Arlington government officials have abandoned, at least for now, their effort to forge a regional consensus on which “exotic” pets should be banned across the region.

County government spokesman Mary Curtius said local officials found “little interest” among governments across the region in acting as a group to codify the hodge-podge of rules on which animals and reptiles can be kept as pets, and which cannot.

County Board members in May 2008 imposed a ban on the ownership of venomous snakes in Arlington, after one resident was found to be keeping large numbers of snakes, some of which slipped out into the Madison Manor neighborhood.

In enacting the prohibition, board members stopped short of approving a more sweeping ban on “dangerous” snakes and other pets, saying that there should be some regional discussion and, perhaps, agreement before moving forward.

Five months after the ban was imposed, a top county official acknowledged that finding regional consensus could be difficult. “It’s going to get complicated,” Deputy County Manager Marsha Allgeier said in late 2008.

Curtius said taking a new look at exotic-pet ownership is not off the county government’s radar screen. But given the public-health department’s focus on flu issues at the moment, it remains a peripheral issue.

“We can still do something in Arlington, and eventually will, but this is not at the top of our priority list,” she said.

Existing prohibitions on other exotic animals include vary widely by jurisdiction:

Arlington: Bans possession of farm animals/livestock, foxes, skunks and raccoons, and venomous snakes.

Alexandria: No prohibitions besides prohibition of farm animals and livestock, but a city ordinance does prohibit residents from allowing dogs or “exotic or poisonous animals” run at large in the city.

Fairfax County: Bans possession of live monkeys and all non-human primates, raccoons, skunks, wolves, squirrels, foxes, leopards, panthers, tigers, lions, lynx or similar warm-blooded animals, tarantulas, crocodiles, alligators and other members of the crocodilian family.

Falls Church: Bans possession of all living wild or exotic animals other than dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets and birds purchased at a pet store, non-poisonous snakes less than eight feet in length, domestic rabbits, mice and rats bred in captivity and never lived in the wild.

Prince William County: The restrictions are the same as in Fairfax, but Prince William makes a special note that ferrets, non-poisonous snakes, rabbits and laboratory rats that have been bred in captivity and which never have known the wild are permitted.

District of Columbia: Bans possession of all animals except for a short list of domestic animals, including non-venomous snakes, dogs (excluding hybrids with wolves, coyotes, or jackals), cats (excluding hybrids with ocelots or margay), turtles, domesticated rodents and rabbits, captive-bred species of common cage birds, fish and racing pigeons (in compliance with permit requirements).

Prince George’s County: Bans possession of pit bulls, groundhogs, skunks, raccoons, opossums, foxes, bears, wolves, other native wildlife and members of the cat family other than domestic cats.

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