Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found an ad selling some WC Pits from CA. Anyone know the laws let me know. I just looked at their site and read bag limits, permits section but I can't tell from that whether it is legal or not. Any info would be appreciated.

I think you need a permit if you exceed the limit which I think is 4 gopher snakes (native species). I think you also need a permit to sell them or else you need a permit to breed them and that maybe is the same permit-don't really know that. I think you can give them away, but you're not suppossed to sell them if they are native to CA.

No one is allowed to sell wild native CA reptiles.

There is a CA Native Reptile Breeding Permit which makes it legal to produce and sell native CA reptiles except certain types like zonata and Charina for example. If they have such a permit they can sell CB pits all day long (and maybe even WC under some circumstances, but I'm not sure.)

A person without the above permit but with a valid CA Fishing License may collect and own up to 4 gophersnakes (native ssp, and actually it is qty 4 of Cal kings and gophers in the aggregate, meaning 2 gophers and 2 kings, or 3 kings and 1 gopher, or 4 gophers and no kings, etc.) A person may also give away their collected gophersnakes but not sell.

Unfortunately, I don't think there is any law against the intentional killing of any native reptile in the field, even protected sp. Does anyone know if that is correct?

>>I found an ad selling some WC Pits from CA. Anyone know the laws let me know. I just looked at their site and read bag limits, permits section but I can't tell from that whether it is legal or not. Any info would be appreciated.

Thank you.....I read the DFG website acrobat on regulations and your information is correct. I was checking out an auction site and noticed a person selling WC CA Gophers and it was a little upsetting, me being a native Californian. I collect, however I have only kept 1 Charina in my collection. I found 6 Gopher snakes last week but left them un-molested to live out there lives in the wild. I think there are plenty of CB animals out there and their prices are very reasonable not to have to collect.
I don't think it's all that bad to take from the wild but to turn around and sell them just does not sit well. This person did not have the proper permits and was selling an adult trio that was caught just last year. That to me is poaching in a way.

What really gets me is when an area is bulldozed for development and you know all the snakes there are doomed... and yet, the laws and bag limits still apply. In a situation like this, I'm all for overzealous collecting practices.

I think everyone knows what responsible collecting is, even those that do not practice it. And responsible collecting may differ depending on the area. For example, there are roads in the desert where herps are run over routinely. In my mind, one should be able to collect all they find on such roads, but the laws may not allow.

A resident of CA must have a captive breeding permit and sellers permit for CA native species if they intend to sell them. You can give them away all day long if you dont go over your bag limits each day. Rattlesnakes require no permit to collect but you cannot sell them without the permit from CDFG. But you can "gift" them away as well.
Unfortunately you can kill as many snakes as you want every day and as long as you are not in a national or state park. The exception to that is SF gartersnakes and Alameda whipsnakes which are both protected species in the state and cannot be harmed or harassed in any way.
Hope this helps
Brett
Biologist in state

After reading the site I figured it out. The person selling did not have permits and it irked me. The laws may be a little silly to some but they are in place so that you and I can go out in the wild and see these animals still.

I did not report this person but directed her to the DFG site. I observe all the laws, such as obtaining a fishing license every year, not destroying habitat, etc and I beleie anyone that lives in this state should too. There are just too many people and very little prime habitat left in CA.

I hate the development and hate seeing DOR's. It would be nice to re-locate or bring home every snake in a developing area but that can have some not so good implications to the environment.