# can you own an alligator in the UK?



## joeandcaitlin

hello
i saw a alligator in my local pet shop and was wondering if they were allowed in the UK

thanks


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## Praying_Mantis24

i know a few people who have them over here


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## jamiequin

in a petshop close to me they have HUGE alligators in a massive display viv. not for sale though. dont think its legal isit? lol


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## Jczreptiles

Yes with a DWA, also some pet shop licences alow DWA on them.


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## exoticsadmirer

was more than likely a caiman and i dunny thing caimans and allis were lizards though.


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## Ophexis

It may be irrelevant and outdated now, but I remember something on Animal Hospital years ago about a man who kept a crocodile as a pet...until I think the law changed, or he'd outgrown his enclosure (I forget - not helpful lol) and he was sent to a sanctuary in Spain.


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## Button12

ive been looking into getting a dwarf caiman for sometime, because they are dangerous you do need a dwa licence (try asking about them in the dwa section of the forum) and they need lots of space and have inredibley time consuming husbandry requirements..


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## liz200898

Yeah you can keep them with DWA license i think you may have to have an approved inclosure too but not too sure about that one.


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## SiUK

There also not lizards :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## liz200898

who said they were..?


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## exoticsadmirer

The post in the lizard section....


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## SiUK

its posted in the lizards section :whistling2:


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## liz200898

Well its not going to be in shelled is it :whistling2:


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## SiUK

in the crazy time line of evolution they are closer to shelled creatures than lizards :no1:


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## NBLADE

yep you can keep american gators, you can keep anything if you have the license for it 

not many people have gators though, caimens are alot more common, 
i'm lucky and get to see and occasionally work with american gators, nile crocs and various caimen species regularly lol, 

american gator 




















little caimen 











nile crocs





























and yes i'm aware they come under crocodilians not lizards


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## exoticsadmirer

omg that nile is awesome you're dead lucky to see them there.


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## CactuarJon

Sheff Exotics have a caimen in their shop. At least i think it's a caimen... would have thought it be a caimen rather than an aligator. He's huge, and gorgious! :mf_dribble:


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## NBLADE

exoticsadmirer said:


> omg that nile is awesome you're dead lucky to see them there.


 
i do like the niles, theres the male that jumps, and then 2 females aswell :2thumb:


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## Joshuashaw

NBLADE, whats your job occupation if you don't mind me asking? Thanks J


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## CactuarJon

Joshuashaw said:


> NBLADE, whats your job occupation if you don't mind me asking? Thanks J


and can you get me a job :lol2:


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## NBLADE

Joshuashaw said:


> NBLADE, whats your job occupation if you don't mind me asking? Thanks J


 
me, i'm self employed and registered as an exotic pet dealer, and in a few weeks should have my own caimen as in talks to get dwa on my psl, and apart from that i am friends with the people who own the pictured animals and help out when i am needed : victory:


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## boomslang40

I volunteers at a reptile rescue centre that had an American Alligator, about 10 foot called rolex who I spent a lot of time with. You do see them in the UK, there's two in cold blooded in Rainham now.

However, they are much harder to get hold of in my experience than other crocodilians. I've looked closer into importing from the states, its funny, if I get an approved DWA they'll send me Nile crocs, Salties, Black caimen, Cuviers, spectacled, and numerous cross species....

....However, they wont ship me gators! I think because they can survive frost and thrive in temperate climates you can't import them into the UK, even though, in my experience, they are the most docile you can get!

Anyone thinking of investing, my advice would be to get chinese alligators, im not sure, but I was offered one about 3 years ago for quite a few thousand pounds, which, is a lot, but if you're gonna get into crocs and gators, its gonna be a life long expensive hobby and they seem the best investment! They get half the size, are far more docile than caimen, are almost extinct in the wild yet breed readily in captivity!

:2thumb:


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## boomslang40

And Rex the whitethroat for fun!


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## NBLADE

boomslang40 said:


> I volunteers at a reptile rescue centre that had an American Alligator, about 10 foot called rolex who I spent a lot of time with. You do see them in the UK, there's two in cold blooded in Rainham now.
> 
> However, they are much harder to get hold of in my experience than other crocodilians. I've looked closer into importing from the states, its funny, if I get an approved DWA they'll send me Nile crocs, Salties, Black caimen, Cuviers, spectacled, and numerous cross species....
> 
> ....However, they wont ship me gators! I think because they can survive frost and thrive in temperate climates you can't import them into the UK, even though, in my experience, they are the most docile you can get!
> 
> Anyone thinking of investing, my advice would be to get chinese alligators, im not sure, but I was offered one about 3 years ago for quite a few thousand pounds, which, is a lot, but if you're gonna get into crocs and gators, its gonna be a life long expensive hobby and they seem the best investment! They get half the size, are far more docile than caimen, are almost extinct in the wild yet breed readily in captivity!
> 
> :2thumb:


 
rolex who is now at cold blooded reserve? and they have a few gators in now, had 3 at the reserve and 2 at the shop, but now have 2 at reserve and 2 you can see in the shop, the other is a smaller male whos not on display at shop, 

america seems to have very strict regulations about shipping gators, they just really wont do it, they will send them dead from the meat farms out there but i believe they are protected in america by a certain export law so getting around it is very difficult


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## leecb0

BOOMSLANG YOUR A BRAVE MAN............














Not for holding a gator but for admitting working at DWARF:lol2:


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## Joolz1975

SkyCaptain said:


> Sheff Exotics have a caimen in their shop. At least i think it's a caimen... would have thought it be a caimen rather than an aligator. He's huge, and gorgious! :mf_dribble:



Yeh its a caimen, my son did work experience there and had a great time!

They also have a particular nasty snake in there it used to try and strike through the glass on the viv! think he said it was a boomslang, whenever he was feeding the snake in the next viv it would make him jump a mile by striking at glass lol!


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## slippery42

leecb0 said:


> BOOMSLANG YOUR A BRAVE MAN............
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> Not for holding a gator but for admitting working at DWARF:lol2:


Certainly scary, well the gator is ok!:gasp:


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## boomslang40

leecb0 said:


> BOOMSLANG YOUR A BRAVE MAN............
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> Not for holding a gator but for admitting working at DWARF:lol2:


:lol2: It was only the animals that drew me back, and the guilt, not knowing how they would be if I didn't turn up, I took a fair amount home to look after 1 on 1 that i couldn't leave there to... 

....been a few years though now since i've disassociated myself from it completely! yet i think the RSPCA still take animals to him


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## fangsy

Hi Boomslang, do you volenteer at Ian's place ?

Thanks

Steve



boomslang40 said:


> [URL=http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/8020/rolex1.jpg]image[/URL]
> 
> [URL=http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8970/rolex2x.jpg]image[/URL]
> 
> And Rex the whitethroat for fun!
> [URL=http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/337/rexb.jpg]image[/URL]


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## boomslang40

I used to, haven't been there or seen him for over 2 years though


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## Gabriellee

I just wandering where I can buy a American aligator?can anyone give me a cantact?


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## Malc

Gabriellee said:


> I just wandering where I can buy a American aligator?can anyone give me a cantact?


Better off starting a NEW thread rather than resurrecting and 11 YEAR old one !!


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