# cuvier's dwarf caiman



## eminem

i am thinking of getting cuvier's dwarf caiman how big will the tank as to be i will have to get the set up be for i can get my dwa


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## jaysnakeman

dream on


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## Magik

Have a look here before you set your heart on caiman mate Crocodilian Captive Care FAQ (Caiman, Alligator, Crocodile)


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## dannylatics

this is one step to far lol

you are rushing everything eminem - enjoy your retics, burms, boas whatever, you have plenty of time to get dwa, see how you get on with your snakes first


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## eminem

it wont be for a year or so


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## dannylatics

fair enough

try Google adn type in cuviers dwarf caimen enclosure, there are laods on the net what you need


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## Viper

This better be a piss take, you with a DWa animal :whistling2:


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## eminem

what wong with me for having a dwa


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## Viper

You cant seem to do anything for yourself !!

Your advertising for a 2nd retic just a few weeks after buying your 1st, you said that would be ' a few years yet ' !!

Dwa animals demand respect and responsibility and to be honest i dont think your anywhere near either !!

Just hope your council realises the same !!


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## eminem

what has it got do with u what i keep it i love animal u all ways have a go at me i look after my pets


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## Viper

No ones saying you dont look after them but it seems a lot of indecision from you !

I want a conda, afrock retic - 2 retics in a few years !!

Now a caiman see it from our perspective - you should use your own resources rather let us tell you everything !!

All you have to do is type cuviers dwarf caiman into google or put care sheet after it and you have the info !!


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## eminem

i have done that mate i all way want a cuvier's dwarf caiman for years will a 4 by 3ft by 3ft ok for a baby1


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## Viper

eminem said:


> i have done that mate i all way want a cuvier's dwarf caiman for years will a 4 by 3ft by 3ft ok for a baby1


Clearly you havent done research other wise you would know the caging requirements !!


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## eminem

for a baby it will need a 60 galloon aquarium with 20 gallons of water i have read up about them


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## Viper

Why are you asking if you already know the answer ?


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## eminem

just letting u all know that i have read up about them


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## sharpstrain

Magik said:


> Have a look here before you set your heart on caiman mate Crocodilian Captive Care FAQ (Caiman, Alligator, Crocodile)


 
what an excellent article - I learned loads - I would love a crocodilian - have always found them fascinating. Never will own one though - Just dont have the space, time resources or experience to do it right.

A fab read nonetheless


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## Magik

Well "Eminem" I have nothing against anybody getting a Caiman as long as they know what that means it means thousands of pounds on housing,feeding,heating etc it means thousands of hours cleaning,feeding it means sacrificing allot of other animals you want because of space restraints and frankly its a whole other world compared to a burm or a retic if you are wiling to go whole hog then go for it but don't think for one second that its going to be easy and don't think that everyone is going to hold your hand if anything goes wrong(which shouldn't because you have researched every aspect of keeping them) we are all here to help but dont think we are going to tell you how to keep it its not a corn snake its a large(it may be a dwarf but they aren't that small and are still very powerful) and basically very wild animal.If you are willing to do everything you need to give this animal a happy life in captivity then do it.If you want one because they are "cool" or because you have seen a picture and said "I want that!" well then I recommend you dont get one it would be unfair on you and more importantly it would be unfair on the animal.Do you honestly have enough space for this animal?Im not trying to put you off getting one Im just telling you the way it is!: victory:


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## eminem

i have a whole room for it mate i do love them i dont want just to make cool i want one a pet i will look after the dwarf caiman


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## Magik

What size is the room?10 x10?12 x 12?You would need at least 25 square foot IMO


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## eminem

i havent move in yet it is big tho


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## Magik

Well unless you are moving in to a mansion I don't see a room being big enough?Ok for the sake of arguing lets say the room is big enough what about all of your other reps?your tics your burms everything where are they going to go?In your bedroom?Would your room be big enough for everything?If not what will you do?Will you give up everything else for the Caiman?or will you drop the idea of getting the Caiman and keep everything else?


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## eminem

i have only got 1 retic my burmese are in me bros he keeps them for me


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## Magik

Ok fair enough I see you dont get the point I am tying to make here?Im trying to say would you be willing to give up all your other animals to get the Caiman?Or would you keep your animals and forget about the Caiman?


