Mr. Sullivan has 13 of the creatures on his sprawling property. Mr. Matthews has four freshwater crocodiles named Gloopy, Jazzy, Destin and Cyclops, who is missing an eye from a fight. Mr. Horne cohabitates with Zeus, a saltwater native, who he says has tried to kill him twice.
But when undisturbed, “they are the most relaxed pet, they do what reptiles do — not too much,” said Nigel Palmer, who has had Rocko, 21, since he was a hatchling.