Could someone tell me if western or eastern hognose are legal to keep in Iowa. I have looked online and can't find any info. I would really like to work with them.
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Hognose leghality in Iowa?
rahl1972
Oct 10, 2015 09:52 PM
Replies (2)
simus343
Oct 14, 2015 11:08 AM
If you can't find anything on your state's DNR page, or if your state has a fish and game commission besides the DNR, checked there
- then I'd go about checking with reptile specialist stores and herp societies/clubs in your state. These groups are both usually very helpful and friendly with providing information about state herp regulations.
If you are new to hognose snakes, I'd start with westerns. They acclimate to a diet of rodents a lot easier than their eastern (and southern) counterparts do. If you can't sell all your neonates, or keep some back for future breeding, it is much easier to feed a small colony of snakes rodents than it is anurans. I currently work with a breeding pair of Easterns and strive to get rid of neonates as fast as I can. Reason being, turning up 4-5 week old Southern Toads is a lot more work than buying frozen or live pinky mice.
rahl1972
Oct 14, 2015 02:32 PM
I did come across the regulations hee regarding ownership. Western hognose are listed as threatened or endangered here in Iowa. The only way to legally keep one is with a special issued permit. Even then, breeding or selling them in Iowa is totally out of the question. The offspring would be entirely illegal. The Eastern hognose are not listed as threatened but are still found in the wild in spots within the state. Since that is the case, you don't need a permit to keep one but you DO need a bill of receipt that the snake was acquired from a breeder out of state. Once again....breeding those is technically illegal here also. Iowa has this thing about all snakes being protected that are found in wild populations within the state. Garter snakes are the only ones that are not included.
That being said, I have turned away from them and am going to be starting a breeding project with the Mexican hognose. Since they are not found within the state...they are perfectly legal here. They still seem to be pretty rare in the current reptile trade, so maybe they aren't such a bad thing to work with. I have an adult breeder pair that should be arriving in a few weeks. I'm pretty stoked about it.
