What is the most exotic pet you can own in Texas? (2024)

FAQs

Are exotic pets illegal in Texas? ›

Since 2001, Texas law has required that people who own exotic animals like Cruizer — or other exotic animals like lions, bears and chimpanzees — register their animals with their municipal or county animal control offices. The law leaves it up to local governments to regulate exotic pet ownership or ban it outright.

What Exotic Pets Are Legal in Texas? The quick answer is that pretty much all animals are technically legal under state laws, but only if you start a USDA-licensed facility. Animals like tigers, bears, gorillas, and cheetahs can technically be owned if you are able to get a certificate of registration.

Lemurs. These enchanting primates are surprisingly easy to keep in captivity, compared to other species. While it is legal to own lemurs in Texas, they cannot be sold across state lines due to their status as an endangered species.

And yes! Fennec foxes and bat-eared foxes are legal to own as pets in the state of Texas, as they are African species of fox. Keeping native wildlife species like the red fox as pets is still banned in Texas.

(a) No person may possess, transport, receive, or release a live wolf in this state.

According to Texas law, to own a tiger, one must carry at least $100,000 liability insurance. Owners are required to register their dangerous animals with local health authorities and submit a copy of the registration to the Department of State Health and Human Services.

You might think it's illegal to buy or sell an endangered tiger cub in Texas, but it isn't. For $500, you can buy an orange Bengal tiger and tie it up in your yard, no questions asked (a white tiger will cost you $5,000). It's all perfectly legal in Texas. The exotic animal trade is a billion-dollar industry.

Under § 26-40a, no person shall possess a potentially dangerous animal, which includes wildlife such as the lion, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, ocelot, jaguarundi cat, puma, lynx, or bobcat.

Question: Can you own a hyena in Texas? Answer: Hyenas are classified as dangerous wild animals in Texas. "A person may not own, harbor, or have custody or control of a dangerous wild animal for any purpose unless the person holds a certificate of registration for that animal issued by an animal registration agency."

The Harris County Public Health Department has rules for keeping dangerous wild animals as pets, which it defines as "a lion, a tiger, an ocelot, a cougar, a leopard, a cheetah, a jaguar, a bobcat, a lynx, a serval, a caracal, a hyena, a bear, a coyote, a jackal, a baboon, a chimpanzee, an orangutan, a gorilla or any ...

Can I own a capybara in Texas? ›

For some examples, capybaras are banned as pets in California and Georgia. However, they are legal to possess in Texas, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Texas, a state that likes its pets flashy, is naturally not among the states that prohibit the ownership of gliders, including California, Georgia, Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Texas law bans people from owning some types of animals, but sloths are not on that list. Individuals who wish to own an exotic pet or wild animal may need to apply for a license or certificate of registration.

So, you might be wondering, does this extend in the lone star state to monkeys? In fact, it does. The ownership of monkeys is entirely legal in Texas, regardless of the breed. The reason for this is like many other states, Texas sees there to be no need to have legal ownership for individuals who own exotic pets.

In Texas, these include skunks, raccoons, white-tailed deer, cottontails, jackrabbits and squirrels, among many others. Since these animals are found in the wild and are native to the environment, they are not allowed to be owned.

Silver foxes may be found over much of the northern hemisphere and even in Australia. Humans introduced them to many habitats for hunting purposes. In North America, they are found mostly in the Northwest although historically they were trapped in the East.

even if luna is such a beautiful animal, a panther is not domesticated. it's better for the wild animal to return to the wild, or let it be taken care of in a facility where people have expertise in caring for panthers like luna.

But an elephant is not an endangered species, so anyone whose zoning laws don't prohibit elephants can have an elephant as a pet.

They have this unique, social hierarchy. All the females are dominant over the males. Females are typically bigger, stronger.” The Texas hyenas would be available to veterinarians and veterinary students for observation.

Can you legally own a panther in Texas? ›

Exotic Animal Laws in Texas

Exotic animal ownership laws in Texas are some of the most lenient in the country. Possession and regulation of exotic animals are controlled by the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife. To own a tiger or other large cat in Texas, all you have to do is qualify for a permit.

A Military Surplus Tank As far as I can tell, there's no law against shelling out the cash to buy a tank, and there are quite a few websites that specialize in the sale of old armored vehicles to civilians, including tanks.

Explosive devices, grenades, RPGs, IEDs, dynamite, and chemical dispersion devices – Third-degree felony and punishable by from 2 to 10 years in state prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

Lion can be adopted for Rs 2.5 lakh, a leopard for Rs 1.15 lakh and the cheapest would be the barking deer at the cost of Rs 10,000 per annum. MUMBAI: Rising cost of maintenance is forcing the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to put up its animals in captivity for adoption.

Tigers are not domesticated cats. None of the six surviving species of tiger (another three are extinct) should be kept as pets. A majority of states in the U.S. have instituted bans on keeping any of the big cat species as pets.

White tigers became their signature animal and established the market value for white tiger cubs with black stripes at $30,000 and pure white tigers (no stripes) at $100,000.

"In Texas, there is actually thousands of zebras that are in private collections," Forthman said. "It's just something that is not regulated by the state, so people are allowed to have zebras."

No person may take, sell, purchase, or possess an alligator, an alligator egg, or any part of an alligator in this state except as permitted by the regulations of the commission.

It is illegal to own Argentine black-and-white tegus as pets, but the market still thrives. Noted for their unusually high intelligence, tegus can be house-broken. Additionally, they can run at high speeds.

