# Florida tegu ban



## Vestathetegu (Jan 25, 2020)

The tegu ban was passed in Florida (where I live) and I have been researching what I can do to keep my 3 tegus that I have. The ban will be in effect on July 1st, so I have a little bit of time, but i was reading that I can send in an application for a class lll wildlife permit, which hopefully I can legally keep my tegus. I haven’t found too much more info on the situation, so I’m interested in anyone having a clue of what’s going on. My ultimate goal is to keep my pets and make sure they are safe. Any info or advice is appreciated


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## TripleTegus (Jan 26, 2020)

Yeah unfortunately I'm in the same boat as you. It definitely sucks.


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## Yvonne G (Jan 26, 2020)

How hard is it to obtain the permit?


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## Walter1 (Jan 26, 2020)

Vestathetegu said:


> The tegu ban was passed in Florida (where I live) and I have been researching what I can do to keep my 3 tegus that I have. The ban will be in effect on July 1st, so I have a little bit of time, but i was reading that I can send in an application for a class lll wildlife permit, which hopefully I can legally keep my tegus. I haven’t found too much more info on the situation, so I’m interested in anyone having a clue of what’s going on. My ultimate goal is to keep my pets and make sure they are safe. Any info or advice is appreciated


You're being resonsible. Please be persistent.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 26, 2020)

Yvonne G said:


> How hard is it to obtain the permit?


I was reading up on it and you have to fill out paperwork for the tegus that you have and send it in. Says it could take 4-6 weeks to get approved or denied. I’m not sure if the people from the fwc come to your house and check out their enclosure. I don’t live near the problem areas, so I’m hoping it won’t be an issue. I’m sure the process would take longer because I know a lot of people who have tegus as pets and would be devastated if they had to give them up


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 26, 2020)

Walter1 said:


> You're being resonsible. Please be persistent.


I really don’t want to miss that window to get the permit and one day get caught with full grown tegus and they have to euthanize them


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## AlphaAlpha (Jan 26, 2020)

Sorry to all you Guys on hearing the news of the ban and as responsible owners I hope everything works out.


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## Yvonne G (Jan 27, 2020)

My area of expertise is turtles and tortoises, not tegus, so take it or leave it. . . here in California the desert tortoise we had prior to the date the permit law went into effect is grandfathered in. Any tortoise we get after that date needs a permit from Calif Fish and Wildlife. No one comes to your house, you merely fill out the permit and send it in. In a few weeks you receive your approval in the mail.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 27, 2020)

Yvonne G said:


> My area of expertise is turtles and tortoises, not tegus, so take it or leave it. . . here in California the desert tortoise we had prior to the date the permit law went into effect is grandfathered in. Any tortoise we get after that date needs a permit from Calif Fish and Wildlife. No one comes to your house, you merely fill out the permit and send it in. In a few weeks you receive your approval in the mail.


I was hoping this would be the case, because we have had a ton of costumers here buying tegus as pets through places like repticon and others. It almost seems like tegus became extremely popular within the last year in my area (in my opinion). My question would be, how would they know if you were grandfathered in or not without proof? I have printed out the class lll permit for personal use, and the questions asked on the paperwork was proof of purchase, and I have no proof of where I bought my tegus, because they were legal at the time. Every article I have read so far hasn’t mentioned what will happen to the people who already own them.


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## TripleTegus (Jan 27, 2020)

I know the case with the yellow anacondas, they just banned recently, was if you owned them already you were grandfathered in and could own the animal for its life. You just couldn't buy them after the ban. Hopefully this is the case with tegus as well. And so far from what I can tell it's just salvator merianae, so just the Argentine black and white. Just gotta keep checking on what amendments they add if they do.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 27, 2020)

TripleTegus said:


> I know the case with the yellow anacondas, they just banned recently, was if you owned them already you were grandfathered in and could own the animal for its life. You just couldn't buy them after the ban. Hopefully this is the case with tegus as well. And so far from what I can tell it's just salvator merianae, so just the Argentine black and white. Just gotta keep checking on what amendments they add if they do.


I’m just confused on how they would know when they were purchased. I have my first one (the black and white) and I bought her from a guy I met at repticon and ended up getting his business card and traveled to his house to pick her up and paid cash, I have another one that’s a red that my husband bought from a random pet store and I have my last one that I have who may or may not be a blue or titan (not sure, I just know she isn’t a b & w) was given to me because the guy had to travel to work. The only proof I have are probably photos I’ve taken, before the ban was announced


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## Lochlan (Jan 27, 2020)

The thing about wild tegus is that MOST not all of them came from a couple of farms that was destroyed by a hurricane and got loose and that's how they got a population going I think that maybe they should have just made a ban on breading them but anyways I hope that you can just grandfather them good luck I hope that all goes well


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## Walter1 (Jan 27, 2020)

The problem is that escapees will find one another and breed.


