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Nasty tempered Alligator
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by Ambrosia on September 19, 2003
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I have a yearling American Alligator. Actually she is closer to two. We purchased her from a breeder in Florida. When she got here she was still in shock from the trip, so she was "Docile" (hahaha), but the following day she went pyscho! Ever since she has been extremely aggressive. When we walk by her tank, she charges and tries to attack. She jumps and leaps, in attempts to "kill" any and everyone in th room. As entertaining as it is it has to stop. We just acquired two more hatchling and handle them regularly to try to prevent this type of behavior. My question is,is there any way to calm her down without losing fingers? And without hurting her?
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RE: Nasty tempered Alligator
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by roachownsu2 on September 20, 2003
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i had a aligator with that exact same problem..it would attack the screen in front of its pond every time i walked by..(i think it was more that it knew i was the one that fed it more then it wanting to kill me)but it was extremly vicious ..but hey its an aligator so you should expect that kind of behavior..all i did was throw on a pair of gloves and just grab him before he gets a chance to bite me..after about a month of being handeld he figured out that im not trying to kill it and it cant kill me so it pretty mutch calmed down..its still agressive at first but once held its very docile..so just keep handeling it and eventualy it will calm down..however sometimes they never change
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RE: Nasty tempered Alligator
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by Snakeman1982 on September 21, 2003
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This is why most people shouldn't own dangerous reptiles, especially alligators!!! You see this cute little innocent thing and you buy it for fun, not thinking about the future. What are you going to do in five or six years when it has the potential to remove your hand. You'll sell or trade it, throw it in some local lake that won't support it, or kill it.
That's what 90 some odd percent of the people do.
Of course after you had problems with the first one, you didn't think about not making the same mistake twice but you bought two more that you won't be able to handle in a few years. What are you going to do in a year when these next two alligators start to hurt when they bite you. Buy more babies!!!
Attention everyone!!! Alligators don't stay small forever!!! They grow up and get BIG. If you can't handle owning a big ol' alligator then don't buy a little one.
Even less than twenty and thirty years ago it use to be common for people to go to Florida and bring back a baby alligator as a pet. They use to sell them on the side of the road like turtles. Pretty neat souvenir to bring back from Florida to show all your northern buddies. Big problem with that was that once the alligator grew up people started getting bit and the alligators started getting neglected. I am pretty sure that it is now illegal to sell an alligator without a license and you cannot buy or own an alligator in Florida without a license. How do you get a license? You have to have over 500 official and recorded hours of alligator handling experience. What you and that alligator farmer did was most likely illegal. It is illegal for them to sell their alligators to anyone except licensed people or companies.
Here's a few things you need to know about alligators before you own/(torture) one. They don't have large brains to think with and their actions are based on instinct. If you do get bit it is your own fault. Very few alligators have been "tamed" in captivity and the ones that were had someone experienced that spent a lot of time with them constantly.
To answer your question though I'll tell you a thing or two that might help you out. Alligators are not all just some easy going reptile that is always happy. Different alligators have different personalities and instinctive reactions to certain circumstances. I have worked with alligators in the Everglades for years and have seen some alligators that I could do almost anything with and not worry about being bit and then I had alligators that would lunge at me everytime I walked in their cage. There are a lot of different things that make an alligator react in certain ways. From certain seasonal/monthly periods, to temperature, sunlight, their diet, etc... all these things can make an individual alligator act different. You have to know the alligators you handle almost perfectly or you will be pretty surprised when you get bit. If you don't know what you are doing, don't do it!!!
