This man’s pet crocs his world.
Jonathan Araiza has a pet crocodile that he likens to having a pet dog.
Araiza, 29, shared that he finds spending quality time with the croc is “normal” — and even lets it roam freely around the house and sleep in his bed for cuddles.
Gamora the crocodile — named due to similarities between her personality and the Marvel character — knows how to climb the stairs and will go in and out of her pond that her owner created specially adapted for her to hunt fish at her own will.
“I called her that because when I bought her she was a small, green and aggressive animal,” Araiza told NeedToKnow.Online. “The species to which she belongs is well known for the aggressiveness that she presents in the wild and she, on the contrary, her character has even allowed her to participate in videos and photo shoots as a model.”
The exotic pet owner from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, claimed that his sweet crocodile isn’t as dangerous as its reputation, though he does admit that it’s unusual.
“There are very few cases of crocodiles that can adapt as well to captivity as she does – the fact that for her species she is such a docile specimen that allows you to carry her, be close to her and not get angry and nervous is surprising,” Araiza said.
Gamora’s diet consists of rabbit, rat, beef, chicken and some crustaceans, which are purchased pre-slaughtered from hatcheries.
Araiza, who has been an exotic animal owner his entire life, understands the meticulous routine and upkeep to properly care for his pet croc.
“As soon as I wake up I go and check on [the] digital thermostat that the temperature of the place is fine — usually it is that the environment is a bit cold but it is something which is fixed simply by turning on the heater,” he said, explaining how temperature always needs to be controlled.
After he checks the temperature, Araiza washes the filter daily to avoid having dirty water, as well as to make sure the point doesn’t have any dirt on the bottom.
“I check that she does not have scratches and in general she is fine, by that time she is either coming out or is already in her dry zone waiting to sunbathe,” he added.
Araiza also has two chihuahuas, a collection of snapping turtles and some alligator turtles. His girlfriend also owns her own reptiles and has come to enjoy Gamora’s presence.
“Although it may not seem like it, she is a reptile who loves attention to a certain extent and the fact that my girlfriend also has reptiles as pets helped a lot so that they both managed to get along quickly,” he said.