Growing up in Idaho there would sometimes be baby alligators for sale during fairs, like the area with prize livestock and the petting zoo and all that. They'd keep them in those small plastic pools and put rubber bands on their mouths. We got to play with them. I'm sure it was all very legal and safe and the alligators definitely weren't super stressed
I swear I remember pet stores selling baby alligators when I was a kid. I tried googling the history of this, but got few results outside Leave it to Beaver ordering one through the mail in the fifties which was apparently a thing.
Still waiting for the day that I can have a beaver or otter as a pet in my state, but we're particular about not having them as pets because we can't give them a proper living environment.