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## Lochlan (Jan 27, 2020)

Walter1 said:


> The problem is that escapees will find one another and breed.


Yeah that's why I said most not all


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## TripleTegus (Jan 27, 2020)

Vestathetegu said:


> I’m just confused on how they would know when they were purchased. I have my first one (the black and white) and I bought her from a guy I met at repticon and ended up getting his business card and traveled to his house to pick her up and paid cash, I have another one that’s a red that my husband bought from a random pet store and I have my last one that I have who may or may not be a blue or titan (not sure, I just know she isn’t a b & w) was given to me because the guy had to travel to work. The only proof I have are probably photos I’ve taken, before the ban was announced


Unfortunately that responsibility would have been up to you at the time of purchase. Even though you paid cash from some guy you ultimately should have wrote your own bill of sale up. It sucks and I'm in the same boat as you because I also don't have proof except for pictures but should have had a bill of sale wrote up signed by both parties.


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## TripleTegus (Jan 27, 2020)

And you can't just put a ban on breeding them because most breeders here also sell them to other states online. And yes most of the invasive species that are running rampant here in Florida were let loose because of a hurricane a long time ago, we just have the right conditions for those species to thrive as well as they do with no natural predators to keep them in check


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## Lochlan (Jan 27, 2020)

TripleTegus said:


> And you can't just put a ban on breeding them because most breeders here also sell them to other states online. And yes most of the invasive species that are running rampant here in Florida were let loose because of a hurricane a long time ago, we just have the right conditions for those species to thrive as well as they do with no natural predators to keep them in check


True..... I just hope that all goes well for those in Florida, Florida is just that one state where just about everything that comes in becomes invasive like fire ants


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## TripleTegus (Jan 27, 2020)

Lochlan said:


> True..... I just hope that all goes well for those in Florida, Florida is just that one state where just about everything that comes in becomes invasive like fire ants


Well most fire ants. Just like the green anoles here that you don't see that often there is a native fire ant species that was here first. Most invasive species are introduced "accidentally" either got out from somewhere or someone introduced them thinking they were more beneficial than they are, like the cane toads. Unfortunately these things are left in the hands of people that don't have a clue as to what they are talking about, and the rest of us have to sort it out later


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## Walter1 (Jan 27, 2020)

There are also unscrupulous vendors that intentionally release them for future harvest. Also ones that dump the dead and dying outside from an import, except some rally and establish.

What agravates this is a commercial attitude that the animals we buy are just a commodity, like a shirt, with no care or sense of consequences.


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## Lochlan (Jan 27, 2020)

Yeah unfortunately that's the case same goes for plants like kudzu they thought that it would help with corrosion but with out something to eat it and to keep it in it's place it's taking over the south (I don't know how bad it is in Florida) but it's pretty bad in surrounding states


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## TripleTegus (Jan 27, 2020)

Walter1 said:


> There are also unscrupulous vendors that intentionally release them for future harvest. Also ones that dump the dead and dying outside from an import, except some rally and establish.
> 
> What agravates this is a commercial attitude that the animals we buy are just a commodity, like a shirt, with no care or sense of consequences.


Yes you are very right unfortunately. Not all people have good intentions. As in every case those that are responsible and do things legally always get pushed aside by the actions of the few that don't.


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## Lochlan (Jan 27, 2020)

I actually bought mine that was bred In the state of Pennsylvania and then shipped to Colorado because I was worried that it might have been bred in a farm and have parasites it did cost more because you can't just breed them outside but it was worth it because he's a house pet


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 27, 2020)

Lochlan said:


> The thing about wild tegus is that MOST not all of them came from a couple of farms that was destroyed by a hurricane and got loose and that's how they got a population going I think that maybe they should have just made a ban on breading them but anyways I hope that you can just grandfather them good luck I hope that all goes well


Yes, I’ve heard that it didn’t naturally occur, which is why I am the most nervous, because it was most likely a humans fault and it got out of hand.


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## Walter1 (Jan 27, 2020)

The south Florida colony is traced to a dealer who ran afoul of the law, released his stock and took off. The central Fl. colony is independant.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 27, 2020)

Walter1 said:


> The south Florida colony is traced to a dealer who ran afoul of the law, released his stock and took off. The central Fl. colony is independant.


