Pet crocodile

A post down the ways a bit reminded me of a person with an interesting pet I saw thirty years ago or so. I was in a small store in our county seat town paying up at the register when a guy came in leading a five foot crocodile on a leash. This is Iowa and its no joke! He came up to the register beside me and the croc came walking up to my leg and set down on its belly. I was ready to make a run for it but he told me "it's just like a puppy dog". He didn't convince me. How many crocs on a leash have you encountered? I would be much less worried about a pit bull!

He might have been a puppy but they have to eat also. Remember years ago they would
advertise baby allagators for sale in many of the mags

When he came in the store with the croc he stood maybe six feet from me and the croc stopped and went down on it's belly. Then the croc lifted up, walked up to my leg and set down again with it's nose right by my foot. It was unsettling to say the least. They had a write up about him in the local paper. He was a visitor from the south who drifted into town for a short while.

Nowadays you'd be thinking about "what lawsuit lawyer am I gonna get if I get bit".

Was it a crock or a gator? I would not trust either of them, especially a crock!

From my little understanding of them, they are very primitive animals, no real interest in anything but their next meal, whatever form it takes. Operate on instinct, not the understanding that "My master will be disappointed if I choose to eat this person" as a domestic animal would.

Not to steal the thread but I recently had some alligator for dinner. It was very good, tender and tasty almost like chicken. Being a westerner we don't see many out this way, let alone have it for dinner.

There ain't no such thing.

He claimed it was a croc. Being an Iowan I have no experience.

During the summer of 1964 I worked for TG&Y. Remember them??? We had an aquarium that had soft shell turtles and alligators for sale. The turtles were about 2 to 3 inches across. These are the same ones that some places used to paint, but they were not painted where I worked.

The little alligators were mostly less than a foot long, and kinda cute in their own way. It was my job to feed them. Honestly, I don't remember what the turtles got but we usually fed the gators redworms. The aquarium they were in had river sand on one end and water on the other. If we didn't have worms we slipped a half dozen goldfish in at night, the next morning the fish were gone. Didn't have to feed very often though, they sold really fast.

I do know they were mean little devils and would bite and hold on. About the only way to get one off was to poke something in the back of the mouth to gag it.

I'm sure most of them died in captivity, but there are still reports of someone finding one in the park that runs through Lubbock with a series of small lakes, more like a long creek in reality. The biggest one I know of being found was about 3 feet long. And that was years ago. Still, they live a long time, and the growth rate is really dependent on food supply. This park/water system here has lots and lots of ducks and geese that live here year round.

But, staying in touch with the story, I can see someone making a "pet" out of one, but being like a puppy, well, not so much.

If anyone tries to bring one of those into AZ, they will be arrested and the "croc" seized. AZ takes a very tough view of anyone having wildlife for a pet.

I remember when I was a kid traveling through the south the tourist stops used to sell young alligators. Perhaps that guy kept his.

Sounds like a pair of bewts and a purse on a leash?

I remember that too. every 'tourist gift shop' had a tub of baby gators. I think a quarter each... I was not allowed to buy one but always brought a few chameleons back t Michigan.