Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I renovated my yard, and made a since size enclosure for a box turtle. It is 7' by 6'. Eventually my Three Toed will go out in that enclosure, but now it is only a year old, and too young. I have tried adopting an adult, but no one will give me one as I live in NY, and they said it is illegal to own one. That's pretty sad, as we all know that you can just buy one on the net, no matter where you live and here I am willing to give an unwanted one a good home and can't get one. Is there a site that states the laws in NY, pertaining to box turtles, that I can go to?

Sorry!
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http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/25012.html
Says: Please note:

Native wildlife, including endangered species, may not be kept as pets in New York State.
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Tess

>>I renovated my yard, and made a since size enclosure for a box turtle. It is 7' by 6'. Eventually my Three Toed will go out in that enclosure, but now it is only a year old, and too young. I have tried adopting an adult, but no one will give me one as I live in NY, and they said it is illegal to own one. That's pretty sad, as we all know that you can just buy one on the net, no matter where you live and here I am willing to give an unwanted one a good home and can't get one. Is there a site that states the laws in NY, pertaining to box turtles, that I can go to?

One of the many reasons that I moved from the Northeast...a lack of common sense in law-making. Of course, NJ has adopted some great allowances for captive propagation and legal keeping since I left, but NJ and MD are definitely the exceptions.

You may want to consider adopting one of the Asian box turtle species. Only one type can be safely kept outdoors year round, but even tropical species will thrive in your pen during the summer. If it is temporary, indoor accomodations can be fairly modest.

Thank you for replying. I got in touch with someone from a local Rescue, and they told me to fill out a form for a permit, which I am in the process of doing, and if I can get a permit, she will give me a rescue. They have so many boxies that need good outdoor homes. It is a crazy law, because it doesn't matter where you live, you can buy anything from the Internet. Meanwhile, there are so many animals that are neglected and abused and need a good home. The woods around here are filled with boxies, mostly Easterns. The ponds around here are filled with all kinds of water turtles that people have dumped off when they got too big or they didn't want them anymore. So if a person didn't care about the wild life, they could get one from the woods, ponds, etc., which I would never do (take something from the wild). Also there are many petstores with "back room" animales that you can buy. But I will go with the permit and the rescue. Thank you all for the input.

It is fantastic to hear that they make allowances for rescue! That's great news.