This is the story I was told but I didn’t have any sources so I wasn’t sure. Didn’t want to spread false information. Unfortunately I’m pretty close to the problem areas. Maybe less than an hour away from the Everglades. Very unfortunate


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## Walter1 (Jan 27, 2020)

Tegus are extremely abundant there despite intense trapping. They prey upon a wide range of native animals, including alligator eggs.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 28, 2020)

Walter1 said:


> Tegus are extremely abundant there despite intense trapping. They prey upon a wide range of native animals, including alligator eggs.


I agree that they are hurting our ecosystem. They are deffinately a problem but I believe it would be a bigger problem if they ban all possession of tegus, including owners. I know a couple people with their license to capture and sell and I’ve seen their personal inventory of the tegus they intend to sell and if it comes down to banning all tegus, those tegus would most likely be released back into the wild, creating a bigger problem. I was also told that the ban was only passed through one house, but hasn’t been approved by the fwc yet, but it was from word of mouth so I’m not so sure if it’s true or not


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## Yvonne G (Jan 28, 2020)

Vestathetegu said:


> I was hoping this would be the case, because we have had a ton of costumers here buying tegus as pets through places like repticon and others. It almost seems like tegus became extremely popular within the last year in my area (in my opinion). My question would be, how would they know if you were grandfathered in or not without proof? I have printed out the class lll permit for personal use, and the questions asked on the paperwork was proof of purchase, and I have no proof of where I bought my tegus, because they were legal at the time. Every article I have read so far hasn’t mentioned what will happen to the people who already own them.


You would have to have some sort of proof, a picture with a family member, a receipt, etc. But this would only come into play if Fish and Wildlife had some reason to come to you. They're much too busy to be making random spot checks.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 28, 2020)

Yvonne G said:


> You would have to have some sort of proof, a picture with a family member, a receipt, etc. But this would only come into play if Fish and Wildlife had some reason to come to you. They're much too busy to be making random spot checks.


I have dated photos, that’s it :/


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## TripleTegus (Jan 28, 2020)

I only have photos myself. But I think with the date it should be good enough to prove you had it before the ban. It's hard to have a picture of something u don't have right.


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## Walter1 (Jan 28, 2020)

Well, honesty's the best policy. Make an honest effort and see how it goes.

I hope FWCC provides straightforward information on what is expected of pre-ban owners. Would set a good example for future bans of invasive species.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 29, 2020)

TripleTegus said:


> I only have photos myself. But I think with the date it should be good enough to prove you had it before the ban. It's hard to have a picture of something u don't have right.


Whatever I’ve read online says something along the lines of before 2010 would be grandfathered in, but also, I talked to someone who said that it hasn’t completely passed yet, because it involves the fwc to make the ultimate decision so there still may be hope, but I am not sure if he is correct or not. I can’t seem to find anything online that states that it is 100% passed or not


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## TripleTegus (Jan 29, 2020)

Vestathetegu said:


> Whatever I’ve read online says something along the lines of before 2010 would be grandfathered in, but also, I talked to someone who said that it hasn’t completely passed yet, because it involves the fwc to make the ultimate decision so there still may be hope, but I am not sure if he is correct or not. I can’t seem to find anything online that states that it is 100% passed or not


I don't know for sure but in my opinion I don't see how they can go back that far. Pre-ban just means before the ban. I know it's in a different category but even with machine guns pre-ban is anything before the day it was banned may something of 1986 I don't recall the actual day. I just don't see how they can ban something and then say well you needed to have possession of said banned object 10 years before we banned it.


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## TripleTegus (Jan 29, 2020)

Everything in general is getting a little out of hand with being told what you can or can't do or have.


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## AlphaAlpha (Jan 29, 2020)

TripleTegus said:


> Everything in general is getting a little out of hand with being told what you can or can't do or have.



It's all a conspiracy for governments / rich and powerful to use as a tool to track and register the common people.........HAHA


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## bocacash (Jan 29, 2020)

This is the latest I could find on POSSIBLE ban on Tegus:

https://www.facebook.com/UnitedStat...227663592526/2534513649963906/?type=3&theater


FYI: the scope of Florida's battle with invasive species ! These species thrive here for the same reason(s) snow birds do ! LOL !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_invasive_species_in_Florida


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## Boidae (Jan 29, 2020)

Vestathetegu said:


> The tegu ban was passed in Florida (where I live) and I have been researching what I can do to keep my 3 tegus that I have. The ban will be in effect on July 1st, so I have a little bit of time, but i was reading that I can send in an application for a class lll wildlife permit, which hopefully I can legally keep my tegus. I haven’t found too much more info on the situation, so I’m interested in anyone having a clue of what’s going on. My ultimate goal is to keep my pets and make sure they are safe. Any info or advice is appreciated



The ban hasn't been passed yet. There are still two meetings to go through, which means we still have time to stop it. Sign petitions, call/write your representatives.

