Glad you are alright. I second those pictures as well =)

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Wish list: Blue Tongue Skinks and Uruplatus =)

I have been bitten by little ones but never anything to regret. I don't even mess with anything bigger than four feet, normally. It is really sad how many of these critters are in the pet trade. Our rescue gets calls for crocs (mainly American Alligators and Spec Caimans) almost every week. Our record was this July 07 when we got about 20 unwanted croc calls!

If you really want to learn about unwanted crocs in the pet trade, check out Croc Encounters Reptile Park and Wildlife Center. It is a Tampa organization started by a man named John Paner. He went from being a croc hobbyist to a passionate expert who sold his NY home and started a 20-acre sanctuary for unwanted pet trade crocs. He gets them in from all over the country. Our rescue has sent dozens his way.

I think pictures would be great because people NEED to know that crocs are not suitable pets for the average home!

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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org
"Find out how YOU can get involved in reptile rescue . . .

Ugh. That sounds nasty. That's an experience I definitely never want to have! I think crocs are amazing, but I really don't think I'd want to get close enough for them to chew on my leg.

I hope you heal up soon. I'me sorry that you were hurt.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

The first thing I have to say is how stupid! What kind of person thinks that they would make a great pet fot the average home. Hence the whole "HOW STUPID" thing. The part that floors me is I have received calls for them. It always makes me stop and think hmmmmmmmm. what were these people thinking when they got it, oh wait maybe this is it: I am going to get a croc and raise it and love it and it will never bite right, and it will love me and all my kids. dahhhhhhhhhh. I think those animals should be left to the professionals to deal with. I find them to be amazing creatures, just not in my home Believe it or not as rotten as my kids are I kind of want to keep them around a while

Another thing for around here I want to know is where are they getting them?

They get them from the door-to-door used croc salesmen, of course. They can be very persuasive. After all, their special crocs are bred to be friendly, and they will stay small as long as you keep them in a small cage!

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

I find crocs to be the most fascinating group of reptiles due to their intelligence and behavior that both are very comparible to birds and mammals. From a rescue standpoint though, they are the most depressing. You can understand how people would see an iguana hatchling and not realize what they turn into. You can understand how people would see red ear sliders in the pet store and not understand exactly how much care they need. With a little bit of imagination, you can even understand how people might go wrong with a Boa or Burm.

But everybody.....I MEAN EVERYBODY.....knows exactly what an alligator is!!! To take one home as a pet truly is stupid in the greatest sense of the word for 99% of people who buy em.

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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org
"Find out how YOU can get involved in reptile rescue . . .

Part of the problem is ignorance on the part of the would be croc owner but part of it may also be due to the sales pitch of unscrupulous dealers. I over heard a dealer (AT A FLEA MARKET!) Tellling a kid that this spectacled caiman was quite docile and if kept in a 10 gallon tank would never get any bigger! Of course it was docile! It was in a tank in the middle of winter with no heat!
It was almost comatose!
Any way the dealer and I had words some of them very loud and he threatened to call security on me. I invited him to go ahead and call and that then I would explain to the management just what sort of lawsuit they could expect when this animal injured someone.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I'm glad you stepped in and said something. I think many of the good reptile dealers feel the same way about these unscrupulous vendors that give the whole trade a bad name. If only it was the first time I heard that story....

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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org
"Find out how YOU can get involved in reptile rescue . . .

And people think I was dropped on my head as an infant! I think its the other way around I say leave them to the professionals! I would almost equate bringing home an alligator for a pet as to bringing home a Grizzly bear as a pet, neither one make sense!

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Zane Neher.

The great and strong man is one who bears within his character many contradictions.
Crocodilian care.