If so please tell that to my stepdad..its like 2 feet long
2007-01-26 06:41:47 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
No. They don't.
I used to volunteer at this reptile zoo near my house, where my cousin Matt works. Little Ray's. All the alligators were rescued.
( The usual case; ) Most people buy baby alligators for their kids on their birthday; when they're harmless. Then, eventually, the alligator grows into an adult and starts to eat full grown cows for dinner. Most families can't afford this, and nor do they think it's safe for their children ( no duh, why wouldn't you think that in the first place? ). Then they end up dropping the alligators on street corners in winter, leaving them abandoned in old houses, and leaving them to starve.
What did they do wrong?
Anyway. It's not safe to own an alligator unless you *KNOW* what you're doing, and how to treat them. Alligators are BIG. They definitely don't make good pets, and either belong in the hands of an experienced person, or in the wild. They aren't tameable, and they aren't submissive. They're naturally aggressive and will attack, viciously, if their territory or well-being is threatened.
I think I just rules out all the qualities of a 'good' household pet.
2007-01-26 08:53:48 · answer #1 · answered by Lotus 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes - certain animals should never be domesticated. Exotic animals need certain things that cannot be provided adequately by humans in an urban setting. Alligators belong in the wild, as they are totally undpredictable. Please tell your stepdad to read & do research about alligators & hopefully this will persuade him to contact a local zoo or the local wildlife enforecement division so that they can retrieve the alligator and place it in an appropriate environment - somewhere that is best for the alligator so that it can thrive and have the best life possible (the kind of life it was intended to have). Far from contact with people so that no one will be hurt. It is this type of behavior that causes certain animals to be "hated" and "misunderstood" by the public.
2007-01-26 07:01:16 · answer #2 · answered by rjsluvbug 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The problem is that they do not make good pets over the long term. At some point, it gets unweildy to have a large reptile in a house and most people do not have appropriate set ups for them. I can tell you as someone who worked with alligators at a zoo (as a docent) alligators get a lot less cute and a lot more dangerous to handle right about 2ft long.
The cute pipping gives way to hissing and the gator gets a bit stronger at biting.
Don't worry, the alligator will soon get a lot harder to handle and i think he'll probably be looking for a home for it soon.
2007-01-26 06:56:01 · answer #3 · answered by SC 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is wrong for most people to own an alligator because most people cannot provide them the environment they need and most people do not know enough about their needs to keep them healthy and comfortable and most people cannot afford the type of enclosure that keeps others safe from the alligator.
I know an experienced herp guy that has a close to seven footer he rescued from a ninny who kept it in a 75 gallon fish tank as a four footer--poor thing could barely turn around. His entire basement has been converted to a home for the gator. He has a 6 foot tall locked chain link covered area outside with a chain link top for the gator to bask in--it's attached to the end of the basement so the alligator can walk up without getting loose. He lives in the middle of 300+ acres where the gator doesn't make the neighbors uneasy. He moved his furnace and hot water tank and laundry appliances to the ground floor to accomodate his gator He has a 10 foot diameter stock tank customized so he can drain it easily in the basement for her to soak in. He's spent over fifteen thosand bucks providing a safe comfortable enclosure for the gator. He spends another couple of thousand each year caring for the gator. He has special heating and lighting for his "baby." "Little Bit" lives like a queen. This guy has practically devoted his life to this gator. She's fairly tame, but I wouldn't trust her to stay that way. He and his wife are very experienced herpers, and they have no kids so they're only risking their own skins.
He's the rare exception--most people don't secure or care for adult gators well at all and shouldn't own them.
2007-01-26 20:27:39 · answer #4 · answered by Redneck Crow 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ok, from someone who not only HAS owned alligators, but someone who DOES own alligators.........
What reason does your stepfather have for owning this alligator? Does he have permits for it? Oh, he's cute and he responds to my voice. Yes, he is and does, and it gets to the point that they see or hear you and come hissing and snorting out of their pond in hopes that you have something to feed them, and hopefully you do. A two footer isn't a big deal, but what about when it's 5 or 6 feet? Take it to a zoo? Well, here's a problem, if you don't have a PERMIT to OWN it, you can't legally transfer it to another party, and no zoo will get itself in trouble taking it off his hands. Nor will an alligator farm, nor will ANY OTHER REPUTABLE PERSON OR ENTITY. I suggest he calls the state and comes forward, because there can be legal issues here. The problem with letting a captive gator go are as follows....
Baby gators are food for bigger gators, simple as that, you let him go, he becomes food.
If he's big enough to fend for himself when/if you let him go, he will displace wild alligators and perhaps introduce various viruses and bacteria into populations that don't have the immunity that he does.
If he's let go and has been kept for more than a week or so, and fed regularly, he associates people with food, and this is BAD. No, it's not bad, it's WRONG, and it's a DEATH SENTENCE.
95% of the alligator attacks in Florida are linked to feeding. An alligator that exhibits behaviors correspondent to being fed WILL be called in as a Nuisance Alligator. All nuisance alligators over a certain size are "Harvested" as the state of Florida likes to say, in other words, the local trapper gets paid by what he can make off of that animal.
A two footer can't kill you........ yet. It CAN make you lose a few fingernails. In another year or so, when he's closer to 4 feet, he can ruin your hands or fingers permanently, much bigger than that and the severity of the wounds that WILL be inflicted get much worse.
Yes, I own an alligator, and my father owns an alligator, mine's about 2 feet, and his is about 4 feet, and we have permits that allow us to own them so that we can do programs for schools, scouts, libraries, etc. My belief is that if you are NOT participating in activities like this with your alligator there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO OWN ONE.
Thank you, and good day.
2007-01-26 07:41:24 · answer #5 · answered by gimmenamenow 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yeah I think its wrong. An alligator is a wild animal ment to cover a large area of swampage, something your stepfather probably cant provide. They just don't make good pets and its much better for them to live in the wild where they were intended and anitomically designed to be. I hope your step dad sets him free or finds a allegator rescue to put him in.
2007-01-26 06:53:07 · answer #6 · answered by Krazee about my pets! 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Call animal control or your local Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission- it's illegal to keep to alligators as pets in many states. If animal control or the FWC is unable to assist you call your local zoo- they may be willing to take the alligator on.
Aligators are not domesticated animals dependent on humans for survival. Inevitibly this animal will bite or seriously injure a member of your household.
2007-01-26 07:36:11 · answer #7 · answered by annathespian 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. Simply call animal protection. They will come over and take care of the situation. It is cruel to the animal for people to keep them as pets. Unless of course you have a swamp or water land area for the alligator to thrive. But you really should report your father to the authorities. If you don't want him to know it was you go to a payphone (I'm sure they still exist somewhere) and call 911 to report an alligator at ______ give your address.
GODSPEED...
2007-01-26 06:50:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
When he teaches it to Gently scratch his back, he will be the first person to have successfully domesticated an alligator. Until then, it is a wild animal. Stay away from it. Keep all cats, small dogs and toddlers out of reach.
2007-01-26 06:50:00 · answer #9 · answered by lollipop 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. the alligator needs to be taken to where it can be safe as well as people can be safe. Depending upon where you live, you can contact animal control or a zoo. Animal control will take care of finding a place or placing the animal in a proper environment.
2007-01-26 06:49:29 · answer #10 · answered by williesimple 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