Monsters Inc: All you need to know about adopting a baby saltwater crocodile in Northern Territory

Updated

Yes, baby saltwater crocodile.

1. Where does my croc come from?

Jayne Harris was wary of letting a crocodile into the household.

"To start with I was like, oh my goodness what are we doing?" the Darwin mother of two said.

Her five-year-old son, Cruz, was determined to become a crocodile wrangler, and so they visited the local crocodile park to learn more about the adopt-a-croc program.

Crocodylus Park has a permit from Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife to collect hundreds of croc eggs from the wild each year.

The sex of a crocodile is determined by the temperature of the egg: the eggs are incubated to ensure they hatch as males.

"We can raise up to 3,500 crocodiles a year," Crocodylus Park production manager Olivia Plume told them.

It usually takes crocs about 80 days to hatch from when they are laid, using a special egg tooth to chip their way out of the shell.

"They chip away at the egg shell and the membrane inside. They use the tooth to break through it all," Ms Plume said.

The park looks after the crocs until they are about a month old and then they can be adopted.

Reptile permits in the NT are managed by Parks and Wildlife, and you can obtain one by filling out a few forms.

The Harris family called their croc Billy. Billy the Billabong King.

2. Is it dangerous?

The Harris family was taught to put a small, thin rubber band around Billy's snout when they take him out of his cage.

What happens if Billy bites you before you get the band on?

"It hurts" said Cody Harris, Cruz's father, who does not harbour an ambition to be a crocodile wrangler.

Over-handling can also cause the young crocodile stress and make them agitated.

"All crocodiles bite, from hatchling to adult," Ms Plume said.

"Some can be more aggressive than others but all should be treated with respect and caution.

"A bite from a hatchling for an adult is more of a shock than it is painful, however a 70-centimetre animal can give quite a nasty bite."

3. How much does it eat?

While they are small, the crocodile does not eat a whole lot.

"They're pretty easy to look after," Mr Harris said.

"They're pretty low maintenance. But it certainly added another spectrum to our weekend routine. Once a week Cruz and I go down and we take Billy out and siphon out the water."

Cruz said they feed Billy about five or six pet fish once a week.

"We get him some pet fish, what people keep," he said. "The person puts them in the bag and we bring them home and then we put them in Billy's tank and Billy eats them."

According to Ms Plume, hatchlings can also eat crickets and other small insects, as well as diced up meat such as pork, beef or chicken.

And they need vitamins, she said.

"Crocodiles like all reptiles can suffer from metabolic bone disease if not fed correct amounts of calcium and vitamins," Ms Plume said.

4. Where do I keep my croc?

The Harris family spent a couple of weeks building Billy's enclosure, before picking him up.

"Your enclosure will need to change as the animal grows to ensure he has enough space to move around," Ms Plume told them.

Like humans, crocodiles want to be kept comfortable.

"Temperature regime is very important, without the correct temperatures the animal will stress and fail to eat," Ms Plume said.

The cage has two different pools of water and some fake rocks and grass for Billy to sunbake on.

Ms Plume told them not to be fooled by how much time the animals appear to spend lazing around on river banks.

"Crocodiles are escape artists, any enclosure needs to be crocodile proof. The smaller crocs are great climbers and will scale enclosure walls or fittings with ease."

5. How big will it get?

Crocodylus Park said the hatchlings must be returned to the park at 60 centimetres, where they will be raised with other crocodiles at the park until they are about two metres.

"The more you feed the quicker they grow," Ms Plume said.

"I've had people keep them up to five years and they still haven't reached the 60-centimetre mark."

The Harris family said Billy was getting fatter and stronger quickly and they might not have him much longer than 12 months.

Hatchlings can be very fragile at a young age and need to feel secure in their environment to prevent stress, which stops them eating.

"When he gets to 60 centimetres we'll take him back to the park," Mr Harris said.

"The 60-centimetre mark really depends on how often we feed him, it could happen at the end of 12 months, and I'm not really sure what happens after that."

Back at the park, they will be killed and processed for their skins.

"France is our biggest market for skins," Ms Plume said.

The crocodiles are also used for their meat.

6. Killed and processed for their skins

The Northern Territory is one of the leading suppliers of skins to Europe's luxury handbag makers.

Billy the Billabong King is a part of a $20 million NT industry.

"We'll take him back at 60cm and see what happens after that," Mr Harris said.

"See if we're ready to have another one."

Topics: offbeat, animals, animal-welfare, darwin-0800

First posted