Chams in MA!
- Thread starter radstusky
- Start date
purplebiotch
New Member
Wow that little guy looks really Long!!
StonewallJackson
New Member
Awesome that they are legal, but it should be illegal for them to be kept like that. Everytime I see a cham at a petstore I want to steal/buy them just to get them out of those cages. 
radstusky
Avid Member
This is the downside to having them legal here, now I'll see them in stores where they are not housed correctly and in bad shape. I still think this is a step in the right direction, having them illegal here was kind of ridiculous I think.
On the other hand, maybe they made them legal to sell, but still require owners to get a permit? As a way to get more $$. This is Massachusetts after all! I'll have to ask a the pet store again, but when I talked to them they didn't say anything about needing a permit.
radstusky
Avid Member
Just to update on this. I spoke to someone at this store who told me that chams are indeed still illegal in MA. He told me that they checked with the Fish and Game department and were told that they won't enforce the law.
So I guess for those law-abiding citizens you can go ahead and pay for a permit, which the state will welcome of course. Personally I'd like to see the law get changed, so I think no one should be paying for a permit for stupid out-dated law like this.
So I guess for those law-abiding citizens you can go ahead and pay for a permit, which the state will welcome of course. Personally I'd like to see the law get changed, so I think no one should be paying for a permit for stupid out-dated law like this.
Psychobunny
Avid Member
Why would chams be illegal in MA??
They can have no impact at all on wildlife or anything else.
If they got loose, they would soon be dead thanks to MA weather
They can have no impact at all on wildlife or anything else.
If they got loose, they would soon be dead thanks to MA weather
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Folks, playing devil's advocate here;
Remember, chams and other exotics in some states are illegal to have without a state permit. Doesn't mean you can't have them, just that the state wants you to register what you have and pay for the privilege. In some ways not much different for dogs or cats. Doesn't mean you can't have a dog or cat...just that they be licensed. States I've lived in that require permits for exotics usually have a list of species that don't need one...things that are really domesticated like parakeets, rats, or guinea pigs (some states still consider these common pets exotics!)
Sure it might be a revenue grab but usually these types of permits aren't very expensive. There might be some part of the state's livestock or fish and game department that benefits from these funds. I'll bet most of the reason has nothing to do with whether the species would be harmful if released, but rather that the state is trying to keep records (how many, to track public health issues with them, who brings them in, who breeds, etc) on exotics that are being bred or imported from other states. Don't get me wrong, I don't think they need to be so closely managed but I can see why a state could decide to require it.
I lived in NJ when I bought my first cham. Needed a $5 annual permit to have it and I got the permit application right at the shop during the sale. I also had to get permits for my 3 birds that I had when I moved there. Turned out to be a hassle for two of them, but the state biologist trying to help was pretty laid back about it. He admitted they weren't going to come after me if all the paperwork didn't get done.
It's a rather annoying little demand but what are you going to do about it really?
d3s5
Avid Member
I live in New Jersey. (Glad you got out, Carlton!) I need to have a permit for my poison dart frogs, African Grey Parrot, and my cham. It needs to be renewed yearly. Permits here are $10 per year unless you have a bird - then it's $20. All your animals can be listed on one permit.
Deb
