Which states are ferrets illegal

According to DogsBite. Iowa, Kansas, and Ohio are the states with the highest volume of breed-specific legislation BSL regarding pit bulls and other breeds perceived as "dangerous," such as Doberman Pinschers, and Rottweilers. Technically speaking, the term "pit bull" refers to a dog group that encompasses diverse breeds, including the Staffordshire bull terrier and the miniature bull terrier.

Of course, this breed-specific legislation is highly controversial. The ASPCA and pro-pitbull advocates argue that it's not the breed that's dangerous, but irresponsible owners.

Treating them as such, providing them with the care, training, and supervision they require, and judging them by their actions and not by their DNA or their physical appearance is the best way to ensure that dogs and people can continue to share safe and happy lives together," the ASPCA says on the matter. Gerbils are illegal to own as pets in California and Hawaii because these states have a climate similar to the rodents' natural desert habitat. If they escape into the wild, they could form colonies and disrupt endemic flora and fauna.

Pet hamsters are prohibited in Hawaii because, like gerbils, they can escape into the wild and harm native plants and animals. The US banned the sale of small turtles as pets in to prevent the spread of salmonella — a bacteria that the reptiles are known to carry. Before the law was passed, there were an estimated , turtle-related infections each year in the early '70s , primarily in young children.

Although turtles can still be sold to be exported or used for educational purposes, they cannot be sold as pets if their shells are smaller than four inches long. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. Yes, ferrets can bite, but so do cats and dogs. Many people have come together and are working on having these laws changed; they are hoping to educate people about ferrets.

Even though they are easily available, ferrets are considered exotic pets. An animal is considered exotic if they are not native to the location—regardless of if they have been born and raised in captivity. However, the term is used loosely, as even some native species are considered exotic.

The ferret has become a very popular pet for many people, but now countries, states and provinces feel that they shouldn't be kept as pets. Pet ferrets can be found all over the world, but it is important to know whether you can legally keep them or not. This is an overview of some countries' laws, but please check your local laws before getting your fuzzy, little friend.

In the United States, each state is allowed to govern its own laws about owning a ferret. The regulations are quite varied across all the states. These can range from no regulations to vaccine requirements to straight-up bans. Keep in mind that just because there are no regulations on ferrets in some states, they will likely still have regulations on cats, dogs and other pets. The states in green have no regulations on having ferrets as pets; the states in yellow have minor regulations; the states in red have banned them.

This information is current as of It's always important to check with your city and state before making a ferret purchase. The ferret is not native to Australia and New Zealand, so their regulations are tight. Locations that allow ferrets have strict licensing requirements. New Zealand is a bit different. It is now illegal to sell, buy or breed ferrets there. However, individuals who had ferrets before these laws went into place in were allowed to keep them.

About the most harm a ferret could do is bite, but their bites are no worse or more frequent than those of a cat. Other common pets are much more dangerous, but the state has not seen fit to ban them. Cats can transmit bacterial infections cat scratch fever and toxoplasmosis, a particular threat to fetuses in pregnant women.

There are roughly 4. It generated about 10, signatures, but the shoestring campaign budget was not enough to get the issue before voters. It is no joke that people are just as attached to their pet ferrets as they are to their pet dogs and cats.