A crocodile and two pythons have been stolen from a reptile zoo in Australia's capital city.

Peter Child, the owner and managing director of Canberra Reptile Zoo, found a baby freshwater crocodile named Jaws Jr and two pythons, tim tam and zebra, missing from their enclosure on Friday morning.

He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that footage from security cameras shows a man break into the zoo and "target" certain animals.

"Our security footage shows that they were targeting some of the display animals, two of our pythons, they went straight for those," Child said.

"Then they came back and removed a whole lot of products just to add insult to injury, they also removed our sound effects stereo and our register computer."

"And in all of that, they also managed to pick up a tub in the back room which was actually holding a crocodile," he added.

The break-in took place during school holidays in the Australian Capital Territory, one of the zoo's busiest period.

Child said that without proper care, the young crocodile would not survive long.

Freshwater crocodiles might grow up to three meters in length but they are not as aggressive as their saltwater cousins.

"He is microchipped, so wherever he is and whenever he turns up he'll be identified straight away," Child said.

"None of the animals that were taken are a danger to the public, but obviously if they're not cared for correctly, they are in danger of not surviving, particularly the freshwater crocodile."