This isn't a game. You are responsible for this animal's life and when you fail it dies. Just because you can own something doesn't mean you should. If you aren't educating people (which doesn't include bringing your drinking buddies over to brag about what you PAID for) or studying it to help them out in the wild then chances are you shouldn't be owning it. Any child in Florida will tell you that an alligator bites. They can also tell you that alligators get big. Combine the two facts and figure it out whether or not you should get one. Alligators bite, that is in their nature. This might not bother anyone when they are 8 to 10 inches long and they might even think it is kind of cute but use a little bit of foresight and think about your finger later on after this thing gets bigger. You say you don't like domesticated mammals. I am not too fond with them either but the reason why people own them is because they can't mame a person so easily and unexpectedly. Bottom line: don't expect an animal not to do what comes naturally to it and don't buy something you won't be able to keep until its life is over with. Let's say you keep an alligator for 20 years and it never bites anyone. Then one day you screw up by putting your hand somewhere you shouldn't and it reacts and tears it off. What are you going to do? Because that is the potential a large alligator has. Are you willing to take that chance? Of course not, you or anyone else. You are in it for the little alligator that will stay cute and cuddly forever.
If you think I am being too strict on your dumb and immature obsession with these animals you obviously know little about and that you shouldn't own then contact me in 15 years and show me how healthy your three alligators are and how much they have grown. It shouldn't be too hard for them to stay alive given the proper care, since they will easily live over 50 years in captivity. Chances are however that I won't ever get that message because I am sure they will all be dead in less than 5. Few people really want to take care of a 5 to 6 foot alligator, so they are kind of hard to give or trade away. Think about how it would be to be in your alligator's/other reptiles' shoes.
Robert C. Jadin
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RE: Nasty tempered Alligator
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by ReptileFreak18 on September 21, 2003
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"but the reason why people own them is because they can't mame a person so easily and unexpectedly. "
Considering the fact most people are attacked by dogs each year than any other pet would kill that statement.
Most people like cute, cuddly pets and most are oblivious to the fact that even domesticated animals can and quite often do.
As a keeper of crocodilians, a neonate and juvenile alike with most likely act in such manner for many reasons, one being you are gigantic and naturally a predator, so the little beast will of course defend himself. Even if you do not intend on messing with it, fact is you are in it's sight so it is intended he is in yours. I am a bit curious to how you are properly permitted in Texas when you seem to lack the sense of the animals natural behaviors.. Just curious. Where abouts in Texas are you?
Crocodilians are in fact very intelligent animals, and far more so than any studied group of reptiles. There is no such thing as a tamed herp and dont generally use it for any animal, being all animals are not truely tamed.. You're alligator will generally lose it's disposition as being a jumpy runt, as alot seem to do; Some even go as far as being very docile and practically nothing but a doll and some will be wicked.. Facts faced. As for getting two more and not realizing what you are getting into, what were you thinking? Pawning one off if it is not the animal as you have hoped for?
Just curious, let me know.
Xain
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RE: Nasty tempered Alligator
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by mambaseller1 on September 22, 2003
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just to let all know if you have any large gator to get rid of drop me a line I will take great care of them we are building them there own pond at our place we love american alligators we have two tame 6 footers who I trust more than most dogs. I will pay shipping cost size does not matter to me.
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RE: Nasty tempered Alligator
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by Irishviper on September 22, 2003
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To the critic: I am the husband of Ambrosia. I'd like to clerify something. The alligator in question is in fact in great hands. We run a private zoo with the proper facilities. We are fully aware that they will obtain a large size. They will not be released into the wild or traded, or any other illegal activity, as it is against the law in Texas, and against my law. We are a permited educational facility. My wife simply was curious about one gator in perticular that we currently can not use for talks and display, due to her temper. My wife is not as experinced with gators as I am, and thought it would be interesting to seek another opinion from other crocodilian experts. So before you go blasting your mouth all over the site, get your facts straight. I would rather keep an alligator any day then a dog, and its people like you that will some day bring the entire reptile industry down. What then? Dogs and cats? There are many responsible people out there. Just because my wife asked a question does that make her irresponsible?
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RE: Nasty tempered Alligator
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by ReptileFreak18 on September 22, 2003
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Nicely put. I'm curious, you're not C. Dieter are you?
If not, what name do you run under? Just like to keep track of stuff..
Xain
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