I cant believe what I just saw at my LFS

[Lowryder]

So I just moved to the area, moved from central jersey to a more rural area (still in NJ), and I was scoping LFS. I found this one called Portland Pets in Portland,PA and the had a poor Pacu in a 15g tank and he had to be 10 inches. Then as I walked father down the line I saw an American Alligator!! He looked cool at around 6 inches nose to tail, never saw one in a pet store before. He was $149 and all I could picture was seeing him swimming down the river because someone bought it for the cool factor and didnt have a place to house it for long. Needless to say, I left the store and I wont be going back, although they did have nice looking snails.

 

[Mitchell0605]

An Alligator, wow. That's not good.

 

[mom2reds]

OMG i would think that would be illegal if it is not it should be!

 

[WhiteDevil]

I doubt it was an american alligator... more then likely mislabeled to attract attention.

Did you count the teeth, thats pretty much the only way to distinguish a croc fron an alligator a majority of the time. gators dont show any teeth when their mouths are closed.

 

[Lowryder]

I doubt it was an american alligator... more then likely mislabeled to attract attention.

Did you count the teeth, thats pretty much the only way to distinguish a croc fron an alligator a majority of the time. gators dont show any teeth when their mouths are closed.

Actually you can tell by their snout. Crocs have more of a pointed nose like a V and alligators are more rounded like a U. It was most definatly an alligator, I looked at it for like 10 mins cuz it was so darn cool.

 

[Mitchell0605]

It would be illeagal to have a Croc as well though. Poor little crocodile.

 

[DragonFish71]

Pretty sure it was a Caiman. Those are popular in pet stores. Regardless, places that sell them IMHO are just as bad as the irresponsible people who buy them and release them. I originally come from Florida, people would buy and release piranha, now it's illegal to sell them, thought I'm sure it still happens. Same with caiman and constrictors. As a matter of fact, Florida is over whelmed with non-indigenous species.

 

[Lowryder]

Well looks like you all forced me to go bAck and take a picture. I will post it tomorrow, assuming they are open.

 

[Mitchell0605]

lol don't let them catch you, they'll think your turning them over to the authorites.

 

[jessibell]

LOL I'd love to see this. What were THEY planning to do with it if they didn't sell it? They could put it in one of those Bass Pro Shops ponds I guess.

I have heard a lot about the problems with feral and exotic animals in Florida, since the climate is so warm almost anythign can adapt to it. The thing that surprised me most - chickens! I heard in some places there are flocks of feral chickens roaming the streets, breeding under dumpsters and what have you.

 

[WhiteDevil]

Actually you can tell by their snout. Crocs have more of a pointed nose like a V and alligators are more rounded like a U. It was most definatly an alligator, I looked at it for like 10 mins cuz it was so darn cool.

at older ages, gators have a pocket in their upper jaw that tuck the #4's into crocs do not have this socket and their #4's protrude from the lip line when the mouth is closed. Ive hunted them a few times and have seen the difference in the mouth the most, snouts change with age.

also american alligators are not illegal to own, you just need a few special permits and licenses to posses them.

 

[dkpate]

There are wild chickens in Hawaii, because there was a hurricane a long time ago, and there had been a bunch of cock fighting rings. Well, the hurricane blew them around, and now they are everywhere lol. It's actually pretty weird to be driving down the road and you see dead chickens, and here where I live, you see skunks, raccoons and deer. There are also a bunch of "roasted chicken" booths along the highway. YUCK! LOL!
No matter what kind of gator/croc it is, it should not be in a little pet shop.

 

[harmy4993]

in the 70's one of my dads friends owned a gas station and an alligator. he use to put the gator in the compartment bay(is that the right word?) under the lift that they used to jack up the cars. they had a sign in front of the bay saying keep out. well customers wouldnt listen so he chained the alligaot and let it out of the bay lol. got rid of his customers who cant read problem real quick lol.

there is one kind of alligator that is legal to buy in most states. it doesnt get to be that big. i know if i could actually provide a suitable living condition for one id have one. i love gators. but i would have to know it was a good place for it to live. not just lock it up.

 

[jessibell]

I think the only places that would have enough space, money, and ambition to house animals like that would be zoos and aquariums. And really rich crazy people LOL. Like this celebrity guy I saw on TV who had a couple hundred acres in Texas, built his very own private lake and stocked it with catfish so he could go fishing any time he wanted

 

[Jason7894561230]

Alligators are illeagle aren't they?

 

[Aquarium1]

Depends on where you live and the regulations in that area lol.

 

[Lowryder]

 

[peachykeen]

Wow, how irresponsible of them. Are they legally allowed to sell alligators, crocs or Caymans??

I think if you are selling that type of animal, it should ONLY be from a breeder. never from a shop like that! Crocs are not an impulse buy.

 

[jessibell]

holy CRAP!!!

I feel sorry for the poor thing. It seems like the kind of creature that should be swimming in the Nile, not in a 20 gallon tank in a pet store.

edit: and I don't know much about gators and such but I have seen caimens, and this is not how I remember them. I thought they had a long and narrow nose? Now I have to google it to find out

 

[Lowryder]

lol don't let them catch you, they'll think your turning them over to the authorites.

Lol, as soon as I took the picture I noticed a security camera. 5 seconds later someone came downstairs and asked if I needed help lol. I noticed today that they have 2 barracudas...I wish I had the room.