Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was just wondering if any one knows if monitors are illegal in mass. because i have been interested in getting one but i dont know if they are legal. i saw a guy at my local shop that said he had a nile monitor so i am assuming that they may be legal but am not sure ince the most updated list i can find was last updated in 1995!

Varanids are NOT legal in Massachusetts. Ownership requires a permit issued by Division of Fish and Wildlife. Oddly, tegus are legal.
Here is a link to the list of reptiles that are exempt, and those requiring permits.
Mass_reptile_list

i emailed some people from a site that i was on(it is a state site) and they said that monitors are illegal and you cant even get a permit to have them.

Hey Mike,

Well, getting a permit isn't impossible - I had a permit to own 14 monitors. I had a Class 4 Propagators License. However, this was over 10 years ago. I can tell you that they will most likely turn down anyone wanting a singular monitor lizard for a pet. I know that probably doesn't help much. I don't know what your experience with reptiles is, but if it is a large lizard you're interested in, consider tegus. They get as large as Savannah Monitors and are equally interesting. Check out the Tegu forum here on Kingsnake. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me.

Don M.

i have had egus and i loved them but i wanted to try something new but i dont think i will end up getting a monitor i will probably ed up getting some more tegus. Thanks for your help.