Queensland reptile park owner Ian Jenkins says he blames himself for being attacked by his four-metre saltwater crocodile, Macca.

Mr Jenkins, 58, lost his thumb in the attack and also suffered a laceration to his head that will require plastic surgery.

He spoke to the media from his Brisbane hospital bed on Monday afternoon and laughed when asked whether the reptile was still his mate.

"Give me a few days," he said.

"No, look he's a good crocodile, he's not aggressive at all, he's a bit of a character. I've got a few other names for him at the moment, but he's a bit of a character."

Mr Jenkins had been conducting a daily feeding show when Macca dragged him into the pond at the Snakes Downunder Park in Childers in the state's south.

"I'm very lucky, very lucky indeed, it could've been an awful lot worse - he might not have let go, I think he only let go because the thumb came off," he said.

"I might not have got out of there ... I've got a wife and three daughters and to put them through that sort of thing is not on, so I'm fairly annoyed with myself.

"I think [wife] Barb would like to smack me around the ear, but I think she's happy to have me back.

"I'm relieved but also so annoyed - you just don't get yourself into that situation with a crocodile.

"Just a bit of a brain freeze I think, but anyway it's happened I can't do much about it now.

"But really not a fault on the crocodile's part, it was just an instinctive thing, that's what they do. It was my fault entirely."

'He was coming in to finish me off I think'

Mr Jenkins said he was feeling a lot better now the hospital pain medication had kicked in.

"They've cleaned the wound up just now - I'm just out of theatre actually, so I'm a little bit dozy I'm afraid."

He described the accident as a moment of stupidity.

"I got into that area too close to the crocodile in an attempt to prevent him from going back into the water after a feed, which is way out of protocol, so it was a mistake on my part.

"It was just an instinctive reaction [by the croc] to have a grab at what was close."

A croc feeding demonstration at the zoo. ( Snakes Downunder Reptile park and Zoo - file photo )

But he said he had no clear recollection of what happened next.

"All I can remember is climbing out of the pond but apparently he did do a roll where I lost my thumb," he added.

He said the quick thinking of fellow croc handler Louise Smith saved his life.

"Louise was in there with me, she's had a fair bit of experience with crocodiles.

"She managed to whack him on the head - he was coming in to finish me off I think by the sound of it.

"I think she broke the stick on his head and gave me a bit of time to get out."

He described her actions as "brilliant" and said he had a lot to thank her for.

Mr Jenkins said he would think about the future while he recovered.

"This morning I was wanting to give the whole job away but I'm starting to think twice. I'll probably get back onto the horse, we'll see over the next few days," he said.

It was too early to decide whether he would continue with croc feeding, but he said he would definitely look at changing his handling procedures.