# brutus the freshwater croc and set up



## BennyA (Jan 14, 2012)

Hi people,
Thought id do an update on my croc and his surroundings.
He is nearly 40cm now and 9 months old and going great, eating anything put in front of him, have him fully jumping out of the water for his food, gee are these little power machines no wonder they have survived forever. His set up is a nearly 6 foot tank 2 foot high and has a fixed basking spot with fake grass and a basking lamp he just loves soaking up the heat and some UV's, in with him is a year old murray short neck turtle that has so much character and loves feasting on the croc scraps, also loves basking next to brutus and they dont seem to care at all, also is a convict and her 15 or so babies that have coloured up really nicly, water is maintained by a massive UV canister filter and pumps back into a water fall. Great animals and set up, i will try and post up a vid of him launching for his dinner


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## Leasdraco (Jan 14, 2012)

Cool bro


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## Xcell (Jan 14, 2012)

Would love to get a croc, such an interesting animal. Looks like hes loving it there so good luck with him


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## JAS101 (Jan 14, 2012)

cool how long have u had ya little fella for ?
what are u using for a night basking spot ? im running 2 ceramic heat emitters and some red LED strip lights for night viewing for my boy .


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## dihsmaj (Jan 14, 2012)

I'd love one but there's no space for when it grows to a 3 - 4m monster.


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## JAS101 (Jan 14, 2012)

dihsmaj said:


> I'd love one but there's no space for when it grows to a 3 - 4m monster.


u would have a few years before u had to even think about woorying about the no room/space .  :lol:


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## noved (Jan 14, 2012)

dihsmaj said:


> I'd love one but there's no space for when it grows to a 3 - 4m monster.


lol ,freshies dont get that big,yes it will need a much bigger enclosure, but it will not become a 3 or 4 meter monster


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## cid_python (Jan 14, 2012)

What kind of license do you need to own one?


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## dihsmaj (Jan 14, 2012)

Advanced in Vic.


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## Sutto82 (Jan 14, 2012)

Very cool mate


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## Daryl_H (Jan 14, 2012)

be carefull with the turtle i knew someone that kept a few turtles with a baby freshie about one a year the crock would clamp down on one of the turtles with no warning at all. not to say it wont work for you "just have seen the other side of the coin"....... but i have kept alot of diff critters together well myself.... good luck


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## Exotic_Doc (Jan 14, 2012)

Damn you lucky bugger !! Thats one creature i dream of keeping...


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## BennyA (Jan 14, 2012)

He doesn't have a night light i like it day and night he has a big tank heater so it's always warm he seems to be quieter at night and active all day. He has also given the turtle a warning now and then, yep will grow very slow and will be ok in here for years to come

I've had him around 6 months. Just an advanced licence it's just a simple payment every year and that's it, him and his full set up I will sell for $1200 if anyone is interested


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## Globe (Jan 18, 2012)

What do you plan on doing with him when he inevitably because to big? Will you have to perhaps just donate him to a zoo?


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## JAS101 (Jan 18, 2012)

Globe said:


> What do you plan on doing with him when he inevitably because to big? Will you have to perhaps just donate him to a zoo?


it looks like bennyA is going to sell his croc , but for me when mine gets big . he gets a biiigg shed and summer compound .


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## JFisher (Jan 22, 2012)

Benny, I am interested in Brutus. Would you sell him on his own without the tank as I have an 6ft tank myself
Here is my mobile number 0411025336. please contact me asap to let me know
Many thanks


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## kr0nick (Jan 22, 2012)

Man that is amazing that you can keep such an impressive beast, Lol Australia is defiantly better then NZ in everyway.
And COME ON! QLD why are we not alot to keep these even though the live naturally in the wild :S. You are so lucky mate I would sit and stare at him all day if I owned him


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## eipper (Jan 23, 2012)

Crocs become boring over time kronick
​


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## BennyA (Jan 23, 2012)

I watch him alot and when people come over they cant believe it, but am mooving into a new house, when he is bigger he can be put out back in an enclosure but I don't think the dogs would like it but the croc farm will take him back for breeding and send a new bub for you so can pretty much have a hatch/juvie for ever and u help the species


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## HerpFreak (Jan 26, 2012)

And COME ON! QLD why are we not alot to keep these even though the live naturally in the wild :S. 
Really? I live in QLD and would love to get a pygmy freshie (since they are just, you know, lying around for sale everywhere at great prices lol). Or do you just mean that you would have to pay an extra fee to keep one?


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## Boidae (Jan 26, 2012)

In QLD you have to have a demonstrators license. 
I'd imagine it wouldn't be cheap either..


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## PMyers (Jan 26, 2012)

boidae said:


> In QLD you have to have a demonstrators license.
> I'd imagine it wouldn't be cheap either..



Over $2500 a year, if I recall.


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## cheekabee (Jan 26, 2012)

Wow that's a lot of money and IN saying that PMyers could any one tell me how much is an advanced licence in Vic a year.


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## Boidae (Jan 27, 2012)

$180 a year.


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## [email protected] (Jan 27, 2012)

sucks in nsw cant have one unless you have a exhibitors permit


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## kr0nick (Jan 27, 2012)

eipper said:


> Crocs become boring over time kronick
> ​


No way man I love lizards and A croc is the ultimate lizard.


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## Justdragons (Jan 27, 2012)

how big do pygmies grow?


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## eipper (Jan 27, 2012)

I have kept crocs over 15 years .... They become part of the furniture.... No different to keeping other herps


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## kr0nick (Jan 27, 2012)

eipper said:


> I have kept crocs over 15 years .... They become part of the furniture.... No different to keeping other herps


Lol fair enough mate. Being A kiwi even the aussie zoo crocs amaze me. I would love to see A BIG! wild croc one day.


