Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok.. i know its illegal to have WC E. Indigo's because they are an endangered speacies thanks to Gopher Tortoise decline amongst other factors... BUT. How would someone in Florida go about getting one of these CB? I'm pretty sure youd have to have a mess of paper work and permitts. Anyone else in Florida up on this stuff? And do u know if the ban on having them is on all E. indigos or just the Florida ones? Thanks for any help.

From everything I've read on this forum no one has been able to obtain a collection permit or permit to keep any Eastern indigos in Florida, regardless of their origin. Maybe it would help to think of living there as the opportunity to share the space with them.

Steve's right. Years ago they issued a few permits here and there for educational purposes, a few roadside zoos, etc. Now your chances of getting a permit in Florida to keep Eastern Indigos is not as good as your chances of winning the lottery 2 weeks in a row, unless you are a bone-fide zoo or University or Government Agency doing research on them.

You can, however, keep Cribos and Texas Indigos with no special permits.

The regulations apply to ALL Eastern Indigos, regardless of origin.

All you can do is try. With the proper credentials you may obtain a permit. Their is absolutely no way you can get a WC, but a captive bred is possible. You will need a federal permit to cross state lines (I got mine from CA) as well as the state one. It is very difficult to obtain one, but why not try? They do provide permits to people who meet their strict standards, but not to people who wants to add to their collection, new pet or anyone who is intending to breed them. If you think you do then try if they say no it doesn't change anything.
Sincerely,
Roly
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Miami Hurricanes #1
NATIONAL CHAMPS 83,87,89,91,01

Thanks for those that HELPED - WITHOUT being so condecending! Yes i know its impossible to obtain a WC one and to even suggest that i would deplete an already low population is ridiculous. Ive lived in florida my whole life and while i have had the honor of seeing a couple indigos out in the glades i was just asking a basic question about obtaining one that was CB and that would in no way hurt or deplete the population in florida. Besides the reality is that CB bred indigo collections maybe the last representaion of the species with the way things here are going. I'll keep looking...i'll have to remeber to just READ the post in this forum and not actually ask questions from now on.

-beth

I'm sorry, but I went back through this thread and I cannot find anything that anyone said that would be construed as condescending or would suggest that you would take a wild one. It was pointed out that wild caught were forbidden and there are no permits for them, but that did not suggest that you were considering going out and catching one. The people that answered simply answered your questions. Seems to me that maybe you're shooting the messenger here?

Thanks :" I'm sure since i have no official title/job dealing with them and i am not a zoo i wont meet their standards. But thanks for the info.

When Oldherper said "unless you are a bone-fide zoo or University or Government Agency doing research on them" he wasn't belittling you. He was just letting you know what fish and wildlife's position is.
I live in Florida and have looked into it as well. It is virtually impossible for hobbyists like us to acquire a permit to keep eastern indigos, regardless of whether they are CB or WC. I eventually gave up and decided to work with some of the other Drys (which are awesome as well).
The people in this forum are very helpful (with the exception of a couple trolls that like to visit occasionally) and the info you received is factual. I think if you call fish and wildlife you'll get the same answer. When I asked my F&W officer what I needed to do in order to get a permit to keep a single eastern indigo for educational talks, his answer was simply "You ain't".
Chris

I meant in no way that you were gonna attempt to get a wild caught one. No way do I consider myself a troll who visits occassionally but I am someone who lives in Florida with an Indigo and a permit, who has been through the process. My only point was to try...that's it.
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Miami Hurricanes #1
NATIONAL CHAMPS 83,87,89,91,01

If I understand your post correctly, you are a Florida resident and do have a permit to keep an Indigo. Is this permit for a couperi? If so, how about explaining the process that was required for you to get that permit. I looked into this a while back, as I heard Florida F&W was considering allowing certain select individuals to breed them here in Florida. This was simply a rumor. Florida F&W told me there is no way they will devote resources to all of the required paperwork. Apparently, there is a "waiting list" for the occasional specimen that gets confiscated by F&W, but these go to zoos and similar facilities. The only reason this "waiting list" exists is that Florida F&W has a policy of not releasing confiscated animals back into the wild due to possible health and gene pool concerns. If something has changed recently, I'd sure like to hear about it.

Yes I have a couperi (with a microchip and have used Panacur on him!), yes I live in South Florida and without a doubt have a permit.
The paperwork was not particularly difficult. First you must begin with a Federal permit to transport across statelines. This permit is the easy one to obtain. Next you must apply for the State of Florida permit. I agree very difficult to obtain and will never give you one to either breed for ANY reason or just want an indigo and lastly if you are taking a wild caught one. I don't mean to insult your intelligence about this if you all ready are aware of this. In this permit you must include the federal permit, housing dementions and background info. I am not saying they hand out permits like candy, but I met the criteria. If I remember correctly, the Federal permit was free and the state permit was $50.
Sincerely,
Roly
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Miami Hurricanes #1
NATIONAL CHAMPS 83,87,89,91,01

1. What qualifications do you have that enabled you to meet their criteria?
2. What year was this permit obtained?
3. Do you know anyone else that has obtained a similar permit?
4. Where did you aquire your CB microchipped couperi from?
5. Does your permit have a limit of one specimen or would you be able to aquire more?

A friend of mine does educational talks (some of them are done for F&W). He is licensed to keep venomous and has a good relationship with his F&W officer. He volunteers at a facility that keeps indigos. He tried for a couple years to obtain this permit and was basically told by F&W he was wasting his time because these permits aren't issued to hobbyists.

Chris

.

In answer to your questions:
1. Vet tech for past 12 years working with exotics and wildlife. I also volunteer my medical services for the museum of discovery & science. My indigo is the cornerstone of my husbandry/nutrition talks.

2. Permit issued in 2001, expires in 2006.

3. No, don't know anyone else.

4. Received my beautiful indigo from Robert Seib out of California. Microchipped him at my practice myself.

5. Permit is for only the one snake described when I sent permit info.

Sincerely,
Roly
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Miami Hurricanes #1
NATIONAL CHAMPS 83,87,89,91,01