NEWS:

Always a very good idea to check with the local Department of Fish and Game concerning any local species you might want to keep. Quite often, it's a simple matter of just getting the correct permits, which if done ahead of time isn't nearly as complicated as it can be if you try to get them AFTER the Game Wardens catch you with something you're not supposed to have.

Hoomi, yeah, but how dumb is it that I could have a non-native rattlesnake or cobra or retic if I wanted, but not a native (non-endangered) garter snake, corn snake, or kingsnake? Somebody was huffing paint when they wrote the regulations for Georgia.

That was me. I got bumped out again, <2 minutes after logging in! Arrrrgggh.

Did you close the window or anything?

Nope. I use a tabbed browser that I just leave open and occasionally come back to, unless I have to reboot.

Oh, no argument about some of the laws seeming pretty stupid. Really, that's one of the biggest reasons to check with the local authorities about such things. If the laws were simply common sense, then most of us would already know what was OK and not OK.

In most states, as far as I know, you cannot keep a bird of prey without going through some training and certification in the proper care and handling thereof, but you can buy a retic or a burmese python with little to no regard to whether you understand what you're getting yourself into and whether you're ready for such an animal. I'm not suggesting that we need to start licensing people to keep reptiles, but maybe it would make sense if herp sellers would take the time to be sure the buyers know what the care requirements AND "challenges" of keeping the various reptiles are before selling to someone. I know of at least a couple of pet shops that wouldn't sell someone a salt water aquarium set-up until they had talked to the person to be sure they understood what all was involved in maintaining a marine aquarium. It isn't being "elitist" or anything; it's being sure that both the customer AND the pet have the best potential for long term happiness in their relationship.

Agreed, Hoomi. I think it would make sense to require at least minimal licensing for any animal capable of causing harm by envenomating humans or standard household pets or any exotic animal which normally reaches over, say 10 ft in length or 100 lbs, or any endangered animal or any animal species/breed which has caused more than [i]n[/] serious injuries to humans in the US in the last x years. Require a license to keep an alligator, rattlesnake, reticulated python, pit bull, or manatee, and you'll get no argument from me, but I think it's ridiculous to require one for garter snakes, kingsnakes, or corn snakes.