A nurse who lives with three pet crocodiles and her 16 year old son
It's not unusual for pet-owners to wake up with their animal at the end of the bed. It happens to 16-year-old Andrew Lowing quite often because his mother Vicki lets her three prized pets have the run of their house. The only difference is that Johnie, Fovian and Jilfia are crocodiles.
But Vicki - nicknamed Croc Lady in Melbourne - isn't worried that Andrew might become breakfast in bed for the giant reptiles because they have lived together so long she believes the beasts are now fully domesticated.
Snappy families: Vicki Lowing cradles one of her her pets on the sofa at home
But Vicki - nicknamed Croc Lady in Melbourne - isn't worried that Andrew might become breakfast in bed for the giant reptiles because they have lived together so long she believes the beasts are now fully domesticated.The 53-year-old nurse has kept crocodiles for more than 30 years and even claims she can communicate telepathically with 14-year-old Johnie, a 1.5 metre (5ft) freshwater female who weighs 12kg.
'I'm convinced crocs are psychic,' said Vicki, stating a belief that is often put forward in Australia. 'They don't look like they do much but there's a lot going on behind those eyes.
'Johnie is definitely psychic. The way she looks at me sometimes, I know she's trying to tell me things. 'She has definitely communicated with me telepathically. It usually happens when she feels a bit crook and she wants me to know she needs some extra TLC. 'I get a shiver like I've seen a ghost and I know she's trying to get through to me. 'I've had Johnie the longest and she's very domesticated.She and Andrew used to compete as youngsters for attention. 'If Johnie ever thought he was getting too much attention from she'd pinch his toys and hide them. 'When I tell her off she goes into a corner and sulks.
'Johnie is definitely psychic. The way she looks at me sometimes, I know she's trying to tell me things. 'She has definitely communicated with me telepathically. It usually happens when she feels a bit crook and she wants me to know she needs some extra TLC. 'I get a shiver like I've seen a ghost and I know she's trying to get through to me. 'I've had Johnie the longest and she's very domesticated.She and Andrew used to compete as youngsters for attention. 'If Johnie ever thought he was getting too much attention from she'd pinch his toys and hide them. 'When I tell her off she goes into a corner and sulks.
She can be a real madam.' Competing for attention with her son and her oldest pet are cranky saltwater creature Jilfia and her little snapper Fovian. Three-year-old Jilifia is 2.4 metres (8ft) long and weighs 30kg, meaning it is already the size of a ten year old. Vicki admits to keeping her distance from Jilfia because the saltwater snapper has a nastier temper than the others. Vicki doesn't actually know if Jilfia is a boy or a girl because crocodiles crocs don't have external sex organs and their sex can't usually be determined until they have an examination at the age of five.
The baby of the trio is freshwater Fovian, who at 45cm long and just 4kg in weight is so small he - or she - lives in the bath. Johnie and Jilfia have their own separate ponds because, being territorial creatures, they are liable to take chunks out of each other, which means when one is in the bedroom, another is in the lounge and the other is in the bathroom. Each have their own heaters and sunlamps to maintain their body heat at a constant 25 to 30 degrees C, which is essential to keep them healthy and active, but they are also allowed to wander freely around Vicki's bungalow.
