He has a pet crocodile and sleeps with him: “I cuddle him, he’s like a dog”

Jonathan Araiza yes a crocodile as a petwhich he compares to having a dog.

The 29-year-old Mexican says spending cuddly time with the crocodile is “normal,” letting him roam quietly around the house and tucking him into his bed for hugs.

Jonathan said he called his crocodile Gamora for the Guardians of the Galaxy character because he was a “little green, aggressive animal” when he bought him.

The animal knows how to climb stairs and enters and exits her pond that her owner has created clearly acclimatised for her to the angle of travel to her liking.

Crocodiles generally have a fearsome reputation and many in the wild are known for their aggressive natures and their tendencies to happily eat anything that gets in their way, including humans.

“She’s free to roam the house as she pleases and spend time lying on the armchairs, in my bedand he knows how to climb stairs and incredibly goes in and out of his pond as he pleases,” says Jonathan, who lives in San Luis Potosí.

And he added: “There are very few cases of crocodiles that manage to adapt to captivity like her, the fact that for her species she is such a docile specimen that allows you to carry her, stay close to her and not get angry and nervous is surprising.” .

And she provides details on what cohabitation is like and how her particular pet is fed: “There are few cases of crocodiles that can adapt like her, that, for her breed, she is such a compliant case that she allows you to bring her in your backpack, being close to him and not offending or scaring you. It’s amazing.”

Gamora’s diet consists of rabbit, rat, beef, chicken and shellfish of any age, which are purchased before slaughter in hatcheries.

And she says: “The species to which it belongs is well known for its aggressiveness in nature and her, on the contrary, her character has even allowed her to participate in video and photo sessions as a model”.

Gamora also keeps two chihuahuas for company, as well as a few snapping turtles and alligators.

Jonathan also has to check the temperature of his house so that the reptile is in the right environment. “As soon as I wake up, I go to check on the digital thermostat that the temperature in the room is ok, usually it’s just that it’s a little cold, but just turning on the heat will fix it.”

And he tells us how the day goes on: “Then it’s time to wash the filter, given that being such a large animal and its diet so rich in bones and fats, it’s important to wash the filter every day so as not to dirty the water.

“If it’s an eat-in day, I let the food defrost for that day. I normally have about 15 days of prepped food already, so it’s just a matter of defrosting it.”

And he continues: “After washing the filter, I go to his pond to sweep so that there is no dirt left at the bottom and I check that he has no scratches and in general it is fine, at that moment he is either going out or he is already in his dry zone of waiting for sunbathing.”

She said, “While it might not seem like it, he’s a reptile who loves attention to an extent and the fact that my girlfriend also has pet reptiles helped a lot, so they both got along quickly.”