Make the Most of Your Wild Game Hunting

Exotic species such as Aoudad sheep, feral hogs, Russian boars, Fallow deer, Axis deer and even Sika deer can be hunted year round since they are non-native animals.

How much is a finger monkey? ›

2021 Prices for Finger Monkeys: Finger Monkies typically cost $4,500-$7,000. Finger monkeys, also called "pocket monkeys" and "pygmy marmosets," are tiny monkeys that typically are 5"-6" in size. They are one of the few species of monkey that are allowed to live as domesticated pets in some states.

IT IS ILLEGAL!

Being an endangered species, it is illegal to trade in them. If someone was caught with a live red panda they could be fined or even sent to prison!

How much do Fennec Foxes cost? Fennec Foxes typically sell for about $2,500 each. Exotic pets like foxes are often expensive due to the unique care requirements, inability to produce multiple litters a year, special diets needed, high demand, licensing fees, and shipping charges.

Pet Spider Monkeys Are Expensive

Just buying a pet spider monkey is likely to cost a minimum of $10,000 and often more. Adult spider monkeys need a specialized enclosure to live safely, which can be expensive to build.

Pet monkeys typically cost between $4,000 and $8,000 each. However, this will depend on the monkey's age, rarity and temperament.

Kangaroo. Kangaroos are known to attack when they feel panicked or threatened, so they're probably not the best choice for a pet — especially if you have a dog. If you still want one, you'll need to budget for a purchase price of roughly $2,000 to $3,000 and $9 per day to feed it.

Opossums are classified as furbearers in Texas, but it is legal to trap them. Under state law a person may take furbearing animals at any time if they are causing damage; however, their pelts can be sold only during the furbearer season and with the proper licenses.

Texas. A certificate of registration is required in Texas if you want to own a dangerous wild animal. This category of animals includes wild cats, bears, coyotes, gorillas, chimpanzees, and several other non-domesticated species.

The fennec fox is a wild animal, but can also be considered a good pet given the right environment and care. They are social animals which make them a great candidate for a house pet as long as their needs are met properly. Fennec foxes can even be litter trained with enough patience!

Do sugar gliders bite hurt? ›

Most sugar glider bites do not hurt. Any bite that's made as an act of affection or is done on accident almost never hurts and ranges from a dull poke to a tiny pinch. However, fear-based bites can hurt depending on the sugar glider and reason behind the bite.

The laws regarding penguins are far stricter than with other exotic animals, not just in the US, but in the entire world. Suffice to say that penguins are definitely illegal to keep as pets in America.

Keeping a platypus as a pet is almost entirely out of the question. It's threatened in the wild and it's probably not even legal. Its care and diet are not easy to replicate for the hobbyist. As if you need any other reason, there's one that might hit closer to home.

The reality is they don't make great pets, and in some states it is illegal to own one. Foxes are wild animals, meaning they have not been domesticated. Unlike other species like dogs and cats, which have been bred to live easily with people, foxes don't do well as indoor animals.

Expect to spend around $1,500 to $3,500 on average for a young fennec from a reputable breeder. A price less than this is usually a red flag and potentially the sign of some sort of scam.

You can also buy a dragon from your local pet store, though it may be more difficult to ensure the dragon is healthy. The best option is to buy a dragon from a breeder, but if you are not able to get in contact with a breeder, the pet store may be your only option.

Even though they're adorable with their big saucer-like eyes, Bush Babies do not make good pets and they're illegal to own in most states. Bush Babies are not easy to tame, they pee on their hands and spread the urine around, plus they make loud baby-like sounds that can wake the dead!

No, in the US, Australia and many other countries, it is illegal to keep a fruit bat as a pet. This includes the Flying Fox.

Do silver foxes exist? ›

Silver foxes may be found over much of the northern hemisphere and even in Australia. Humans introduced them to many habitats for hunting purposes. In North America, they are found mostly in the Northwest although historically they were trapped in the East.

Short answer: no, they can't. They simply don't have compatible parts. (Of course, that doesn't mean they can't be friends: witness Juniper the Fox and Moose the Dog, above). The longer answer to why dog-fox hybrids can't exist has to do with the two species having vastly different numbers of chromosomes.

Purchasing a Tiger

According to Big Cat Rescue, a tiger cub is at the top of the price range for exotic cats, at around $7,500.

Since Komodo Dragons are an endangered species, it's currently illegal to own one. However, even if it was legal to own a Komodo Dragon, there are plenty of reasons that you should be wary of doing so.

Chinese scholars have classified the dragon as one of the 369 animal species with scales. Long before the development of paleontology, people unearthed fossilized bones in Asia and Europe--and believed they had found the remains of dragons from an earlier age.

Some people keep these little lizards as a pet, though they are tricky to care for, especially for a beginner. Flying lizards are skittish and need a huge enclosure full of vegetation and even small trees.

About Pizzatoru

Pizzatoru isn't your average Instagram-famous pet. This Senegal bushbaby is one of a kind pint-sized primate living in Japan, and is currently followed by more than 240K followers on Instagram, where he shows off a variety of outfits and enjoys snacks of cheese and sweet potato.

Bush babies, also called galagos, are small, saucer-eyed primates that spend most of their lives in trees. At least 20 species of galago are known, though some experts believe many are yet to be discovered. Also known as nagapies, which means “night monkeys” in Afrikaans, all galagos are considered nocturnal.

In the United States, a greater bush baby generally costs around $4000+ as of 2020. Being less common exotic pets, their price has risen steadily over the years and that trend will most likely continue. The few breeders who produce bush babies also have about 1-2 young born per birth.