subject: MANAGEMENT OF NILE CROCODILES [print this page] Under proper zoo management the loss of young ones can be minimize by watching the ditch after the female might have laid her eggs. Eggs are marked at the lower surfaces to avoid disturbing the orientation of the eggs. These eggs are placed in a sand filled cubicles of 1m* 1m*1m size at 30cm depth hatchery. The temperature and moisture of the hatchery sand is kept at par with the natural sand. Note that sex of crocs are determine on the basis of temperature (male at 31.6oc while female slightly lower or higher temperature). After hatching they are kept in clean pool different from the parent's pool. The young ones also do basking. They are fed with fishes 2-5% of their body weight. Being cold blooded animal (poikilothermic) they take less food during raining season and more food during dry season. At the age of 3yrs they attain a length of 2m and 20kg weight, at this stage they can then be introduced into their parent's pool.
