Meet the exotic pet owner who has a crocodile that is apparently so keen for cuddles it gets to sleep in his bed.
Jonathan Araiza has been a keen owner of exotic animals his entire life and claims spending quality time with his dangerous reptile is “normal” to him.
Likening the temperament of his croc to “that of a dog”, the 29-year-old reveals that he’ll often let it roam freely through the house and lie in his bed.
Despite the animal’s fearsome reputation, he insists she’s quite the opposite – but adds that her amenable nature is unusual.
“She is free to roam the house at will and she is she spends lying on the armchairs, in my bed, and she knows how to climb stairs and incredibly goes in and out of her pond at will,” Jonathan, from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, told NeedToKnow.Online.
“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.”
The crocodile is named Gamora, with her owner finding similarities between her personality with the character from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
Jonathan said: “I called her that because when I bought her she was a small, green and aggressive animal.
“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.”
Living off an entirely carnivorous diet, Gamora eats “rabbit, rat, beef, chicken and some crustaceans”, which Jonathan purchases already slaughtered from hatcheries.
The trader, who travels regularly for work, has also created a pond specially adapted for his pet to hunt fish whenever the mood strikes her.
Being well-acquainted with exotic animal supervision, Jonathan is no stranger to the rigorous routine that must be followed to ensure proper care for the crocodile.
Explaining that the temperature must be controlled at all times, he said: “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.
“After that it is time to wash the filter since being such a large animal and its diet so full of bones and fat it is important to wash your filter daily to avoid dirtying the water.
“If it’s a day to eat, I leave food for that day to thaw — normally I have already prepared food for about 15 days, so it’s just a matter of defrosting it.
“After washing the filter I go to her pond to sweep to prevent dirt from staying at the bottom and 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.”
Gamora isn’t Jonathan’s only pet. He also has two chihuahuas, a collection of snapping turtles and some alligator turtles.
Fortunately, his animal collection doesn’t stand in the way of romance.
His current girlfriend is a reptile owner herself and has become accustomed to having Gamora around.
Jonathan added: “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.”
