Purchasing ball pythons in florida

[Twitchy]

I have been given the go ahead by the boyfriend to expand my collection!!! I am super excited!!!! I have been looking at craigslist to see if I can find any ball pythons that need homes but while I was looking around the forums on this site I came across an old post about how it is illegal to buy a ball python from somebody without a Class III permit. This is kind of crazy, so If for some reason you need to get a new home for your ball python you have to get a license to sell it? I find this kind of ridiculous. Are there any Floridians out there that have heard of this or have any input?

[The Serpent Merchant]

The legislation is very poorly worded and could be interrupted either way. If you want to be 100 sure you are fine just go ahead and get one, it isn't a huge deal. In reality though you really don't need one.

[FireStorm]

Yes, if you are selling a reptile in FL you need the class III permit. The permit is no big deal to get...much cheaper than the fine for not having it. I hear of stings periodically...F&W officers visit craigslist, forums, facebook etc. and try to catch people selling without the permit. You do not need the permit to buy reptiles, only to sell them, but I strongly recommend getting the permit if you will be selling, because they do enforce it.

[Twitchy]

I am not planning on selling anytime soon. I am just concerned about buying animals from people on craigslist and getting busted by the FWC for "illegally obtaining" an animal from somebody without the class III permit required to sell. I totally understand a private breeder selling animals for profit needing to obtain a permit but it seems kind of ridiculous if you are just trying to rehome an animal you can no longer care for but would like to get some money for.

[FireStorm]

Many people have pointed out that it seems ridiculous, but I don't think F&W will change the policy any time soon (and in the past they have busted people just selling a single snake, although I haven't heard of that happening recently). As far as you getting busted as a buyer, you won't because you don't have a Class III permit. The way the law is written, if you have a Class III permit you are responsible for making sure the person you are buying from has the permit. If you don't have a permit (because you are only buying and not selling) you don't legally have to do anything. I think the theory behind this is that if you have the permit, you obviously know about the law requiring it, but someone just shopping for a pet may not. Hopefully that makes sense.

[Twitchy]

Thanks for all the input guys!

[aalomon]

I have mine, imo $50 a year is worth the peace of mind if nothing else.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I am not planning on selling anytime soon. I am just concerned about buying animals from people on craigslist and getting busted by the FWC for "illegally obtaining" an animal from somebody without the class III permit required to sell. I totally understand a private breeder selling animals for profit needing to obtain a permit but it seems kind of ridiculous if you are just trying to rehome an animal you can no longer care for but would like to get some money for.

Then instead of buying from craigslist by from a REPUTABLE breeder, you will be better of anyway

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

The 10 minutes and $50 for the permit is well worth the piece of mind in FL.

Say in 6 months your BF is not so excited about having a BP anymore? You put it FS on CL yourself and happen to meet up with a "buyer" who is a FWC officer

That's how they roll down here. They scout CL and hook up a seller without a Class III permit with a nice fine AND confiscate your snake. My local pet shop sold a 75 gallon tank to a guy last year and asked him what is was for. He happened to be a FWC officer, and told him it was to be used to hold snakes they confiscated in this manner.

Even those who are legit get checked up on sometimes. Last year I went to pick up a shipment at FedEx. At the time it was the highest $$ value purchase I had made (1.2 Clowns). Luckily the packaging from Wilbanks was in good order. Here is the box when I picked it up.....

[FireStorm]

The 10 minutes and $50 for the permit is well worth the piece of mind in FL.

Say in 6 months your BF is not so excited about having a BP anymore? You put it FS on CL yourself and happen to meet up with a "buyer" who is a FWC officer

That's how they roll down here. They scout CL and hook up a seller without a Class III permit with a nice fine AND confiscate your snake. My local pet shop sold a 75 gallon tank to a guy last year and asked him what is was for. He happened to be a FWC officer, and told him it was to be used to hold snakes they confiscated in this manner.

Even those who are legit get checked up on sometimes. Last year I went to pick up a shipment at FedEx. At the time it was the highest $$ value purchase I had made (1.2 Clowns). Luckily the packaging from Wilbanks was in good order. Here is the box when I picked it up.....

Thanks for posting those pics of the box - Since 2007, I have had two cases where boxes were opened by F&W. In both cases I was the seller and if I remember correctly one shipment was going to CA (from FL) and one was within FL. I never got pics of the box. In both cases my customer just told me the box had been opened and all the paperwork was in order. I have had people who don't believe me when I say F&W opens domestic shipments, so it's nice to see a pic confirming what I already knew.

I include my Class III permit # on my receipts, and I actually put it in my ads for a while. I may start doing that again....I figure it saves them the trouble of checking to see if I have the permit. I would put it on my business cards, but I don't think the number stays the same from year to year.

I'm not sure if they are still doing this, but I know that several years ago they actually came to the Daytona Expo and arrested out of state sellers that did not have the permit. The reason that they gave for arresting instead of a ticket was that the violation requires a court appearance and they believed that the out of state sellers were a flight risk.