People love their pets. Dogs, cats, even smaller companions like rabbits and hamsters are a normal part of many people's everyday lives. But some in the St. Louis region have four-legged family members that aren't so common.
For Tony Jennings, who lives in south St. Louis, it's his 4-year-old pet, Dior.
Dior is an alligator.
Jennings said he's been into reptiles since he was an 8-year-old watching Steve Irwin on TV.
Growing up, his first exotic pet was a green iguana that he begged his parents for, and he said he's had an array of exotic reptiles since. But Dior was his first alligator.
"I'd been having a dream for 10 years," Jennings said. "The dream was constantly telling me, 'Hey, go ahead and get you an alligator.' So I tried it, got her, and here we are now."
The dos and dont's of owning an exotic reptile
Dion Greenlee, who lives in North County, is the proud owner of a 4-foot-long ball python named Light. Greenlee said snakes aren't hard to care for, but there are a few things he said are crucial for owning any exotic animal.
He said the biggest things are to understand and pay attention to their body language.
"Don't not pay attention to them for real, because they will just not know you … and then you'll get one of them exotic animal stories, 'It bit me,' and stuff like that," Greenlee said. "So, just pay attention. They will speak to you without talking to you."
Rob Blanton, who lives in north St. Louis, owns two alligators. He said there's only one big "don't" of owning an alligator.
"Just don't put your hand in the mouth," Blanton said. "Don't treat it like it's a puppy all the way, but it is a puppy."
Greenlee said regardless of the type of animal, it's important to understand the environment it needs.
He said that for Light, he pays special attention to things like temperature and humidity.
"Just like human beings," Greenlee said. "We all want to be in hot or cold weather. We want to be comfortable in clean homes. These animals need love just like humans."
Is it even legal?
According to Angel Wintrode, director of the Bi-State Wildlife Hotline, state and local laws for owning exotic animals are a little sketchy. For example, Illinois bans owning an alligator, except for specific educational purposes. A gator of any size is illegal in the City of St. Louis.
But under Missouri's state law, you can own a dangerous reptile without a permit until it reaches 8 feet long. Once it reaches 8 feet, the animal must be registered with local county law enforcement.
"It's almost like saying that puppies and kittens are legal, but cats and dogs aren't," Wintrode said. "When you have a baby alligator, if you feed it and you care for it properly, it will someday be 8 feet."
Wintrode said people rarely register their animals once they reach 8 feet and that authorities will order the animal to be euthanized if they find it unregistered. She also said that there is a small percentage of people who spend the money, time and energy to fully accommodate the needs of a wild animal.
"If I truly love this animal, then isn't it what's right for them to be wild?" Wintrode said. "Isn't that what love is? They want to be wild, and you're putting them in the living room."
Wintrode said that the Wildlife Hotline has done more alligator rescues than she can count. So many that until recently, they even had a designated employee who specialized in alligators. She said there are a few rescues in Missouri that will take the alligators, and sometimes they'll be transferred to other states.
Caring for an exotic reptile
Dan Wentz, a reptile doctor at Ferguson Animal Hospital, said most exotic animals brought to his office are well cared for.
He said that when he first started in exotic vet care, he saw more people who didn't understand care. Now, he said, most people have learned.
"I very seldom see somebody that doesn't take good care of them, and the few that don't are usually because of lack of knowledge, not lack of desire," Wentz said.
Wentz said there is more information available that has helped increase the responsible care of exotic animals. But he said people still need to research their animals' habitats, temperature and nutrition needs.
"I encourage people before they actually do the impulse of getting a pet that they learn about the care ahead of time, because 90% of what I see is preventable," Wentz said.
Wentz said part of exotic animal care is learning how big the animal will get.
"You don't want to get an Indian rock python as a 12-inch-long snake and find out that it's going to be 150 pounds later on and could theoretically harm a human if it got loose," Wentz said.
According to Wentz, never release an exotic animal into the wild, even if you can't care for it. Not only could it be a safety risk to humans, but it could also introduce diseases that could devastate the environment.
Plus, Wentz said, numerous exotic reptiles can't survive the winter in Missouri.
"They're basically releasing them to die," Wentz said.
Buying an exotic reptile
Wentz said that 35 years ago, most exotic pets were caught in the wild and imported, but times have changed.
"We've learned so much about care and breeding that there are a lot of breeders that breed them and produce them for the pet industry, to where there's very little that comes out of the wild now," Wentz said.
But according to Greenlee, you can't just buy from anywhere.
"Ask questions. Ask who's taking care of them. Do they get them out often? Because the most important time for an exotic animal to be friendly to humans is when they're small and coming into the world," Greenlee said.
Ed White, the owner of Lynn's Exotics and Aquatics in Wentzville, said he often sees repeat customers who are very passionate about owning reptiles, and a handful of new reptile owners who are curious to learn more.
He said if customers come in unequipped or unprepared to buy an animal, his staff walks them through care practices.
In rare instances, he chooses not to sell to people.
"Not to be mean, but to be compassionate to the animal. They depend on us, so we have to take care of these animals," White said.
Jennings and Dior
Jennings said he brings Dior everywhere with him. To the park, in the store, in the car, the alligator is always there to tag along, of course, with different outfits for different occasions.
He said he sees Dior as part of his family, but understands that not everyone is so comfortable around an alligator. He said that in crowds he stays away from people, but is open to answering any questions for those who are curious.
"I just tell my side of the story and how I feel about it," Jennings said. "I understand it is a wild animal, but all of them are not bad. She's been tamed as a baby; she's been very well handled by other people as a baby. So this is my baby."
Jennings describes his relationship with Dior as calm, loving and beautiful. But he still wouldn't advise others to own an exotic pet.
"I wouldn't recommend it, but if you're into it, just take care of it. That's all," Jennings said.
Alligators typically grow a foot a year for the first four to six years of their lives before growth slows.
Jennings said he's currently looking into getting a permit for Dior, who will reach about 9 feet fully grown.
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