Charges laid after croc found in back shed

An unusual choice of pet has come back to bite two NSW men after police discovered a one-metre crocodile at a suburban home.

Police raided a Dapto home in Wollongong's south in May and found the freshwater croc in a tank in a back shed.

Police say a man who was at home at the time told officers it was not his and he just looked after it.

He told police the croc had been in the shed for about three months.

The reptile was taken to Shoalhaven Zoo, where it will be cared for until NSW National Parks and Wildlife decides its fate.

Zoo owner Nicholas Schilko said the animal had been kept in a big plastic container filled with water.

"It was in a good condition - he was well cared for," he told AAP.

"If you know what you are doing, they are not that hard to keep."

The Dapto resident, 49, and the crocodile owner, a 23-year-old man, were charged with possessing protected fauna and will appear in Albion Park Court on August 8.