Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone know if it is legal to keep rattlesnakes in California?

Just native species are allowed. Limit of two each species.

Al
-----
Save a Rattlesnake...Skin a Sweetwater Resident!

2 each is correct, however there are local laws i.e. LA county that only allows them in "rural" or unincorporated areas. Most suburbs do not allow any rattlesnakes.

I know that albinos are exempt, but what do they consider heterozygous for albinism? I guess that they consider them as normal or anyone could say they have heterozygous specimens.

Yep...heteros are looked at as "normals"....plus, Ca. is very specific in that NO native crotalid may be commercialized (albino or otherwise)...

-AzAtrox

I am no expert on the California laws, but I am confused by what you say. I have attached the CFG laws as of November 2004. It says that albinos may be commercialized without a permit, doesn't it?

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/pdffiles/fg1502.pdf

Page 3, Section 43, paragraph (7).

Hmmm...According to the "Field Guide to Reptiles and the Law" (19th edition I believe), Ca. law does make exceptions for the propogation of certain nonvenomous native species...However, it is also explicit in saying that "this provision shall not apply to any member of the genus Crotalus"....This law may be a bit outdated, but was very explicit in stating that no native rattlesnake can be bought, sold, bartered, etc....

If this law is still on the books (and I have no reason to believe that it isn't), than any native crotalid (albino or not) cannot be commercialized.

I wish i could dig out this field guide for the exact verbage, but I think I caught the essence....

Any experts on (current) Ca law as relates to the commercialization of albino crotalids on here?

-AzAtrox

Well, no matter what the "Field Guide ..." says, I believe that the DFG regulations are going to supercede. California has gone through some major regulation changes in the last ten years or so, in reference to herps. A book cannot keep up with all of the regulation changes in all of the states unless they are updated yearly. Is this an updated book that you are talking about?

Well, the book itself is a compilation of relavent reptile laws covering all 50 states. When I bought the book (a few years back) it was in it's 19th edition, so I do imagine that there's probably a further updated version of it...I do know that it has been less than 10 years since I purchased it (roughly 4 or 5 I believe) so any retraction of the legal standing of the commercialization in native crotalids would have had to occur within this timeframe.

I do find it an extremely useful reference when I have a question regarding the legality of reptiles in certain states. In fact, it is the very same book that Mardi Snipes used for his "Coastal Reptiles" legality link on his website.

On a (somewhat) unrelated note, I have yet to see anyone in Ca. selling albino native crotes....However, I do see quite a few people selling Mexcian Beadeds (which of course are legal to own and sell in Ca.). From a logical standpoint, it would seem to me that if it was indeed legal to sell albino crotalids in Ca., we most likely would see them for sale in the Classifieds.

Again, you may be entirely correct...the laws could have been revised...All I know for sure is a) at one point in time in the not too distant past any commercialization in native crotalids was illegal in Ca., b) I have yet to see anyone in Ca. offer for sale any native crotalid (albino or otherwise)and c) being somewhat familiar with how difficult it is to get a law changed once it's "on the books" I still believe that (in all liklihood) native crotalids are still a no-no to sell, buy or barter in Ca.

When one considers the relative recent changes in Ca. law that permitted limited commercialization of a few native nonvenomous species, even this was years in the making. Granted, I like the way it has worked for Ca., but it certainly didn't happen overnight and was around for quite some time before it was even seriously considered.

To wrap this longwinded diatribe up, I don't know FOR SURE that commercialization in native albino crotalids is still illegal in Ca. I left Ca. 10 years ago, and I do know that when I left it was....Hopefully someone here that is a bit more versed in current Ca. law can answer this with certainty...

Now, if ya want to ask me about Az laws....THOSE I know pretty much inside and out! As an interesting side note, I find it interesting that Mexican Beadeds are completely legal to own and sell in Ca., and yet once you cross over into Az, ALL Heloderms are considered "restricted live wildlife"....Especially considering that many Az reptile laws are modeled after our neighbor to the west......go figure.

-AzAtrox