to private hobyists.Mind you 1.5 metres is still a large animal to house. Article in Reptiles Australia Volume 6 issue 1 for anyone interested.


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## DeadCricket (Oct 24, 2011)

edstar said:


> very jealous! cant someone breed a pigmy croc? lol



Whilst that's a great idea, can you imagine how many years it would take of breeding the smallest crocs to end up with something you could keep for life?


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## Erebos (Oct 24, 2011)

a friends salty


Cheers Brenton


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## edstar (Oct 24, 2011)

DeadCricket said:


> Whilst that's a great idea, can you imagine how many years it would take of breeding the smallest crocs to end up with something you could keep for life?



yeah i no, one can dream tho!


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## waruikazi (Oct 24, 2011)

DeadCricket said:


> Whilst that's a great idea, can you imagine how many years it would take of breeding the smallest crocs to end up with something you could keep for life?



Maybe like one generation.


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## DeadCricket (Oct 24, 2011)

waruikazi said:


> Maybe like one generation.



One generation? Two runts bred together won't neccisary throw all runts. I'm a hell of a lot taller than my parents.

Short of actually finding a gene combination for pygmy crocs by pure chance successfully breeding them to be keepable for life would be a long process. 

New colour morphs etc don't just appear, they are the product of years of work and planning by skilled and experienced breeders


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## waruikazi (Oct 24, 2011)

Some morphs do just appear, courtesy random mutations but you're right line breeding does take a long time. 

Luckily for us evolution has done the hard work and produced a race of freshies that stay a size that could just about be housed in an indoor aquarium setup for there entire lives. 

But still, a generation for them is about 10 years. 



DeadCricket said:


> One generation? Two runts bred together won't neccisary throw all runts. I'm a hell of a lot taller than my parents.
> 
> Short of actually finding a gene combination for pygmy crocs by pure chance successfully breeding them to be keepable for life would be a long process.
> 
> New colour morphs etc don't just appear, they are the product of years of work and planning by skilled and experienced breeders


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## DeadCricket (Oct 24, 2011)

From my understanding we can't keep them in QLD and in other states its to a maximum of 60cm (?)

Breeding a 1.5m croc down to 60cm adult size is going to take a long time


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## crocodile_dan (Oct 24, 2011)

There aren't maximum sizes in SA or Vic, I believe NT does enforce size limits (100cm) unless on rural property although I have not checked the specific regulations for each state for a couple of years so please correct me if this is inaccurate.


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## waruikazi (Oct 24, 2011)

Not all states are like that. NT, with the right enclosures and zoning you can keep them indefinately. Not sure about other states but there are members on this forum with 2m+ crocs. 



DeadCricket said:


> From my understanding we can't keep them in QLD and in other states its to a maximum of 60cm (?)
> 
> Breeding a 1.5m croc down to 60cm adult size is going to take a long time



For suburban NT that's right, at a meter you can take them back to the croc farm and get a new one.



crocodile_dan said:


> There aren't maximum sizes in SA or Vic, I believe NT does enforce size limits (100cm) unless on rural property although I have not checked the specific regulations for each state for a couple of years so please correct me if this is inaccurate.


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## crocodile_dan (Oct 24, 2011)

I was offered the opportunity to take the croc in one of my previous posts due to a wildlife park closure at over 11 foot he was a decent boy and very quiet, but due to my current living circumstances I had no option but to turn it down. So yes there are some larger crocs held in the southern states.


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## waruikazi (Oct 24, 2011)

Should have done what everyone else does, get the animal first and then come on APS asking what size enclosure you need. 



crocodile_dan said:


> I was offered the opportunity to take the croc in one of my previous posts due to a wildlife park closure at over 11 foot he was a decent boy and very quiet, but due to my current living circumstances I had no option but to turn it down. So yes there are some larger crocs held in the southern states.


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## crocodile_dan (Oct 24, 2011)

Bathtubs are the general go once they're over 3m aren't they?


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## JAS101 (Oct 24, 2011)

DeadCricket said:


> From my understanding we can't keep them in QLD and in other states its to a maximum of 60cm (?)
> 
> Breeding a 1.5m croc down to 60cm adult size is going to take a long time


 as others have said your understanding is wrong .
there are guide lines for vic [ its more enclosure size guide lines] but i have my croc till the day it dies or eats me witch ever comes first :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


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## DeadCricket (Oct 24, 2011)

Ahh ok, well that makes it easier doesn't it! I'm guessing by the sounds of it I'm right about qld though? Which I will mention is disappointing


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## crocodile_dan (Oct 24, 2011)

For anyone interested in an example of a larger setup we used for a while for both a 100cm and a 190cm (at separate stages) long croc. There was an issue with detritus build up in the pebbles and the water lilies lasted about 6 months, I would suggest if your not as interested in aesthetics (this was an on-display enclosure) then I would simply invert some milk crates with a flat board on top as a basking platform, the sedge and happy plant did very well in this setup and they were used as cover quite frequently to suggest they are beneficial in such an exhibit.


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## Poggle (Nov 5, 2011)

DeadCricket said:


> Ahh ok, well that makes it easier doesn't it! I'm guessing by the sounds of it I'm right about qld though? Which I will mention is disappointing



Hey, if you are wanting to keep croc's in qld you will need a demonstrators licence


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