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## eminem

i be willing to give up all of my animals to get the Caiman but not my retic


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## Magik

Well then why do you want one?Which would you pick Caiman or Retic?Im sorry to keep going back and forward with ya mate but I think you should pick the Tick and drop the Caiman I dont think you understand what it means to get one of these and keeping Burms and Ticks doesn't qualify ya to get a Caiman....get a WC Adult Nile monitor house it feed it heat it and clean it that might give ya a rough idea of what you will need to keep a Caiman


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## eminem

i will read up about them first i will have the room i wont be getting for a year or so


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## Hobgoblin

_"There are few lizards less suited to life in captivity than the Nile monitor. Buffrenil (1992) considered that, when fighting for its life, a Nile monitor was a more dangerous adversary than a crocodile of a similar size. Their care presents particular problems on account of the lizards' enormous size and lively dispositions.

_Bennett, D. 1995. Little Book of Monitor Lizards, Viper Press, Aberdeen, UK
Also Nile Monitors can get up to 7ft and are well known for being aggresisve...im not saying a caimen would be better but even a nile monitor requires alot of consideration....


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## Dungbug

The Caiman is one of those animals that only a select few could/should own, there's a place selling them about half an hour's drive from where I live along with fish and other exotics. I don't think these animals should be so easily available, the housing alone would be enough to put me off, let alone the danger aspect of owning such an animal. I'd love an adult Iggy but I can't sacrifice a bedroom to house one so it's a no no.

I'm not having a go either here Eminen but if you've got some nice snakes then why the rush to aquire an animal that requires so much? I've got a list of animals I'd like to own, some realistic, some not. Eitherway I'll take my time working towards them & learning more about them, might be worth while taking stock & reading up a bit more before setting your heart on one.: victory:


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## LewisH

Dungbug, where abouts is that place 30 mins from you that has them? Dont worry, I have no intention of buying one, but Im just curious as to where to get them, I'd love to have a look.

Cheers


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## DannyCRS

If they come off the DWA this will be the problem. I would be willing to give up a room for one. When I get my house I would happily turn a room into a viv for a dwarf but I can't say that for others. Most people don't think and there will be a lot of unwanted dwarf caimens it will be like the Iguana's people buy them when they are little and when they get big and can't house them want to rehome them. 

I am guessing that is the point everyone is trying to make eminem don't take it all to heart even though you put up the thread. I have been wanting one for a while but won't get one until I know I have the right set up and room for one.

If you do get one be very careful as said in previous posts get a nile monitor or Asian Water monitor and you will have a slight idea what you are going to be up against its a lot harder than you might think looking after strong animals that aren't tame.


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## Dungbug

LewisH said:


> Dungbug, where abouts is that place 30 mins from you that has them? Dont worry, I have no intention of buying one, but Im just curious as to where to get them, I'd love to have a look.
> 
> Cheers


 
The Koi Carp centre at Henlow, out the otherside of Ampthill.

http://www.japanese-koi.co.uk/subcat1047.html


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## carisma02uk

i thought id add my experience with caiman for you........

my local reptile shop was run by a chap that had only his ego in mind...

green condas, caimen, blood pythons etc..

he left all of a sudden and left the owner of the shop in a mess..

i lent my services as a herper to help set up the vivs properly as when i entered they had a base temp of 60 and hot spot of 70... for all animals.. nothing was eating and very ill... the only things that were healthy were the two 4ft caiman in a 8x7 enclosure with a poxy pond...

i had held hatchling caiman and other crocs before but

i knew nothing on the care of caiman and never kept the before so i phoned my local dwa mate and got him to come and help me deal with them...

bare in mind i have kept 10ft boas...
dealt with 14ft plus burms....

adult salvators...

niles...

this is not a show off contest.. but i still felt i was not ready for these animals...

they were agressive, very strong, food orientated and demanded constant supervison..

they WILL charge you if they think you have food or are food...no joke they will!!

if you set up a room you will need a perspex door or saftey glass door or enclosure on the internals of the room so that you are able to veiw into the room before opening the door blindley.. trust me they are clever and will sit and wait next to the door for you...

if you decide to keep them i would get down to a keepers house and get some experience with them...

but from the posts i have seen by your self and others you may struggle...

you seem very inexperienced and arrogant about this fact.. the sooner you accept you know nothing the sooner you will let your self learn about these animals..

i think every herper ever has wanted a croc or retic.. be it for the macho look or the experince factor... weve all wanted something we were no ready for...

weve all wanted something we are ready for..... but still have that moral vice.. can we house them? is it right to keep and animal you cannot deal with 24/7

if your retic gets a burn or problem at 4am in the morning when its 18ft can you deal with it alone your self? the answer is no.... can you have some one on call 24/7 everyday of the year?

what happens if you enter your caiman room and it escapes and damages you? the off it goes around the rest of the house??


