Where are you allowed to have Tegus?

[FreelanceFae]

I was just talking to my fiancee about getting a tegu once we get a more spacious living space in 2022. The problem is I'm having a hard time finding out where it is and isn't legal to keep them. I've seen that they were recently made illegal in Florida, but I'm struggling to find concrete information about New York.

The information I did find points to the negative, but I've seen people talking about owning tegus in NY.

I'm not stuck on NY, but we do have to move to one of the states surrounding CT. So which states are you definitely not allowed to own a tegu?

 

[Debita]

I wouldn't know (living in AZ...), it seems like you might have to do the research on each state.

 

[rats]

They were/are illegal in Hawaii: https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/blog/news-releases/illegal-tegu-lizard-found-in-waianae/ (2011)

And now illegal in Florida: https://www.yoursun.com/arcadia/new...cle_5ac37d34-bb0b-11ea-8758-3fdae3ea8445.html (2020)
Wait, looks like the Florida ban may be lifted! https://usark.org/usarkfl2020/#:~:t...at was,unconstitutional, and the Court agreed!

Nothing I could find regarding NY or CT (or MA, RI, etc.) or any other mentions online regarding illegal tegus, but that's not to say they aren't illegal in other states. Best bet is to look up the laws in the state you're moving to.... but since tegus aren't running rampant in NY like they are in Florida, I don't think there's a big chance they're illegal in NY, now or in future.

 

[FreelanceFae]

Nothing I could find regarding NY or CT (or MA, RI, etc.) or any other mentions online regarding illegal tegus, but that's not to say they aren't illegal in other states. Best bet is to look up the laws in the state you're moving to....

Yea, I was trying to find information on it, but NY in particular had a really confusing wording on most of the official stuff and just... It was a nightmare to read. I appreciate the help!

 

[AlphaAlpha]

They're allowed in England if that helps .......

 

[Djbgolf]

They’re legal in MA. But all monitors are illegal.

 

[rantology]

Most of the states considering bans are in the south... the most recent I have heard of trying to ban them is South Carolina. Florida tried to ban them but the bill ended up being thrown out. Its an ever-evolving thing these days, check per state

 

[Debita]

Hey - I didn't know the bill was thrown out! Good news. I assume that means that the eradication effort is still alive, but they can't stop people from owning, right?

 

[LizardStudent]

Actually, Florida is back to trying to ban them. I believe the proposed laws are set to be voted on this coming Thursday- and it is predicted that they're going to pass. There are petitions and the like going around though, so we'll see what happens

 

[timemeddler]

no good reason not to keep one, only bans I know of are in places that they can establish themselves in and mess up the ecosystem.

 

[LizardStudent]

An update- looks like the laws set to restrict ownership/sales/breeding of tegus in Florida just passed unanimously (https://www.tampabay.com/news/envir...s-and-lizards-amid-fears-of-invasive-species/)

 

[gamingatot]

Here, I may still be a teen, but when i am an adult I wish to get a tegu as well. So as one fellow tegu mainiac to another, here is a site that is always up to date:
https://petswithscales.com/are-tegus-legal-us/