No Gator, No Cry: The Pros and Cons of Pet Alligators

Steve Irwin called and said, "Crikey mate, what the bloody hell are ya thinking? That's a real live gator over there! And ya think ya can just take him back to ya missus and kiddies, ya dumb bloke?" (all said with an Australian accent, of course). This is one of the suggested blog topics aforementioned in my most recent article. It caught my interest for two reasons: it was original, and the girl who suggested it is pretty damn easy on the eyes. Naturally, this would seem to be a no-brainer.... deciding between having a pet alligator or not having a pet alligator, that is.

PROS:

Along with the individuality aspect of owning a pet alligator, it also may not be the worst idea you've ever had. Let's think about a few of the reasons why a person might want to consider this radical choice of domestication...

Protection - You would not really have the need to waste hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars in a home security system. Alligators are infamous for their territorial mentality. Therefore, any unwanted visitors that step foot into your home would surely be taught a valuable lesson that they will take to their grave. Talk about a watch dog...

Image - Think about the two men that you think of when you hear the word "alligator" or "crocodile". Yes, they're both badasses. Not just everyday, ordinary badasses. But snake-skin wearing, cool-accent talking, not afraid of anything (and I mean ANYTHING) type of badasses. Steve Irwin and Crocodile Dundee are probably the easiest recognizable Australians in America. So, needless to say, if you have a pet alligator... you can consider yourself in good company.

Now that we've covered the reasons why it would be really awesome to have a gator as a pet.... let's play Devil's advocate.

CONS:
I'm not going into depth with this list because I think they are all self-explanatory

- Requirements for its "dog house"... think about how big an alligator can get.. okay, now double that in both length and width. Done? Good! That's how big of an enclosure you'll need.
- Gators require 8-10 hours/day of UV ray exposure to help digest their food. Think about that light bill (you're not thinking of just leaving him in the back yard, are you?)...
- Temperature consistency is a huge factor for a gator (hence, why they only live in certain places that are fairly the same all year). This will lead to having to install a heating/cooling unit, producing a massive electric bill.
- This is one pet you can't get by with just a 25 lb bag of Iams and calling it a week. Gators are NOT vegetarian. They love meat. More than they love you..... keep that in mind.
- Does not get along well with children. Or dogs. Or cats. Or anything else that is not a plant.


So, that about sums up the factors that should into this decision for adopting a gator as a household pet.  If you learned something new from this article, you have earned my pity.