Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going out west and was wanting too start some new breeding projects and was wondering if I can take animals from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

thanks
jake

It is legal to export legally acquired reptiles from Az. If you are coming here from out of state to collect, you must first acquire an out-of-state non-resident hunting permit. You may do this at any local Wal-Mart or other sporting goods store.

Also, bear in mind that Arizona has strict bag limits that restrict the numbers of animals you may collect. For most snake species, it is 4 in possession at any given time (with the exception of rosy boas, green rats and a couple others...their bag limit is 2 in possession.)

There is NO open season on massassaugas, Gila monsters, ridgenose rattlesnakes, rock rattlesnakes or twinspot rattlesnakes.....this means that under no circumstances can these animals be touched with expressed permission from Az Game and Fish....Narrow-headed garter snakes are the newest addition to this closed season list....

Also, bear in mind that it is illegal to commercialize any animal that was collected in Arizona. While admittedly difficult to enforce once the animal is outside the state, technically if you caught an animal in Arizona, that animal remains "state property", and cannot be bought, sold, bartered, etc....this includes any progeny from legally collected Arizona animals as well...

Personal side note here....IF you are coming to Arizona to collect, PLEASE obey state laws and do your collecting responsibly. There are far too many people that come to Arizona every year, collect everything they see, and then turn around and sell it illegally...I personally know of people that have come here, collected 30 western diamondbacks and 75 western banded geckos in hopes of turning a profit when they got home. Not only is this illegal, it is sickening....(Of course, I'm not saying that you are one of these people...I'm simply saying that I hope you're not as I do not know you.)

Anyway, you can find additional info regarding Arizona reptile laws on Az Game and Fish's website....

Hope I've been of help...

-AzAtrox

Thank you so much for that info. no I am not going to sell the animals I collect, but I am going to breed them.

thanks
jake

Good luck! By the way, what animals are you looking at acquiring? We have a wide variety here!

-AzAtrox

mainly collards, leopards and zebra tails. do you have any good collecting methods?
i live in Ala. so i have NO idea of what to expect. what is the terrain like .

thanks
jake

The best way I know of to catch those little buggers (especially the zebra tails) is the old fishing line trick....All of those lizards are EXTREMELY alert in their natural environment, and will hardly permit you to simply walk up to them and pick them up....PLus, leopards and collards have a pretty strong set of jaws, and won't hesitate to use them if they are molested....

As far as habitat, these lizards live in rocky environments....In fact, I saw a nice collard the other day, and the habitat consisted of granite bouldders, suguaro cactus, cholla, etc....Of course you know that these lizards are diurnal, so your best chance of seeing them is during the day.

Hopefully this helps!

-AzAtrox