Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i looked up my local laws on owning gilas and they say you need to have extensive experience in maintaining the desired animal and have interacted with them before. well if i have never owned one, how am i suppose to interact and work with one? do i have to have a friend or do i actually have to go a known breeder and volunteer? i am very confused by this. could a felow NJ gila owner who has their license for gilas please clue me in on this. also, when they say an animal has paperwork, do you get that from the state or is there an organization that gives out the paperwork like in dogs. thank you very much

From what I understand New Jersey does not allow any venomous animals to be kept in there state . I actually remember a friend that lived in N.J. but now lives in P.A. got some hefty fines for keeping a few Helodermas along with a few venomous snakes . Honestly , I would call Wildlife Fish and Game of New Jersey before purchasing any venomous species and find out there laws. That state is very strict , they require permits for a ton of diffrent reptiles and inforce it as well. As far as paperwork , it basicly is telling you where your animal originated from , lineage and that it is not an illegally collected wild caught animal . I live in Pennsylvania Berks County and would be more then happy to help you out with any questions that you may have about Gilas . Laroc

Basicly if you're not a zoo or doing research you can't own one in NJ. The state won't allow you to have one as a pet, they consider them and list them as a Potentially Dangerous Species.
Hope This helps...
You can always call or email. ask for a guy named McCoy he seems to be the only one there that has a clue or is any help.....