# Advice on DWA licence etc. & Intoducing myself :)



## KaaTee (Jul 25, 2009)

Hi all, Ill start by introducing myself as i dont think iv been on here for at least a year.. LOL Im Katie From Shropshire, West Midlands.. 

I am a HUGE Animal lover.. There is not a Furry, Slimy or Creepy crawly i dont love! Iv owned in the past most pets you can think of, 
Horses, Rats, Ducks, Geese, Lizards, Snakes, Snails, Turtles, Exotic birds, dogs & cats etc. 
But My beloved Snake passed nearly two years ago.. and since then i have said NO MORE! Lol 
Well.. 2 years come and gone, iv been a foster home for a few rescues but not let myself become attached to anything and just done my bit to help. Well iv recently moved from a built up area full of friends and family to the lovely countryside where i dont know a soul but my mother. lol

So im now getting 'Broody' some might call it, I am 100% on the animals health and welfare and would not buy a pet if it would be worse off or if i could not accommodate it correctly or care for it.
I have never thought of having or getting a licence to have a special animal until now as the area i lived in just was not appropriate, but now i have alot of space and its just perfect really. 
I have been interested in Crocodilia since a child with the whole dinosaur aspect.. And have quite fell for the Caiman.

So what my questions are, is it a good idea? 
Obviously i would not go get anything until i knew for sure what i was doing and how to care for this animal correctly etc. I would possibly look for local help with this too. 

Getting the licence, how possible is this? 
I have read the DWA Licence thread on how to get one, so im just wondering from experience, me living in quite a nice place where they will not even allow a McDonalds to be built.. How likely am i to get the licence..

And just any advice or experiences? 
I know you must all get people come on here all the time, Waaar i want a DWA to keep a baby alligator! Bla Bla Bla But i assure you i am genuine, 
And must add Money is not a problem, i would not bring any animal into my life without knowing i can afford to keep that animal.. 
I KNOW keeping such an animal may or may not, depending on nature, cost a hell of alot, Blimey i had to pay £200.00 for a rat to be castrated and have tumours removed a few months ago, and thats what most you people use as food for your friends! LOL 

Ill leave it at that, so it doesn't get to boring to read, any advice very muchly appreciated 
Thanks Katie. x :flrt:


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

Hi Katie,

Its not cheap at all to set up an enclosure and room and you will need a fair bit of space for an adult caiman, as for are they likely to grant it technically they cannot really say no but they can put unworkable conditions on it that make it very hard to get, if you are serious I would suggest you find a keeper and get some experience.


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## chondro13 (Aug 18, 2008)

Hi Katie - your best bet would be to contact your local council and ask what requirements they may have. You would be best to go in with a very level head and ask seriously if other people in the area have applied for DWA licencing previously. 

Caimans need a big enclosure that will get very hot and humid - if you decide to use a room within your house, expect to spend well over £1000 for the setup alone. If you need to build an outbuilding, that figure will rise steeply. 

The licence and vet visit cost on top of the enclosure is likely to be around the £400 mark.

You need to decide if the 'love' for a caiman is really worth it, and wether or not your prepared to put in the funding and time. If you decide to go ahead, try and find a local mentor : victory:


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## base (Apr 10, 2010)

aswell as going to the council and getting advice etc, have you got a room to set aside for it, alsoconsider a chinese alligator before you go for a caiman.. they have more of a docile temperament.. ive had alot of time with spectacled caiman and out of 12 ive found 2 which tolerate handling.. african dwarfs are another good contender to think about too..

just remember no matter how much you love them etc.. you cant trust them.. theyre wild animals that live off instinct.. there alot of satisfaction with working and keeping them on the positive side.. if you ended up with an aggresive one.. would you get scared of it?


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## KaaTee (Jul 25, 2009)

Thanks for your replies, i live in a 3 bed house on my own, with also an insulated & Boarded out loft conversion so i dont think space is a problem, 

I know there is a man who walks a strange looking Raccoon (not sure what its called but have asked and it is a relative of the Raccoon) around town on a lead! So he must surely have a DWA for this.. so im thinking there maybe hope..

I obviously wouldnt get one of these animals if i couldnt afford it.
I am not looking into getting one of these to cuddle it either  
Iv seen their teeth! haha 
I just Simply would like to give one a happy healthy long life..
Thats why i ask if its worth getting one, as i dont want to get one if i wouldnt be helping the animal.. :/ 

I will be looking into finding someone local who could help me and poss give me some hands on exp which is needed, i just want to KNOW for sure im doing the right thing before i start.. 

I have looked at different species and from what iv read and researched the Caiman seem to stand out the most.. Although i would love to hear of other Crocodilia species and views on them etc as i want to make the correct choice in this.. 

Thank you all for your kind advice Much appreciated! 
Katie xx


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## George_Millett (Feb 26, 2009)

KaaTee said:


> I know there is a man who walks a strange looking Raccoon (not sure what its called but have asked and it is a relative of the Raccoon) around town on a lead! So he must surely have a DWA for this.. so im thinking there maybe hope..



Just picking out this bit, if it is a raccoon or a raccoon dog these animals currently aren't on the DWA list so no licence is needed to keep them. 

If they were on the list then you would need to house then securely and would not be able to go walking down the street with one of them.


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## GT2540 (Jan 31, 2012)

Chinese alligator

A better disposition generally , cheaper to heat, males are smaller, females will fight with each other. Bigger outlay on the animal, but a lot cheaper to maintain


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