There is time!


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 29, 2020)

TripleTegus said:


> I don't know for sure but in my opinion I don't see how they can go back that far. Pre-ban just means before the ban. I know it's in a different category but even with machine guns pre-ban is anything before the day it was banned may something of 1986 I don't recall the actual day. I just don't see how they can ban something and then say well you needed to have possession of said banned object 10 years before we banned it.


Right!? Because I don’t have a 9 year old tegu, means that I can keep my pets


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 29, 2020)

AlphaAlpha said:


> It's all a conspiracy for governments / rich and powerful to use as a tool to track and register the common people.........HAHA


Yeah I was told that the governments can’t do **** about wild life. It’s the fwc who would make those decisions and there is not only one way to solve this issue. There are better ways to go about this. One of the main reasons why they want to ban the green iguana are because they are damaging people’s property...


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 29, 2020)

Boidae said:


> The ban hasn't been passed yet. There are still two meetings to go through, which means we still have time to stop it. Sign petitions, call/write your representatives.
> 
> There is time!


I’ve signed the petition for change.org so far. They are up to maybe 6,000 signatures. I’ll keep looking for more


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 29, 2020)

bocacash said:


> This is the latest I could find on POSSIBLE ban on Tegus:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/UnitedStat...227663592526/2534513649963906/?type=3&theater
> 
> ...


Thank you, this was helpful. I also understand the snow bird statement. We are getting it pretty badly right now lol


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## rats (Jan 29, 2020)

NOTE: I am not a legal professional so take my words with a grain of salt!

Here's the actual text of the proposed bill: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/906/BillText/Filed/PDF 

I didn't see anything that would grandfather tegus that were owned prior to this bill unless the owner had a permit for the tegu(s) already issued in 2010. In any event, a license/permit is required to be able to keep tegus as pets from July 1, 2020 (this bill was passed, correct? The version I linked to was before it passed).

They also mention the ability of the commission to inspect if the tegu is "securely, safely, and properly penned."

I hope you folks in Florida can get some clarification on this bill.... and what you need to do to keep your pets.


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## Boidae (Jan 29, 2020)

rats said:


> NOTE: I am not a legal professional so take my words with a grain of salt!
> 
> Here's the actual text of the proposed bill: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/906/BillText/Filed/PDF
> 
> ...



You are correct, but USARK has posted before that the date will be changed to this year.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 29, 2020)

rats said:


> NOTE: I am not a legal professional so take my words with a grain of salt!
> 
> Here's the actual text of the proposed bill: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/906/BillText/Filed/PDF
> 
> ...


Thank you


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## Walter1 (Jan 29, 2020)

My love is for Florida.I believe that it should pass and it will. Argies will make it to the Tenessee border eating what shouldn't be eaten along the way. They are NOT at fault. We are.


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## Boidae (Jan 30, 2020)

Walter1 said:


> My love is for Florida.I believe that it should pass and it will. Argies will make it to the Tenessee border eating what shouldn't be eaten along the way. They are NOT at fault. We are.



Then you are part of the current problem we face.


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## TripleTegus (Jan 30, 2020)

There's nothing wrong with wanting to preserve the ecosystem. As unfortunate as it is the tegus don't belong here and there's nothing to keep them in check. I do believe something needs to be done to help preserve the native species. I don't think banning people from owning them however is the right action, but I don't really have a solution myself.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 30, 2020)

Walter1 said:


> My love is for Florida.I believe that it should pass and it will. Argies will make it to the Tenessee border eating what shouldn't be eaten along the way. They are NOT at fault. We are.


I agree with you, but I don’t think banning tegu owners is the answer. There’s multiple ways to solve a problem. South Florida has a lot of people who own tegus and I believe they would panic over the ban and set them free in the wild, believing they will have a better chance of survival in the wild.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 30, 2020)

TripleTegus said:


> There's nothing wrong with wanting to preserve the ecosystem. As unfortunate as it is the tegus don't belong here and there's nothing to keep them in check. I do believe something needs to be done to help preserve the native species. I don't think banning people from owning them however is the right action, but I don't really have a solution myself.


