Regulations for the proper care of retiles:

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I hope it is b/c I am in need of serious help. I called the humane society and animal control to report the neglect of animals, furry and reptile alike, at a local pet store. I was told that they could do something about the "furry critters", but not about the reptiles unless the conditions were extreme because the state of AL did not have a complete list of set regulations that defined the proper care of reptiles or exotics. I know that there are a few guidelines in place, but am unsure what they are exactly. Either way, I can tell you from personal experience that they are not even close to being enforced here under any means. Does anyone know the list of regulations that legally define the proper care of any type of reptile or exotic pets? We're trying to get all of the needed information together because we are going to set up an online petition and get everything in place to have this changed. I refuse to let all of those animals sit in there and die because the owner of the store is an idiot and his employees are lazy. Thanks in advance for any advice or information.

Brightest Blessings to you all!

Hi there! Those regulations probably vary state by state (as do the laws stating what reptiles the pet stores can offer for sale in the first place, etc.) I would recontact your local humane society and ask what regulations or guidelines are in place. I am sure they are publicly available on an AL govt law website somewhere, you just have to know what state and/or local and/or city codes to look up.

Another option would be to go to your local library's reference desk and ask for information on state and local laws. If your local public library does not have it I pretty much guarantee that your local college or community college will have it for their law students. I would ask for the index and then you can probably look it up under 'animal' or 'pet' regulations and that will tell you which section of the actual legalese to look for.

Good luck!

In the "Ethics" forum, user bronxzoo just posted this article regarding how to help neglected or abused reptiles in captivity in stores, etc.

Reptile and Amhibian Abuse: Examples, Laws and how you can help forum topic


Bronxzoo also provided some resources for Canadians facing similar issues.