Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live in Wisconsin...and Have looked up the laws for crocs and it says that you can have one if its under 4 feet or something close to that. I am getting a dwarf so its right around there. My question is if I check state laws is it a go ahead to get one, or do I need to check city laws and county laws? If I do need to check them where do I go?? And what do I look under?
thanks
trent

I'm not aware of any state laws in WI that cover crocodilians unless they were passed within the last year or so, I don't think there are any. Local laws can be found at your city hall. Just ask them for the animal/pet ordinances, you don't have to be specific. Your library should have them to but they are not always current.

Bill

I live in Wi and owned my Spect. for about seven years. There are no state laws on ownership, but there are some cities and townships with ordinances against them. I believe Milwaukee has something against ownership, I think its the nothing over four feet.

Rick

Yes you have to check beyond state regulations for local / municipal laws -- or, maybe you don't. The WI city I live in has laws prohibiting ANY "wild animal" as a pet, specifically including all types of herps. But every year the municipal park department, school district, and other official and semiofficial municipal groups hire me to do herp shows. The law is simply not enforced, or enforced selectively. Awhile back, there was a major flap about a guy keeping a crocodilian, and that provoked a move to revisit the law's wording, since it seems to ban pretty much every pet, including gerbils, hamsters, and tropical fish, since all originated from wild populations. I suspect the issue has simply been allowed to die in committee. So, moral of the story: a petkeeper's position is very uncertain, since common practice may run contrary to written regulations. How many police departments have a (strictly illegal) Super Bowl pool running right in the station house, and will have another for March Madness?