UNCOMMON PETS. 
A series of articles on the Care and Keep of Animals in Captivity. 
By P. WELLINGTON FARMBOROUGH, F.Z.S., F.E.S., etc. 
TI. CROCODILES AND ALLIGATORS 
EPTILES are splendid pets for lazy people, for the simple reason that the amount 
of neglect and inattention they can put up with is almost incredible; but by 
this I do not mean studied neglect, but the neglect which unfortunately falls to the 
lot of the pet the interest in which has waned in its owner’s mind. Crocodiles and 
alligators form very great objects of attraction to visitors at a house where these 
reptiles are kept as pets, and when the writer was possessed of some of these creatures 
his friends were continually asking how they were fed? How long did they live? Did 
they bite? and many qestions of a similar kind. Young alligators can be bought very 
cheaply from most animal dealers, ten shillmgs being a very fair price to pay for a 
small one a foot long; larger sizes are dearer, one a couple of feet long costing thirty 
shillings or two pounds. Crocodiles are more expensive, and small ones are worth five- 
and-twenty shillings or more. In this connection it may be worth while saying a few 
words about the prices of pets. In hardly any other line of trade does the market 
value of stock fluctuate so much. 
Naturally in the first instance 
the prices are regulated by the 
law of supply and demand; but 
there are many causes which 
alter the value. One man has, 
say, a thousand pairs of birds 
which he expects to arrive by 
a certain ship. Perhaps, owing 
to bad weather or from some 
other cause, half the birds die; - — — 
what are left represents the A ae ST 
capital the dealer has invested in that particular venture, and he sells accordingly. 
But to return to our alligators. Before bringing the saurian home it is necessary 
that its permanent habitation be prepared in readiness for its reception beforehand. 
A handy size will be from three to four feet in length (preferably the latter), about 
eighteen inches high, and the same in width. It will be found more convenient to 
have the back hinged so as to open in one piece rather than have a small door cut 
in. A small strip of perforated zinc let in at the top serves for ventilation. A shallow 
zinc tray two feet in length for a three-feet cage, or thirty mches for a four-feet 
cage, must be made by a tin-worker to fit accurately in the width of the case when 
the door is closed. The cost of this tray will be very little—the writer was charged 
about half-a-crown for his. There is no necessity for this tray to be a deep 
one, three inches bemg ample. The remaiming space between one end of the 
tray and the end of the cage can be filled in with large stones. At one time the 
writer used virgin cork for this purpose, but he found the. stones preferable, as 
although the cork was warmer it harboured insects, and unless frequently renewed 
was more bother than it was worth. A small strip of wood as high as the tray is 
necessary at the back of the cage to prevent the stones from falling out whenever 
the door is opened. Nothing less than plate glass can be used for the front of the 
cage, for, although the reptile is small in size, a smart flap from its tail would smash 
ordinary sheet glass mto pieces in an instant. 
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