Where Is It Legal to Own a Pet Possum

Wisconsin specifically names chipmunks, ground squirrels, mice, moles, opossums, porcupines, rats, voles, ground squirrels, red squirrels, and weasels as legal to possess without a license. This condition restricts potentially dangerous animals. Bears, big cats, wolves and primates are included in the list of illegal animals to own in this state. If you had a primate under 35 pounds due before October 1, 2010, you can retain ownership of that animal. Potential owners of “dangerous wildlife” (including bears, big cats and great apes) must obtain a registration certificate for that animal issued by an animal registration authority (Texas Health and Safety Code 822.101). Many other rules apply. However, there are many animals in Texas that are completely legal, and these include capybaras, lemurs, gins, and small wild felidae. While exotic animal circles consider New York a “prohibition state,” many non-native animals such as wallabies, kinkajous, and sloths are likely legal because they are not part of the forbidden families: Ursidae (bear), Felidae (wildcats), Canidae (wild canids), and primates. Fennec foxes are the only undomesticated member of canids because the owners of tiny foxes lobbied for them and led them to make legislators when drafting the bill. This proves that common sense can seep into the brains of elected officials when they look at the harmless animal in the flesh. If you want to own any of the animals on that state`s dangerous wildlife list, you must register it with the county where the animal lives. This list includes lions, tigers, ocelots, wolves, primates and venomous reptiles.

You do not need a permit for chinchillas, yaks, servals or camels. However, applicants may consider becoming wildlife rehabilitators themselves or volunteering with a local organization. It`s a way to care for wild animals without the costs and stress associated with owning an exotic animal. Most importantly, it can prevent the suffering that possums so often experience in the care of inexperienced owners. After an unstable man (not Federer, the man mentioned below) released several exotic animals, Ohio went from being an extremely forgiving exotic animal to a much more restrictive state. Federer, a man who owned a bobcat, argued that his bobcatsnake was literally Federer`s house coat against the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division. A loophole currently exempts bobcats from banning other species of felids, and lemurs are still legal in primates. Pennsylvania does not list exotic animals that are legal to own without a permit. For the most part, exotic animals are illegal in Hawaii. These include bears, big cats, wild canines, hybrids of feral cats and wild dogs, kangaroos, wild cattle and deer, birds of prey, alligators, geckos and most lizards, hedgehogs, gerbils, hamsters and ferrets.

Pets allowed include guinea pigs, chinchillas, pet mice and rats, parakeets and pigeons. Legal animals are listed, all others are prohibited. The Alaska State Legislature gently explains what animals you can and can`t own. You will find that 5 AAC 92.029. Section c specifically prohibits chimpanzees. Luckily, you can still own a reindeer (as long as it`s not wild), a one-humped camel, a toucan, or a moose – and you don`t even need a permit for those! While Alaska had laws banning nonhuman primates, surprisingly, there was an exception for chimpanzees, the most difficult and dangerous primates of all. But that changed in 2010. Now, the state has some of the strictest animal bans in the United States.

From now on, only toucans, “non-wild” ungulates such as bison, moose, camels, reindeer and oxen as well as hedgehogs are the most “exotic” animals that remain legal. These animals (foxes, ring tails, deer, bats, native opossums, raccoons, skunks, African-clawed frogs, and bobcats) are legal with a USDA permit. Which I will definitely get if it`s an animal I want! Of this list, however, I am only interested in the raccoon. In 2018, almost all of Title 12, Chapter 707: LICENCES AND AUTHORIZATIONS, which defined what you could and could not get a permit for, was repealed. Since their repeal, the original text of the laws is no longer accessible on their website. If an animal is not prohibited or does not require a permit, it may be kept as a pet. However, no person may own more than 6 animals of any kind and not more than 25 wild animals at a time. Coatimundi bred in captivity can be kept as pets, but proof of legal acquisition is required. No county west of the Pecos River with a population of less than 25,000 requires a permit. An opossum is a type of mammal called a marsupial. Marsupials have pouches to carry their young after birth. This group includes kangaroos, wallabies and koalas.

The term “opossum” can refer to either Australasian opossums or North, Central and South American opossums. Although the geographical distinction between opossums and opossums is important, the term “opossum” is used in this article to refer to both species, unless otherwise noted. All you have to do is get a hobby permit for wildlife. This (and the Missouri Administration Code) allows you not to keep more than one red or gray fox, coyote, beaver, river otter, eastern gray squirrel, bobcat, badger or opossum. One of the reasons so many places ban pet possums is their specific needs. Opossums are wild animals by nature and have different care requirements than ordinary pets such as dogs and cats. Before you try to keep an opossum in your home, research their needs in detail and carefully determine if you are able to take care of them. Opossums have a very short lifespan, usually three years or less in the wild, where they fight predators and cars. In captivity, they can live twice as long if properly fed and cared for by a trained caregiver.

However, you can also quickly get sick from the stress of captivity, lack of exercise and limited feeding, and you can invest emotions, time and money in an animal that does not survive long. The reason? These animals have the potential to become an uncontrollable invasive species in the island`s climate, just like the still-legal domestic cat that people are even allowed to roam freely. When it comes to banning pets for environmental reasons, an animal`s popularity can negate any harm caused by that species. If you find an opossum in nature, it is recommended not to try to handle it yourself. Opossums can carry pathogens that can cause human diseases such as leptospirosis, tuberculosis, relapsing fever, tularemia, typhus, toxoplasmosis, coccidiosis, trichomoniasis and Chagas disease. They can also be carriers of various parasites such as fleas, ticks, mites and lice, which can harm public and / or veterinary health. Dealing with an opossum can mean putting yourself, your family, or your pets at risk. West Virginia recently passed regulations for “dangerous wildlife” that allow people to apply for permits to keep them.

Non-pet animals may be kept as pets: coyotes, mink, weasels, muskrats, beavers, opossums, ferrets and otters, red and grey foxes, skunks, bobcats, fishermen and raccoons. Most people who have an opossum as a pet choose the short-tailed opossum. These animals are smaller and can be great pets for beginners. They are very affectionate, relatively clean and generally very healthy. Because these animals are so small, keeping a short-tailed opossum is relatively inexpensive. You`ll need a proper cage to live, but generally anything larger than a well-ventilated 20-gallon aquarium will work. They have an omnivorous diet, so they enjoy a mix of fresh fruits and vegetables and a mix of insects and worms.