New Alligator Cage

Aligators, caimen, crocodiles, terrapins, tortoises and turtles exotic to South Africa.

New Alligator Cage

Postby Sico » Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:57 pm

I’ve just purchased a baby A. mississippiensis, female, around 30cm long and roughly 11 months old.

I decided to make a cage that would fit in the same style as my snake cages, but trying to work out how to do it in wood and steel took a bit of thinking. I got it done though, building the steel-framed wooden cage, then using fibreglass to waterproof 2/3 of it, giving me a wet area of around 110cmX60cmx20cm. I then bordered this with slate roofing tiles, made up some artificial plants using offcuts of some decent plants I bought really cheap, and some left over grapevine that I had lying around and fixed them in place. I made an artificial vibe which runs along the back of the tank, and carries the water from the pump to the filter, branching off onto the tree branches.
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The water is circulated through a bio-mechanical filter which lies under the “dry” area of the cage, lighting is provided by two 40w Philips bulbs and a 50w fluorescent “daylight spectrum” light (which gives off a slight pink colour). The water is heated with a 60w fishtank heaterand the pump circulates the whole water volume (roughly 120l) three time an hour. I have put in some live plants in the water, Dwarf Anubias and Java Fern, which are both pretty hardy and can tolerate a pounding if needed, they also do fairly well in low-light conditions. The bottom of the water is covered with a fine gravel, and large pebbles with the odd rock. I’ve stocked it up with a bunch of small crabs and plenty of dragon fly larvae and other aquatic insects, which should give the little gal something to chase after.
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She should be arriving this week, just in time for me to see her settle in before I fly out again for 5 weeks… I’ll put up some pics of her when she arrives.
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby Bushviper » Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:05 pm

If she has been fed properly then at 11 months she should surely be far too big for dragonfly larvae and small crabs? I hope your filter can carry the "capacity" she can foul up the water with.

The tank looks nice as a temporary cage which she should outgrow rapidly.
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby Sico » Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:32 am

Yes I presume she will be large for them, but it'll keep her active anyway. Her diet will consist of pretty much what the monitor lizard gets. The filter can handle a large amount of cr@p and is easy to strip and clean.
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby Sico » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:21 am

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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby bradmiller » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:42 am

Nice build and well thought out. When she grows out of this at least you can use of for something else.

What are your plans for when she gets bigger?
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby Sico » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:45 am

Yeah Brad, when she's a bit bigger I'll move her outside (I have plenty of space) and I'll put some Caimans in this one.
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby bradmiller » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:00 am

Its nice to have space - I have always wanted a moat around my house with crocs in - keeps the tsotsi's out.

By the way - you don't have any more of the grape vine by any chance (or know where I can get).... been looking everywhere for some :-(
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby Sico » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:24 am

I found a bunch at Loolilocks in Boksburg, but it was several years back. They seemed to stock it pretty much all the time back then, I don't know if they still do. They are on Trichardts road, try giving them a call.
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby bradmiller » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:35 am

thanks mate.
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby Warren Klein » Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:22 am

Nice enclosure, It's is a petty your baby will outgrow it in no time if feed regularly. I do think it would be better if you covered the land area with slate rather that that fine silica gravel as it will stick to any food left on the land and your baby will end up with a gut full of gravel. I would also create a basking spot in the high 40's on the land area of the enclosure. Where was this animal bred by the way?
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby kinghero » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:24 pm

Herphabitat wrote: I do think it would be better if you covered the land area with slate rather that that fine silica gravel as it will stick to any food left on the land and your baby will end up with a gut full of gravel. ?


Dont they eat stones in the wild ? :smt017
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby Warren Klein » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:42 pm

Yes stones have been found in the stomach of various crocodilians. They are thought to assist with the grinding up of food. There is also a theory that the stones work like ballast in a ship to control the crocs buoyancy but this is false as crocodilians control their own buoyancy by the shifting of their internal organs within the body. Normally the gall stones found in crocodilians are smooth unlike that of silica gravel which can interlock and cause a blockage in the animals stomach. It is not essential or necessary for any crocs to ingest stones as there digestive system is strong enough without them.
An inaccurate naturalist is a pest and a danger, forever perpetuating illogical deductions and landing later naturalists in trouble. Damm and blast them all to hell in the most painful way. C.J.P. Ionides
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby poobsta » Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:17 am

Great looking set up man! You can see a lot of thought and effort went into it awesome stuff bud!
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby Sico » Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:54 am

Thanks guys. HH I've put in another spot on the land side to warm it up, an IR one which can be used at night as well if needed as it gets bloody cold where I stay. I know gators can handle cooler temps than most crocodilians, but I'd like to keep her warmer than cooler. I also put a large piece of slate on the land side where her food gets put and she seems to be eating well off it. Her food is chopped up pretty small so she doesn't mess around with it and get it full of gravel. She was bred in Ballito, the croc farm that Chondro recently posted pics of.
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Re: New Alligator Cage

Postby chondro3000 » Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:47 pm

Great one her enclousure looks awesome
Man kind would be very lonely with out the companionship of animals
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