Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I read in a non-credible location (the internet) that boiga irregularis are banned in the USA. Is this true? I would understand Hawaii, but does it include the entire country?

Mangrove snakes have been my favorite looking snakes for a while. Last year I encountered brown tree snakes in Australia and fell in love. I have grown fascinated with arboreal species especially Boiga and similar arboreal species like Imantodes.

Are these available in the USA?
Are there arboreal species of similar beauty and behavior that are not venomous?

Thanks,

Terry

n/p
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John Light

Are all Boiga species prohibited. I thought mangroves were allowed. And if mangroves are allowed, why aren't B. irregularis?

B. cyanea look amazing but all the websites I found are European. Is anything going on in the USA?

Terry

I do believe the reason they are not permitted is because they are considered excessively dangerous to the ecology of the country. I do believe it was Guam who's bird population was desimated when boiga irregularis found their way to it.

Mike
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1.1 Cal. Kings
1.0 Ball Python
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
0.0.2 African House Snakes
0.0.1 Oketee Corn Snake
0.1 Salmon Boa Constrictor
0.0.1 Marbled Salamander
0.0.1 Japanese Fire-Bellied Newt
0.2 Labs

Only B. irregularis is restricted in the U.S. due to the problems on Guam (its introduction there had absolutely nothing to do with the pet trade).

There was a petition to add the entire genus Boiga to the Lacey Act as injurious species some years back, but to my knowledge it never went anywhere. Few, if any of these species would survive in the continental U.S. and even then probably only in south Florida.

Boiga cyanea is a nice species
They have a rel. mild venom ( in comparision with other boigas )

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www.rear-fanged.com

I have quite a few Boiga Dendros (Dendro, Melanota, Gemmicincta) and prefer the larger more robust ssp, of Boiga as they're usually easier to acclimate and get onto rodents. I'm hoping to expand a bit and get some Cynodons soon as they're also a larger ssp.

Bill

Those are gorgeous snakes! I love the look of all the Boiga spp.

This problem raises the question; how does one find out the legal regulations of certain snakes? How would I find this information on my own?

Thanks,

Terry

I believe that there is actually something on the left hand side of the kingsnake homepage that you can look up your states regs. However if you want more reliable and up to date information you could contact your local fish and wildlife department, if they can't help you they can surely put you in contact with someone who can.

Mike
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1.1 Cal. Kings
1.0 Ball Python
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
0.0.2 African House Snakes
0.0.1 Oketee Corn Snake
0.1 Salmon Boa Constrictor
0.0.1 Marbled Salamander
0.0.1 Japanese Fire-Bellied Newt
0.2 Labs

My experience in New York State is that one has to jump through hoops to find any info. The DEC web page is obtuse and trying to find a specific law as on the books is almost imposible. If one asks a DEC officer, the response is "why do you want to know?" I asked once what the official definition of "venomous" was. The response was " venomous is venomous".
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Terry Norris, Keeper of the household Zoo

Nortz, that is too bad. I've been lucky enough to have good experiences with F&W as of yet.

Mike
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1.1.9 Cal. Kings
1.0 Ball Python
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
0.0.2 African House Snakes
0.0.1 Oketee Corn Snake
0.1 Salmon Boa Constrictor
0.0.1 Marbled Salamander
0.0.1 Japanese Fire-Bellied Newt
0.2 Labs