Steve, I understand your predicament. Please have another look at my post from a couple days ago - where I said "document, document, document".



I cannot strongly enough discourage the "just go with it's cool and do what you like" approach.



This is one way we get screwed, our snakes get taken away and usually killed, and the media (and sometimes overzealous prosecutors or bureaucrats) make us out to be dirtbags or worse. When we honestly thought we were acting in a legal manner.



Please don't do anything that could come back to bite venomous keepers in the behind. I guarantee you have a county government. I guarantee someone there is responsible (even if they're unaware) for knowing and enforcing the county's wild animal regulations. Or they'll know if there aren't any. It'll be the sheriff, animal control officer, or someone like that. When you talk with them, write down their name, title, what they said, the date and time, etc. And file that info away for later, just in case. If you tell them you're taking notes, they might take the time to go look up the 100% right answer, not just the answer they already know (which may or may not be 100% right).



A possible downside of looking into the legality is, they might decide now they need a law against what you do, and make one. (I have seen that happen.) But...inertia is a powerful force, a new anti-keeping law isn't likely. You might provide some reassurance of your capability (caging specs, hot room specs, handling protocols, etc). Or you might just ask general questions about "keeping wild animals" and not go into details unless they ask (which they might, if there are county laws about, e.g., lions and tigers but not monkeys, or whatever).



cheers,

Jimi

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