"Did you really have an alligator?"

YES.

"Are you sure he wasn't a caimen?"

YES. Merlin was 100% American Alligator.

"What did you feed him?"

As a hatchling I fed him small goldfish and newborn mice.

As Merlin grew so did his food. Larger fish, raw chicken and large rats

became his staple diet.

"Did he recognize you as his owner?"

NO! He's a fricken alligator! And as an alligator, there are pretty much

3 main things he recognized:

1. Food

2. Water

3. FOOD!

Let's get one thing straight - Merlin hated me! If he'd had the chance,

he would have killed me.

He only tolerated handling if he was well fed.

"How long do alligators live?"

It is believed that alligators live between 35 and 80 years,

all depending on whether it is wild or captive. Currently, there are

no scientific methods of analyzing an alligators age while it is alive.

"How big do they get?"

Most wild alligators do not get above 13 feet in length. The record

was in Louisiana in the early 1900's at 19 feet and some change.

"Do you think he'll survive in the wild after being raised in captivity?"

YES! YES!  F-ing YES!

That is the burning question everyone asks after hearing

of our story. Listen, here are a few points i would like to make:

 1. Alligators have been around for millions of years,

out living dinosaurs for crying out loud! Proven survivors.

2. It is common practice for alligator farms to release a

 percentage of their stock

every year that have been born in captivity. 

3. I chose the time of year that would give him the longest

period of warm weather to give him a chance to learn

his new environment before the cold months.

4. Florida was chosen over Louisiana because it stays warmer

during the winter months, further increasing his chances

for survival.

5. I purposely kept him until he was a size that could still

acclimate to a new environment, and yet not get   

 picked off by a bird or something weak like that.

6. You think his chances would have been better in

Los Angeles?

"Won't he consider people a food source?"

You mean like every other alligator living in Florida? Of course!

People feed alligators all the time, I've seen it. Despite the warnings,

there's always some idiot feeding the big gator in the pond

near their apartment, the same idiot who complains when

little fluffy the family toy poodle ends up missing......

I will probably add to this as more questions come, but these are the

ones that I have been asked REPEATEDLY.

*sigh* - I feel better already.

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