Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was watching the news tonight and saw an interesting report. They said there is legislation that has alreay passed concerning permiting large reptiles as well as banning certain other wildlife from being kept. Does anyone know anything about this?

I will do a little research tonight and see what I can come up with. So far the report said that at least 7 species of reptile are on the list for the new permit which could require a certain amount of proven experience plus a $150 permit. They sited the reason for the new action was because of the breeding populations of burmese, reticulated pythons, and nile monitors.

I am hoping this will not affect keeping boas but they did say any large constrictors of all kinds could be put on list. This makes me nervous also because if legislation like his does get passed then other reptiles, including all forms of boa if not already on the list, could soon be banned or require a special permit. So I would like to hear what everyone else knows for sure. Thanks

Jeremy

i live in Florida to and I have not heard anything about this yet. I got several corns as wells as boas and balls. is there any info you might have found on the internet yet. i'll keep on looking my self and post anything i find. thanks for the info though.

I am still looking. I will try to find out what station aired that story and call them to find out where they received that info from. I was in Naples on business when I heard it so I'm not sure which station it was. Hopefully someone knows something. I will keep posting when I find some more info.

Jeremy

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=CH0372/Sec921.HTM

My wife just found this last night. This legislation appears to have already passed. The above link to the Florida Legislature site shows two separate statutes:

372.921
372.922

Boas are considered a Class II species in Florida and subject to the provisions dictated by this statute, it appears.

Good news....as far as I can tell there is NO ban on keeping reptiles, it is just going to cost us some fees to do so.

Anybody else hear anything???

I want to publicly thank Kathy, my wife, for finding these. She is the "Queen of the Hunt" when it come to doing internet research. This info was not easy for her to find.

Denny Rimes

Where did you get the information that boas are class II? The Wildlife Commission site simply says that nonvenomous snakes are not regulated. Their permit application doesn't have any snakes in class II either, although who knows if it's up to date.

the statute you linked to is not new.

I know I will most likely take some heat for this but something has to be done with pet stores and breeders selling gigantic snakes. I am mostly talking about burms. But if I point them out I can't leave out boas and other large constrictors, but my main concern is burms. They cost very little and they grow at an extremely fast pace especially when you have an owner who thinks its "awesome" to watch a giant constrictor take down a rabbit. I am not going to say we should ban any reptile but something has to be done. Pet stores need to give the owner information on what to do when the snake gets to big and they don't want it anymore. Which happens a large percentage of the time. I meen how many people want to devote and entire room or buy or build a cage that costs triple the price of the snake. When this happens countless irresponsible people just let them go. It will only take a few really bad instances of a burm eating a kid or something like that before politicians ban all large reptiles. THIS IS WHAT IM WORRIED ABOUT. I know, cats and dogs kill many more children and wild animals a year. But when we are talking about politicians facts don't always win the argument, emotions do. And how many people are going to go along with banning little Fido. I just wish there was a place people could and would take there giant snakes when they get too big. And I think the people that sell them need to take more of this responsibility.
Michael Burton

I feel very strongly about the restrictions on giant pythons and lizards. These are typically sold very cheaply to usually inexperienced people, usually kids. I am a regular vendor at the local reptile shows here in New York. Nothing bothers me more than seeing 10 year old children walking around with baby retics, burms, anacondas and large monitor lizards. Of course they are very appealing when they are neonates!
There has been a ban on large reptiles for a over a year now here in New York and I have not seen any evidence that our beloved hobby is any worse for it. I am just happy to know that there will be far less oversized snakes being mistreated and abused by ill-suited captors. With less problems derived from these escaped giant reptiles there will be less problems for those of us that are passionate about our hobby!
Jay www.bestboids.com

Somebody posted this in another forum. Points:
1. So far it's only proposed.
2. It only affects the real giants, and not boas.
3. Even then, it's just a fee.

So don't panic.

FL Press x2: Legislators want tougher law for reptile owners

STUART NEWS (Florida) 10 February 06 Legislators want tougher law for reptile owners (Michael Peltier)

Tallahassee: Pythons and lizards and anacondas, oh my!
That's the message Florida wildlife officials and a pair of state lawmakers sent Thursday as they gathered to launch legislation to put tighter regulations on bone-crushing reptiles they say are slithering their way across South Florida.

Faced with a proliferation of giant snakes, monitor lizards and other dangerous non-venomous reptiles dumped in the wild by overwhelmed pet owners, two Treasure Coast lawmakers are sponsoring measures to stop the invasion of exotic predators that are competing with native species for food.
If approved, the measure would require a $100 fee from owners of large non-venomous reptiles to fund education efforts and amnesty programs. The bill would add Burmese, African rock, reticulated and amethystine pythons and monitor lizards to the list of reptiles requiring registration.

Officials estimate as many as 5,000 Floridians would be required to register their pets. "Many people are purchasing these (animals) and then finding out when they are no longer 2 or 3 feet long but are now 10 or 12 or 15 feet long," said House sponsor Ralph Poppell, R-Vero Beach.

Despite a few sensational snake stories, state wildlife officials say the public does not appreciate the scale of the problem, which is getting worse in remote regions throughout the Everglades and Southwest Florida. Last year, game officers found 71 adult constrictors in the Everglades, which they say represents a tiny percentage of the well-camouflaged critters living in the region and competing with native species for food.

A major problem facing wildlife experts is the release of large reptiles by pet owners who buy the animals as babies and can no longer care for them as they reach mammoth proportions.
"We have a great climate here; we're surrounded by water and have many ports," said Marianne Gengenbach, representing The Nature Conservancy. "As such we are uniquely vulnerable here in Florida to invasive species and their ability to not only survive but thrive in this state but wreak havoc."
State law already regulates the possession of venomous reptiles.

Poppell's measure would expand the scope to a group of non-venomous creatures including pythons, anacondas and monitor lizards. If approved by lawmakers, the wildlife commission would draw up rules by September.
The reptilian roundup is part of a larger initiative to revamp state laws regulating all kinds of big and often dangerous animals kept as pets.

You are correct in your previous post in this thread that ALL non-venomous reptiles are Class III and not Class II like I thought. Apparently I was confused (no big surprise, happens a lot the older I get, LOL), I could have sworn that it used to read that the larger constrictors where in Class II and all others where Class III. I remember researching this for permits for selling reptiles years ago. Sorry for the mis-information.

Regardless, this legislation is something we need to keep an eye on. Our legislators like to change things at the last moment, and we need to make sure the language does not change to include boas before they get done with it. Or that the fees they are proposing do not become exorbitant.

Thanks for the better info.

Kathy