Can you own a burm/retic in Alberta?

[cpt_retic]

I was wondering If you can own these animals in Alberta(retic/burms)?
I have retics ,and I will not part with them . Do you need to get permits? If yes, where do you get them? Or are they only allowed to own by a zoo or reptile refuge? Any info would be helpfull
THx.:medteeths

[Invictus]

Burmese Pythons, Retics, AfRocks, Anacondas, and Scrubs are all banned in Alberta because of their size. You will need a license from Alberta Fish & Wildlife to own them here, and believe me, they DO NOT hand them out freely.

If you get caught with giant snakes here, the fine is extremely hefty, and the animals are usually confiscated. So, it's up to you if you want to risk it.

[cpt_retic]

Thx, I was thinking of relocating there .I should check into getting the permits early. Do you have to take some kind of stupid snake handlers training? What are the guidlines or rules of owning these snakes?

[Invictus]

Basically, you have to be a public zoo, or an educator. Other than that, they're probably not going to let you have them here. But, I'm not a Fish & Wildlife officer. Contact them and see what you need, but I can guaratee you if they are just pets, you will be given a flat "No".

[cpt_retic]

thx , If I go (probably not now) Im not going to tell anyone i have them.

[Invictus]

Well, best of luck then, and I hope you never need a vet for one of 'em.

[Katt]

If you need a vet for them, just drive over to BC.

[crazysnake]

you can take thim to the vet as long as you say you live in bc
don,t see the same vet

[Invictus]

That shows how little you know about the animal control laws, crazysnake. You need a licence to even BRING a burm into this province.. so merely saying you live in BC doesn't cut it - a vet may still report you to Fish & Wildlife, and you may still face hefty fines.

[crazysnake]

Hay Invictus are you telling me you can,t even come to alberta
with a large python with out a permit.
Well you are wrong I have taken large burms to the Vet there
as well as an large af rock.
I know 15 people in that city that has large snakes
if your snake is housed right and you don,t have little kids
you willbe ok.
As long as there is no complaint you will be ok
it is illegal to have
This is from Fish and Wildlife we can leave you with the animals
or we can fine you$500 to $5000 It all depends on the snake
health and its cage.
that is from fish and wildlife in you city
call them and ask
there are thousands of people with illgal stuff in that city.

[cpt_retic]

thx guys , I still have a lot of research to do .

[Invictus]

Originally posted by crazysnake
Hay Invictus are you telling me you can,t even come to alberta
with a large python with out a permit.
Well you are wrong I have taken large burms to the Vet there
as well as an large af rock.

No, I am not wrong. That is the law. I didn't say that laws in Alberta are never bent or broken. However, the law does state that any restricted animal may not be brought into this province without the appropriate permit.

This is from Fish and Wildlife we can leave you with the animals
or we can fine you$500 to $5000 It all depends on the snake
health and its cage.
that is from fish and wildlife in you city
call them and ask
there are thousands of people with illgal stuff in that city.

I never questioned that either. The question was if it was legal. The answer is no, it is not legal. But if Fish & Wildlife do catch wind of it and the officer happens to be having a bad day, you get fined. If you don't pay the fine, you go to jail and your burm/retic/afrock gets taken to a zoo, or worse yet - euthanized. Don't pretend it doesn't happen either, because it does.

[crazysnake]

your right ?

[ChameleonMD]

i actually work in a vet clinic and i know of a few berms that are here in alberta and i myself owned a couple of rats when i moved here from bc ( not realizing that alberta is "rat free") and i have never seen anyone busted for going to the vet with these animals. from the veterinarians stand point, they mostly get invovled if the animal is being mistreated.

[ChameleonMD]

oh, and i am not trying to say that smuggling animals into alberta is right, i am just saying that it is done.

[Invictus]

Of course it's done. But those people are taking their own chances, as is cpt_retic.

[NewLineReptile]

Originally posted by cpt_retic
Do you have to take some kind of stupid snake handlers training?

What would be stupid about that? I think that it would be something that you should take. Because the things you say you do with your snakes. Is what is STUPID!

Brandon

[cpt_retic]

sorry ,lol

[Rdean1]

Ok Well first off. I have been observing the forums in ssnakess for over a year, but am very shy about voicing my opinions. But This one gets me. Just ask Scales Zoo about bringing controlled snakes to Alberta. They need a permit to do so within the law.
Now you do not know me and therefore do not know if I may happen to be a Conservation Officer with Sustainable Resource Development ie: Fish and Wildlife .
You should be very careful about some things one may say as you never know.

[Retic chic]

Originally posted by cpt_retic
thx , If I go (probably not now) Im not going to tell anyone i have them.

DUH! You just posted this on a public forum, possibly patrolled by CO in Alberta. Not a smart idea to try to push this past them.

Like Dean says, we need a permit every time we bring the Scales Zoo reptiles into the province. And not only for the burms and retics, but the colubrids and lizards as well. You need an export permit from the province of origin, and an import permit for the province of destination. You require a special license to posess the restricrted species in any province.

Keep in mind that you do not do the reptile community any favors by illegally importing or posessing restricted species.

Sheila

[Wildkingdom]

Basically here is the scoop. You cannot own any of the large snakes mentioned unless you have previous permits. Fish and wildlife WILL NOT issue new permits to own one. You need an import and an export permit in order to bring said snakes into alberta leagelly as well as a vet check to say that they are healthy. In order to get these snakes as a zoo you need 1,000,000 liability insurance a zoo permit which inn't easy to get and a seperate building (your zoo) to house them in. You cannot have then in your own home. So there you go.

Tim

[Ryan and Katie]

The world is such a strange place? $1,000,000 liability insurance to own a rather large snake. I could own a bunch of guns (legally) and my insurance rates would'nt move... Hmmmmmm???? Somewhere these things got very confused..

[Retic chic]

The $milion liability is more for the general operation of a public facility or business, and is applicable to daycare homes, dentists offices and convenience stores as well. Any business that has public access is required to carry liability insurance. To set up a reptile display in a public place outside our zoo facility requires
$2 million, and the snakes we use for hands-on education carry $5 million. This insurance is not cheap, when you find a company that will cover you. Just try walking into an insurance office and asking for insurance for snakes.