I think owning them and trapping them should be encouraged. People get fined all the time for fishing without a license or hunting out of season, so why can’t they make stricter laws on releasing into the wild.


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## TripleTegus (Jan 30, 2020)

Vestathetegu said:


> I think owning them and trapping them should be encouraged. People get fined all the time for fishing without a license or hunting out of season, so why can’t they make stricter laws on releasing into the wild.


I don't disagree with you. But you would have to be caught in the act to be fined. And most people breaking the law try really hard to not be caught.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 30, 2020)

TripleTegus said:


> I don't disagree with you. But you would have to be caught in the act to be fined. And most people breaking the law try really hard to not be caught.


That’s true, but assuming they will be able to kill off an entire species won’t work either, especially because they burrow.


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## TripleTegus (Jan 30, 2020)

That is very true. I think that's why we're in the place we are now. I don't think anyone really has a great plan to deal with the problem at hand. Unfortunately I'm a bit of a pessimist here but I think it's kinda to late.


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## Vestathetegu (Jan 30, 2020)

TripleTegus said:


> That is very true. I think that's why we're in the place we are now. I don't think anyone really has a great plan to deal with the problem at hand. Unfortunately I'm a bit of a pessimist here but I think it's kinda to late.


Yeah I agree. There are tons of them already. Also, a lot of people who own multiple. I know a few people who have more than 10 tegus. I feel like most would be released into the wild, which will devastate the Everglades even more. I don’t see anything good happening out of this


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## TripleTegus (Jan 30, 2020)

Vestathetegu said:


> Yeah I agree. There are tons of them already. Also, a lot of people who own multiple. I know a few people who have more than 10 tegus. I feel like most would be released into the wild, which will devastate the Everglades even more. I don’t see anything good happening out of this


Yeah it's kind of a sad reality of the situation. We can only hope those with tegus understand that releasing them into the wild isn't good for the animal that has been raised in captivity or the wild animals that were already there.


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## AlphaAlpha (Jan 30, 2020)

Unfortunately my view is that the damage is already done and there is a substantial population of Tegus in the wild that can never be rectified.....And as always rules and regulations are being brought forward 20 years too late.

Nature will find its true balance in time...... Plus its part of life for species to live and die, although this is sad its being going on since the beginning of time and no matter what happens we can not save everything.


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## Walter1 (Jan 30, 2020)

Vestathetegu said:


> Yeah I agree. There are tons of them already. Also, a lot of people who own multiple. I know a few people who have more than 10 tegus. I feel like most would be released into the wild, which will devastate the Everglades even more. I don’t see anything good happening out of this


Fortunately, the Everglades are safe from tegus in light of its hydrology. It's natural and disturbed upland habitats that are at risk.


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## Walter1 (Jan 30, 2020)

Boidae said:


> Then you are part of the current problem we face.


If the problem you face is obstruction to no lwgal restrictions to keeping of pets, then I am.


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## mdeford09 (Feb 13, 2020)

Does anyone know where this currently stands?

This is just sad. I lived in south FL for nearly 21 years and I fully understand invasive species need to go. There is a lot of species thriving that shouldn't be there and it's wrecking things.

However, we need to stop banning everything. "The Land of Free" is more than just a name. It's not "The Land of the Free, Except What I Don't Like or Understand.". Every other day something else is banned because of those reasons. Literally just read a story about a 6 year old with down syndrome getting the police called on them, at school, for making finger guns in class (google "finger guns in class down syndrome"). Perfect example of how a "ban it all" attitude is just asinine harms more than it helps.

All banning Tegus does is make it so responsible owners won't have them anymore. Only the irresponsible owners, who don't mind breaking the law, will have them. And guess who releases their animals into the wild once they're bored of them?

If you want them gone, change public opinion about them(reptiles in general, really). Make more aware just how intelligent they are. Make people more aware that even wild caught specimens make great pets. Then, have more people like Rodney Irwin from TegusOnly.com out trapping them for resell as pets. Heck, Florida could even take some of the money made and put it straight into Florida's Wildlife management. (that could already happen, I am not aware how the license works). It won't get rid of them, I am sure. At this point, I doubt anything will. But, it will make a massive noticeable dent in their wild populations. A MUCH larger dent than banning them ever will. The number of people hunting with drop and their numbers will increase once banned.

Instead there are news segments telling people are scary and big they are and how you need to keep your cats and small dogs indoors, just in case. It's the first, and most likely the only, opinion many people make of them. So of course general public is going to be against them and want to make them illegal. All they see is a big scary mean reptile. 

