Exotic Pet Laws: Real Restrictions in the US, UK, EU and Australia

This page is for anyone buying, moving with or selling a pet that is not a dog or cat. It lists real restrictions that affect common pets, each with its legal source, and then shows how to check the rules where you live. Laws change, so treat the table as a starting point and confirm with the agency named in each row.

Restrictions that affect common pets

Where	Rule	Pets affected	What it means for owners
California, US	Fish & Game Code § 2118 prohibitions (CDFW)	Ferrets, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, gerbils, monkeys, monk parakeets (CDFW)	Cannot be kept as pets. Restricted species permits are not issued for pet purposes (CDFW)
United States	21 CFR 1240.62, in force since 1975 (eCFR; CDC)	Turtles and tortoises with a shell under 4 in (10 cm), and viable turtle eggs (eCFR)	Cannot be sold or commercially distributed. Exemptions: bona fide science, education or exhibition (not pets), non-business distribution, export only (eCFR)
European Union	Regulation (EU) 1143/2014, Union list (European Commission)	Red-eared, yellow-bellied and Cumberland sliders (Trachemys scripta), grey squirrel, Siberian chipmunk, raccoon, coati, American bullfrog, marbled crayfish (European Commission)	Restrictions on keeping, importing, selling, breeding and releasing (European Commission)
Great Britain	Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 (legislation.gov.uk)	Includes all crocodilians, cobras and other elapids, all vipers, Gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard, widow and funnel-web spiders, buthid scorpions (legislation.gov.uk)	Keeping requires a local authority licence, a vet inspection of the premises and liability insurance (legislation.gov.uk)
Florida, US	FAC 68-5.006, amended 29 April 2021 (FWC rule)	Burmese, reticulated, Northern African and Southern African pythons, green and yellow anacondas, Nile monitor, green iguana, all tegus, among others (FWC rule)	Prohibited without permit. Owners before listing can get a lifetime personal-use permit; no new animals may be acquired (FWC rule)
United States	Lacey Act injurious wildlife list (USFWS)	Burmese python (listed 2012), yellow anaconda, northern snakehead, raccoon dog, mongooses (USFWS)	Import forbidden except by permit for zoological, educational, medical or scientific use (USFWS)
Queensland, Australia	Biosecurity Act 2014 (Business Queensland)	Rabbits; also ferrets, gerbils, hamsters and American corn snakes (Queensland Government)	“You cannot keep a rabbit as a pet in Queensland.” Keeping, supplying or releasing them carries penalties (Business Queensland)
Worldwide (CITES)	Appendix I since 2 January 2017 (Species+)	African grey parrot, Psittacus erithacus (Species+)	International trade is tightly controlled. In the UK, selling one needs an APHA Article 10 certificate (NWCU)

How to check your own area

Work from the top down. A pet can be legal nationally and banned by your state, county, city or lease.

1. National or federal list. In the US, check the USFWS injurious wildlife list. In Great Britain, check the Dangerous Wild Animals Act schedule. In the EU, check the Union list of invasive alien species.
2. State, territory or devolved rules. US state wildlife agencies (CDFW, FWC) and Australian state governments (Queensland) publish their own prohibited lists, which are often longer than the federal one.
3. County and city ordinances. Search your municipal code for “exotic animal” or the species name.
4. Housing rules. Leases and homeowners’ association rules can ban animals that are legal everywhere else. See apartment pet keeping.
5. Trade rules for the species. For parrots, tortoises and some reptiles, check the CITES listing on Species+, and ask the seller for paperwork before you pay.
6. Get it in writing. Email the agency with the species’ scientific name and keep the reply. Common names vary; scientific names don’t.

CITES and parrots

CITES controls international trade, not keeping a pet at home. The African grey moved there with effect from 2 January 2017 (Species+).

In the UK the domestic effect came through the EU wildlife trade regulations. The National Wildlife Crime Unit says the species moved from Annex B to Annex A on 4 February 2017, so any commercial use, including selling a pet bird, needs an Article 10 certificate from APHA (NWCU). In a 2019 case reported by the NWCU, a seller who sold a grey for £350 with no certificate, and a certificate that turned out to be false (its ring number didn’t match the bird), was convicted and given a six-month curfew order (NWCU).

Before buying an African grey in the UK, check that the certificate’s ring number matches the bird’s closed ring.

Mistakes that lead to confiscation or fines

• Moving with a pet you assumed was legal. A gerbil, ferret or hamster that was ordinary in one state is prohibited in Queensland (Queensland Government), and ferrets and gerbils are prohibited in California (CDFW).
• Buying a hatchling slider at a market. Selling a turtle under 4 in is a federal violation in the US (eCFR), and in the EU Trachemys scripta is restricted (European Commission). See the red-eared slider guide.
• Releasing an unwanted pet. Business Queensland bans releasing rabbits, and the EU regulation restricts release of listed species. The Commission says over 50 million sliders were once imported into Europe as pets, and many escaped or were deliberately released (European Commission).
• Acquiring a second Florida tegu or iguana. Personal-use permits cover only animals owned before listing, and “no additional specimens may be acquired” (FWC rule).
• Selling a parrot without paperwork. In the UK an African grey sale without a valid Article 10 certificate is an offence (NWCU).