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## Wrightpython (Jan 27, 2012)

boidae said:


> In QLD you have to have a demonstrators license.
> I'd imagine it wouldn't be cheap either..



And after 2 years you have to show that you are doing around 200 shows a year to hold a exhibitors licence in NSW.
Weeds out all tyre kickers does that one. Cheap is understatement every time you get or give away reptile costs $30.00 and paperwork. If you move snake from one enclosure to another cost $30.00 plus paperwork. Every cage used has to be bigger than necessary so takes up more room then theres the insurance. Its not just apply and get licence they do a lot of checks and a 300 page application to fill out, they make it really hard. The cost of licence is the cheap bit.


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## Trench (Jan 27, 2012)

I'm with kr0nick on this one, I would love one of these 
they both look cool and and feel evan cooler


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## JAS101 (Jan 27, 2012)

they are an interesting animal , my youngest neice duznt like snakes - but is only too happy to hold the croc lol [ bound of course]


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## Ally04 (Jan 27, 2012)

He is very cute. Wish we could have them as pets in qld. Don't think it would be so "cute" when it's full grown though lol


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## HerpFreak (Jan 27, 2012)

justdragons said:


> how big do pygmies grow?



The ones I worked with in Croc Cove were a metre long, and as big as they get. I loved them lol.


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## kr0nick (Jan 27, 2012)

Wrightpython said:


> And after 2 years you have to show that you are doing around 200 shows a year to hold a exhibitors licence in NSW.
> Weeds out all tyre kickers does that one. Cheap is understatement every time you get or give away reptile costs $30.00 and paperwork. If you move snake from one enclosure to another cost $30.00 plus paperwork. Every cage used has to be bigger than necessary so takes up more room then theres the insurance. Its not just apply and get licence they do a lot of checks and a 300 page application to fill out, they make it really hard. The cost of licence is the cheap bit.


HAHA yeh lol, Better off packing up and moving to VIC and paying the $180 annual fee and keep it. Sounds like the easiest and cheapest way


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## JAS101 (Feb 14, 2012)

benny , did u end up selling the croc ?


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## geckoboy2001 (Feb 22, 2012)

man i'd love a croc but you need a hard to get permit and when they get to 1 3 meters long man the thing can kill you


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## dixilizards (Feb 22, 2012)

geckoboy2001 said:


> man i'd love a croc but you need a hard to get permit and when they get to 1 3 meters long man the thing can kill you



Fresh water crocs only get to about 10 feet (3 metres) for males and 7 feet (2 and a half metres) for females.

Hardly man killers if you treat them with respect, Olive pythons get larger in length than fresh water crocs and when handled correctly nothing untoward occurs there either.


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## Manda1032 (Feb 22, 2012)

sweet


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## Spider178 (Feb 22, 2012)

Just asked the wife and unfortunately she won't move to Melbourne just so I can have one. So not fair!!!


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## Frozenmouse (Mar 14, 2012)

most captive freshies don't go past 5 feet , especially if they were kept in a tank for the first part of their life. even at 5 feet a freshy can still twist your hand off if you are not careful.


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## JAS101 (Mar 14, 2012)

Frozenmouse said:


> most captive freshies don't go past 5 feet , especially if they were kept in a tank for the first part of their life.


and where have u herd or see this info , as i am quite interested to hear more .


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## Frozenmouse (Mar 14, 2012)

I worked at broome crocodile park and at wyndham crocodile farm in wa for quite a few years we had a lot of "pets' handed in they never reached the same lengths as the farm raised and the wild caught animals. 



JAS101 said:


> and where have u herd or see this info , as i am quite interested to hear more .


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## JAS101 (Mar 14, 2012)

Frozenmouse said:


> I worked at broome crocodile park and at wyndham crocodile farm in wa for quite a few years we had a lot of "pets' handed in they never reached the same lengths as the farm raised and the wild caught animals.


was that due to the wrong size tank, or just because they were in tanks - rather then something much bigger ?


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## crocodile_dan (Mar 14, 2012)

Not arguing here, I am interested as I haven't heard of this before and know of zoological facilities that raise juveniles in aquariums.

I know of growth deformities from fish tanks such as the jaws growing upwards in a concave shape, but haven't heard of stunting occurring.

Is it possible the stunting was the result of poor nutrition/energy intake or husbandry?


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## Frozenmouse (Mar 15, 2012)

JAS101 said:


> was that due to the wrong size tank, or just because they were in tanks - rather then something much bigger ?


The water quality is the major factor , most home keepers use biological filtration which even if completely outsized for the set up can't cope with a crocodile dump , in most farms/ parks that i am aware of use natural water source as a flow through or large scale mechanical filter with chlorination. yes chlorination.


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## citrus (Mar 15, 2012)

One guy I know uses a sump filter with an extra section that has filter feeders in there (fresh water clams/ shrimp and plants) they clean the water well as does the amount to bio mass he uses


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## yeahbutno (Mar 15, 2012)

Awesome on so many levels!


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## Frozenmouse (Mar 15, 2012)

citrus said:


> One guy I know uses a sump filter with an extra section that has filter feeders in there (fresh water clams/ shrimp and plants) they clean the water well as does the amount to bio mass he uses


If you coupled that with a filter off your tap water and constant drip system with an over flow on the sump you would never have to change water.


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## citrus (Mar 15, 2012)

Yeah he doesn't have to change water oftern alot of people think it's about high water volume through the filter but it's about balancing the system correctly If I remember correctly the section of sump was about 3ft x 3ft x 1.5ft high I think he had 10 shrimp and 12 clams in there on a sand type gravel with alot of plants over 3/4 full went from there into about the same size sump with wool and ceramic balls then uv filter before being pumped back to tank


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## Skelhorn (Mar 25, 2012)

haha the dog looks interested also lol


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