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Explore the world of reptiles — cold-blooded, scaly vertebrates including snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodilians, and the tuatara, found across deserts, rainforests, and oceans worldwide.
678 stories
Finding a snake coiled near your porch steps raises an immediate question: can you just deal with it yourself, or does Kentucky law get involved? Snake removal laws in Kentucky
Finding a snake curled up near your porch steps or basement window is enough to make most New Hampshire homeowners reach for a shovel or a bucket.
If you’re wondering whether you can own an iguana in Tennessee, the short answer is yes—but the reasoning behind that answer involves a wildlife classification system most pet owners never think to check.
If you’re wondering whether you can own an iguana in Idaho, the short answer is yes — but the full picture involves two state agencies, a patchwork of city ordinances, and a few care requirements most first-time reptile keepers underestimate.
A red-eared slider from the pet store sits in a legal gray area that surprises most Washington residents: you can buy one, but you cannot pull a similar-looking turtle out of a local pond and keep it instead.
If you’re thinking about keeping a python in New Mexico, the legal picture is more layered than a simple yes-or-no answer.
You can walk into a Virginia reptile show and legally buy a ball python without any paperwork, yet the state’s wildlife code technically makes it unlawful to possess almost any wild animal without a permit.
Finding a snake coiled near your porch or gliding through the garden raises an immediate question: can you handle it yourself, or does the law require something more formal? Snake removal laws in Delaware depend on a handful of factors — which species you’re dealing with, whether it’s protected, and where the encounter happens.
Michigan winters routinely drop below zero, yet pet stores from Grand Rapids to Detroit still sell tropical lizards that would freeze solid outdoors within hours.
Every year, wildlife officers across the Southwest pull baby alligators out of backyard pools, storage tanks, and abandoned properties in cities that have no business hosting a crocodilian.
Every few years, a Virginia news station reports a startling find: an alligator sunning itself in a farm pond, a suburban creek, or once, outside a Fairfax County motel.
If you found a snapping turtle crossing your driveway this spring and thought about keeping it in a tank, Vermont law says no — even though owning a turtle from a pet store is perfectly legal.
A red-eared slider from the local pet store is perfectly legal to keep in Louisiana, but pull a gopher tortoise out of a Florida parish sandhill and you could be looking at a wildlife citation.
You might assume a garter snake sunning itself on your patio is fair game to scoop up and dump in the woods down the road.
Can you own an iguana in Minnesota? The short answer is yes, but the state’s exotic pet statute doesn’t mention iguanas at all—and that silence is exactly what confuses so many prospective reptile owners.
A Harford County police officer once responded to a call that had nothing to do with a dog, cat, or stray deer — it was a live alligator sitting in a pet store parking lot in Bel Air.
If a snake shows up in your yard in Oregon, your first instinct might be to grab a bucket, a shovel, or a pair of gloves and handle the situation yourself.
If you’re picturing a ball python curled up in a terrarium, Colorado has no problem with that.
If you’re picturing a scaly green lizard lounging on a driftwood branch in your Providence apartment, you’re not breaking any state law by owning one.
If you’re wondering whether you can own a python in Minnesota, the short answer is yes, for most species, most of the time.