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## Daz_of_hudds

Predators in Shiply have some, one died this weekend I think tho  r.i.p Dave


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## Malky

Don't know if anyone has said it, but you're looking at converting a garage or a room for caimans.


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## carisma02uk

yeah i forgot to mention the dwa guide is 12x11 for one caiman.. hence why i think its a shame pet shops get away with half the size enclosure for two animals...


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## ChrisNE

does any1 else think this guys just 10yrs old and really wants a crocodile! When i was that age i wanted a dinosaur! I would have converted a room and EVERYTHING! but alas, it was not to be!


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## fangsy

Sorry to Hijack your thread, I am currently in the process of converting my garage for my Cuviers ....

Its gonna be a long flippin process ......... 

Steve


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## Malky

> if you set up a room you will need a perspex door or saftey glass door or enclosure on the internals of the room so that you are able to veiw into the room before opening the door blindley.. trust me they are clever and will sit and wait next to the door for you...


That bit scared me.


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## ian14

Am I missing something? He is asking about cuviers, which I think only reach around 4 feet as adult, surely converting an entire garage for a 4 foot caiman is a tad exessive?
I hold my hands up that I have no knowledge of croc husbandry, but it does just seem as if everyone is talking about something the size of an american alligator. If I am completly wrong, then please say, you never stop learning!


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## ChrisNE

Think the dwarf caiman still gets to 5-6 feet and it needs a large wet area and dry area so a small 1car garage would probably be just about right but i'm the same, my knowledge of croc husbandry comes from a curious read of a few care sheets and the forums. Don't think i'd ever be able to house 1, its a huge step and a bigger responsibility than any other 'pet'


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## carisma02uk

ian14 said:


> Am I missing something? He is asking about cuviers, which I think only reach around 4 feet as adult, surely converting an entire garage for a 4 foot caiman is a tad exessive?
> I hold my hands up that I have no knowledge of croc husbandry, but it does just seem as if everyone is talking about something the size of an american alligator. If I am completly wrong, then please say, you never stop learning!


 
so if your beardy got to 2ft would you keep it in a 2ft tank?

nope youd have it in a 4ft....

hence a 5-6ft animal in a 10-12ft enclosure..

and im sure a salty at9ft plus wouldnt really be very happy in a 10ft enclosure thats more like a pet carrier for them lol....


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## parsonsd

*so....*

So give us an update.. did you end up getting your D.C. buddy?


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## Bradleybradleyc

parsonsd said:


> So give us an update.. did you end up getting your D.C. buddy?




The op hasn't been on here in 4 years. Maybe he got the dc and was eaten by it 4 years ago ?


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## haskins104

*hi*

im in the steps of getting my dwa and going to look at 2 DC'S today. can't wait, just need finding out price.


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## parsonsd

HAHAHA!!!

And Haskins.. u need the dwa to be processed and accepted before you get them buddy  Good lick, and would love see some pics of crocs and setup when successful!


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## haskins104

*here you go*


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## Gamboloader

*Cuviers enclosure, Northumberland spec*

I currently hold a DWA license for the only privately owned Cuviers in Northumberland. There is no set size although the purist will say 3 times the length and twice the width. Mine is 14 inches long and is in a 3ft x 15in x 18in fish tank. The vet and the licensing officer agreed that the initial size restriction should be 14 inches. After seeing mine in the tank they quickly altered this to "around 21 inches". The vet has requested photos every 6-8 weeks to ensure there is plenty of room. 
The final enclosure is 6ft x 10ft with airlock style entry system. (2 lockable doors). 
Let me know if you need any more info


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## Antbee123

Hi any Caimen for sale


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