CITES permit in Texas

[Aggie0486]

I was just on the phone with my mom. She owns a veiled chameleon just like I do. Her city manager told her that all chameleons/reptiles in the country need to have CITES permits and paperwork. Any info on this would be helpful. We will be purchasing Cham #2 next month and want to be prepared with this new info. Definitely need to get it done for my lil guy as soon as possible if it is necessary. Shouldn’t the pet stores be informed on the permits if they are needed for the animals?!?!

(Pic for cuteness!)

 

[absolutbill]

I'm not an expert, but from my time on here I can tell you that's not true. CITES regulates which species can be exported from certain countries (typically in Africa), and to import those species you need permits. However, veileds, panthers, Jacksons, and the rest of the regular species that you see on here do not need permits. There may be certain regulations which vary by state, however there is nothing set country-wide. I can speak for Florida when I tell you that this state is pretty much anything goes

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

I'm not an expert, but from my time on here I can tell you that's not true. CITES regulates which species can be exported from certain countries (typically in Africa), and to import those species you need permits. However, veileds, panthers, Jacksons, and the rest of the regular species that you see on here do not need permits. There may be certain regulations which vary by state, however there is nothing set country-wide. I can speak for Florida when I tell you that this state is pretty much anything goes

Which is why Florida has so many intrusive species!

 

[CC's Baby]

I am in Texas and never heard of that as well. It sounds like misinformation. If you find out anything different, please let me know.

 

[Carlton]

I was just on the phone with my mom. She owns a veiled chameleon just like I do. Her city manager told her that all chameleons/reptiles in the country need to have CITES permits and paperwork. Any info on this would be helpful. We will be purchasing Cham #2 next month and want to be prepared with this new info. Definitely need to get it done for my lil guy as soon as possible if it is necessary. Shouldn’t the pet stores be informed on the permits if they are needed for the animals?!?!

(Pic for cuteness!)

The city manager is wrong. If you are not shipping your chams across state lines or internationally they do NOT need CITES permits! All the documentation most buyers of cbb veileds are going to have is a sales receipt. Keep it. It helps establish that the cham was bred within the USA. For a veiled, 99.9999% of them are. If you can get the name of the breeder, do so, but you'll probably never need it.

It's possible the city manager was confusing CITES with Lacy Act restrictions on interstate commerce in large "dangerous" reptiles such as reticulated and Burmese pythons and some of the monitors. There are also specific permits needed to own "hots" (venomous) species. There's been a lot of press coverage about this due to feral populations getting established in southern states. Reptile breeders have been screaming bloody murder about it too. Doesn't apply to chams anyway.

The manager could also be confusing some sort of state or even a city permit. Many states now require owners of exotic species (and different states define exotic differently...could be anything from a guinea pig, a cockatiel, all the way up to a Gaboon viper) to get husbandry permits. It is usually fairly inexpensive, on the order of a dog license. Go to the horse's mouth...check the state's websites to find out what might be required where you live. Pet stores should also know the rules and have permit applications available when they make the sale, but you never know. Ask them before buying.

To get you started, here's a link:

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/nongame-and-other-species

 

[Aggie0486]

Thank You all! I have spoken with a Texas Parks and Wildlife officer and no permits are required to own, breed, or sell chameleons. Im glad we got to the bottom of this! The officer is also wanting updates and pics, if and when we breed. How cool is that!