But, alas, posting this here is likely just preaching to the choir.


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## Vestathetegu (Feb 13, 2020)

I agree with you 100 percent. Unfortunately they passed the ban through two houses already and it’s including the red tegus as well as any other “tegu” species. Also, the second ban added that no one is allowed to keep them even with a permit. I find it hard to believe that it’s passing with zero nay sayers, when the ban hasn’t passed for the last few years. Something doesn’t seem right. I suppose they expect the tegu owners to hand them over to get put down? I have family in another state that offered to take them, so that seems to be my only option if the ban passed :/


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## mdeford09 (Feb 13, 2020)

That is incredibly sad to hear.

It seems like laws aren't made with facts or intelligence in mind. They're made from knee jerk reactions by those with very little understanding of the problem they're _trying_ to resolve. Like you said in one of your previous posts, if they ban them with permits too, many are just going to dump their Tegu into the wild. Which is the exact opposite of what is wanted.

If you live near Rodney, you should reach out to him and ask what he is doing. Last I heard, he is going to go speak in front of those who are voting. You should go too, if possible. The most I can do is keep supporting USARK and mail letters. But, I am out of state so my words likely don't matter much.


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## TripleTegus (Feb 13, 2020)

And what really sucks is they've added like 5 more bills that also include banning tegus and green iguanas that have nothing to do with it. One bill sb1414 is a bill for a free fishing day but at the end of the bill states also to ban tegus and iguanas. And they've all passed with no opposition. Definitely seems a little fishy.


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## mdeford09 (Feb 13, 2020)

That happens a lot, it seems. Add on multiple random things into a single bill. The more confusing, the less likely someone will notice is my guess as to why.

Agreed, it is fishy. It is likely someone really dislikes Tegus and Iguanas. I can certainly understand the iguanas. They're everywhere and so destructive. There were hundreds around our house 25 years ago. But, I have no idea why would be lumping them into the same category as iguanas.

That really does suck. Especially since many(most?) breeders are based out of FL. All of them are going to have their livelyhood ripped away in an instant.

Shame I don't live in FL anymore. I would be there speaking too.


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## TripleTegus (Feb 13, 2020)

There's a lot of breeders that's for sure. And again I hate to be the pessimist here but talking to those who aren't willing to listen is kind of a waste of breath. The government is taking control and unfortunately a fair majority of the US population seems to want it that way.


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## mdeford09 (Feb 14, 2020)

You know, while that is definitely pessimistic, there is truth to it. Especially many citizens wanting it that way. I don't believe it is the vast majority but, I do believe it is the vast majority of voters(only like 1/3 of the citizens in the US vote).. I could get into an entire multi-page philosophical discussion about why those people blindly follow others and even lick their boot heals while that person is duping and using them but, I don't think this is the place for it.

I will just say that those same blindly following people truly believe the only thing stopping a bad person from doing something bad, is a rule/law. They believe criminals will wake up, see the new law, and decide to stop being a criminal. So, to them, they need to get as many laws passed as possible. As soon as they do, the criminals will stop and everything will be rainbows and sunshine.

Truth is, most people are inherently good and know kindness and compassion even as infants. Just read something this morning about babies giving away food to starving friends, even when they're starving themselves. Google "Babies giving way food when hungry". It will be the top thing that comes up... But, there is a flip side to that. Babies that are selfish and less kind to others, never stop being that way. No amount of punishment, rules, laws, change their behavior. The fear of punishment does not hinder them at all. Rules and laws only hinder those willing to follow them and, those are the same kind and caring people who were doing the right thing before the law... I mean, there are already laws in Florida that prohibit the release of nonnative species and that didn't stop hundreds of pets being released. This new one won't stop it either.

However, like you said, you really can't convince those who don't want to change. You can't reason with an unreasonable person.... 


Anyways, I truly hope something good can from the ban attempt. Some sort of awesome middle ground that helps Florida, the owners, and the Tegus.


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## TripleTegus (Mar 3, 2020)

So I guess just an update for everyone who doesn't already know. As of now tegus and iguanas will be banned for future ownership but you will be grandfathered in if you already have one. Breeders and trappers will still be able to do business just no sales in Florida. And I think USARK is working on keeping the conditional species and not banning everything permanently.


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## rantology (Sep 3, 2020)

We've got an update on this! The ban has been repealed for the time being!





__ https://www.facebook.com/usarkfl/posts/326955288644991


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