Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just posted this same thread in the snakes forum, but I wanted to also ask the monitor folks.

Yesterday I received a document from my local town clerk requiring me to list and disclose every species living in my house.

It seems that several of my neighbors have began protesting to the town council that they do not feel safe living next to my critters.

Anyone else have this happen?? BTW I live in New York state, (not even close to the city) Is this a law or harassment from the town board?

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
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1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER"
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

if your animals are legal i wouldnt worry at all, plus how do they know u have all these animals? if they dont know what u have u can have anything. i do not know ny laws but if u dont have permits now would be the time to get them.

Take them and show them what you have, come on, Dekays snakes, yea, they go for the throat you know. hahahahahahaha

If you have wild reptiles around your house, like you said, then a little comparisons are in order. You appear to have very innocuous reptile species, no worse then whats living natural in your area. Show that to them.

I keep lots of monitors and a few snakes and torts and turtles. But we have five types of rattlesnakes in our area and commonly around our houses. Also gilas and coral snakes. So here, the they think I keep the harmless stuff. And by compasion I do.

Of course you can ask them to bring up the local records or animal related injuries and deaths. They may be surprised to see horses and cows, and pigs and dogs and cats and parrots(bite like heck) all listed and some even causing death. Horses and dogs cause high numbers of injury and death. The species you have may not have one listing of an actual injury. Have them look up, cat scratch fever.

Of course that would be hoping they have common sense, which I fear is often lacking. Cheers

"Of course that would be hoping they have common sense, which I fear is often lacking"

SO TRUE!!!

One of the things I love about where we live is the wide open spaces, remote location and country living.

The down side, local town officials are often elected by how many beer buddies they have, rather than how well they can do the job.

Examples, My immediate neighbor (250 feet away) was town supervisor 1996-97 and got caught spending 40K of our tax money on himself. Yet he is the biggest blowhard concerning ANYTHING I do, He writes up petitions & Stands in the front of the town hall preaching his case. (mostly to deaf ears)

fortunately he cannot find anyone dumb enough to listen to him.

We have a judge that hands out conditional discharges like candy on Halloween, police that take an hour to respond & no planning board.

And the real frosting on the cake, a friend of 30 years was elected into council, then launched an inflammatory campaign against my business, consequently her son rides here and has worked a summer job for me more than once. HYPOCRISY supreme!

If it were not for the big spread of land out back, and my business that took most of my life to build, I would sell and move. No wait, that's too much like quitting, stick around and drive them nuts, more fun in the end.

To them our little SAV could one day grow up and devour the neihborhood...

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
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1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Growing fast!
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Ok here is how this can of worms came to be..

We live out in the boonies, and have a 40 acre place. One afternoon the code enforcement officer stopped by on a completely unrelated issue.

My living room has 7 store bought aquariums and 4 wood enclosures with glass fronts. Basking lamps blazing, etc.

Smiling directly at this man at my door is my Asian green snake hanging off the ceiling fan. He is arboreal and whenever I let him out, he goes for curtain rods, rope lights, high places.

My girlfriend was holding her sav, and well you get it now.

3 days later I receive a packet of papers "requesting" a species report for the safety of any fire or police that should ever have to respond to my home for something.

I found this to be printed off a New York State web site, and went there.

Yes if you have a Nile monitor, a retic, burm, Yellow or green anaconda, crocodiles or HOTS it is required to report.

But garter snake morphs?? A sav? or my super dangerous corn snake yearling. or that gargantuan green anole? That's just over the top...

In the spirit of cooperation, I'll simply fill in the Latin scientific names, and let them look it all up.

For the curious, I included a link to the state web site.

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

New York Wild animal reporting law

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1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER"
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

>>
>> Anyone else have this happen?? BTW I live in New York state, (not even close to the city) Is this a law or harassment from the town board?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Wayne A. Harvey

Yes Sir I have. My original complaint included a 30 foot snake in my basement (we initially had the reptile room in the basement when we moved into our new home). When several reptile complaints did not get their way, the neighbors then complained upon my deadly vicious dogs.

What I would do is quietly research the local regulations. If there are no reptile regulations or regulations that pertain to the species you keep, I would politely decline. Realize however that this can possibly backfire and result in the creation of legislation. Perhaps offering that the largest species is your ball python. If you do any educational programs, get letters of reference to your "exceptional upstanding" etc... Honestly looking at your list of animals, the ONLY thing that would trouble me would be the cock-a-poo.

If you have reptiles in a single room, put black fabric over ALL corners of that window. Check from many angles outside of your home to ensure your neighbors can not look in a whim. In all honesty the neighbor complaining about my 30 foot snake had to crawl on her belly, lay in my basement window well and look through a 1/2 inch crack in the curtains of the window. When transporting do not make it obvious. When we moved into the home, all of our reptiles were moved in during the night. Nothing other than our random tortoises have been visible.

I would also start ignoring your neighbors. -
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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

I found out today what this is all about.

Several years ago an acquaintance of mine down the street kept copperheads and vipers for pets, the neighbors got their way and the D.E.C. removed the aforementioned snakes from his home.

They called in the omnipotent CPS or Child protective services to declare that vipers and kids do not belong in the same building. My daughter stayed over at this home many times, often sleeping on a couch in the reptile room. I thought it was fine.

He was also told, that had his house caught fire, and a fireman got bit, it would be the owners fault.

They want to know if I have anything dangerous in my collection.

Since I do not want the firemen scared to respond, I filled out the stupid form and mailed it back.

However, it is no longer accurate, I just ordered 6 more snakes Ok pick on me now, they are all Garter snake morphs.

I'd love to ignore my neighbors, but they won't let me!

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
-----

1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER"
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

>> He was also told, that had his house caught fire, and a fireman got bit, it would be the owners fault.
>>
>> They want to know if I have anything dangerous in my collection.
>>
>> Since I do not want the firemen scared to respond, I filled out the stupid form and mailed it back.

This is reasonable with some species, but honesty, garter snakes? Of course I still personally would not have responded. But I am a stero-typical paranoid herper. My local government is more interested in the fact that I attend a 4 hour class on why my dogs are evil.

As I work closely with my local animal control they know what is in my home. I am only required to keep them posted as to when I have any illegals living here. Where I live the law states Carnivorous Lizards. Thats it. So that covers the sole savy that lives in my home as well as any visiting Crocodilians.

Unless the day comes that you get something more dangerous, I wouldn't respond to updates. I always worry that they compile our information and use it for making new laws.
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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!