Yes or No... Iguanas?

[jc254]

Are they illegal/legal?

did kim win her case?

what is the status of them?

are there still breeders in NZ for them?

and go

[alanmin4304]

They are not legal, many have been destroyed but no doubt there are a few out there---still not legal. They are cute when small but I understand they can be pretty uncute when mature.

[dragonz1833]

Stupid importing laws i would love an iguana pm me lol

[alanmin4304]

No need to import them they will be here already but still not legal. Last ones I heard of were a young pair costing about $10k which were destroyed. It is possible to get free board and lodging for a couple of years as well as a pretty substantial fine. Best to stick to the legal reptiles I think.

[dragonz1833]

its not illegal if you dont get caught lol

[myfishybuisness]

its not illegal if you dont get caught lol

yes it still is illegal :roll:

[herperjosh]

Male iguanas are horrible when they are older. Like Alanmin said very uncute when big

[alanmin4304]

I know someone who was atacked by a large male overseas---reared up and tried to bite the face--very uncute.

[Nymox]

There is a video on youtube of a guy who gets his hand bit very bad, nearly looses a finger from memory. Slightly better deal then the woman who got eaten by her pet komodo mind you.

[Mcculloch]

Best to stick to the legal reptiles I think.

You want to send me a list of what's legal can't seem to find one anywhere, I can find one of definitely illegal reptiles.

[alanmin4304]

Bearded dragons-inland and coastal

Water dragons

Blue tongues where not outlawed by Regionl Council (Auckland etc)

leopard geckos

Hermans and spur thighed tortoise

Frogs-Australian (whistlers, golden and southern bell)

Turtles-red eared, snakeneck and reeves

NZ native lizards with the correct permits

And I am sure there are othes that can be added.

[David R]

I think Mcculloch was asking for something more official and not just off the top of your head. I too would love to see a list of all reptiles known to be in NZ (in containment and general release) and their status, but IMO its in the too-hard-basket for the authorities.

And as for the people injured/bitten by their pets, there will always be foolish people and unfortunate accidents. It certainly doesn't stop people keeping cats or dogs...

[Insect Direct]

fatal attractions on tv1 (tonight i think) has been a good watch so far.

last week some chick got killed by her snake :lol:

[Aquila]

If you really want an iguana, it would be cheaper to buy a $1500 plane ticket to move to North America than visit a pet store and buy one for $12.

I've had one before. They are not horrible as adults. More lazy if anything. They don't bite people spontaneously but you have to worry more about being tail whipped then anything else if they are grumpy or scared. A full grown male iguana is capable of breaking an adult humans' arm (and sometimes leg) with a tail whip.

[herperjosh]

imo natives beat ANY other lizard. would much rather have them over an iguana

[Ira]

imo natives beat ANY other lizard. would much rather have them over an iguana

A tuatara probably might make a cool pet.

[#!CrunchBang]

A tuatara probably might make a cool pet.

I know geckos do.

[Mcculloch]

Bearded dragons-inland and coastal

Water dragons

Blue tongues where not outlawed by Regionl Council (Auckland etc)

leopard geckos

Hermans and spur thighed tortoise

Frogs-Australian (whistlers, golden and southern bell)

Turtles-red eared, snakeneck and reeves

NZ native lizards with the correct permits

And I am sure there are othes that can be added.

But what makes them legal can they all be traced back to a legal import for general release?

Seems like that's the only way to make them truly "legal" in this country.

I know if I had some chameleons for example even if I knew they were descended from legally imported stock, I wouldn't want maf to know because bottom line they can't be trusted.

(I don't have chameleons by the way) :-? .

[Mcculloch]

I know geckos do.

N.z natives are great am applying for a permit soon.

Also think adult male Iguanas are awesome

[herperjosh]

Having a tuatara would be epic. Make people overseas jellous. I wonder If tuatara numbers increase over the years to a good amount if they will become available to native reptile keepers with the appropriate permit?

[repto]

rumour has there are quite a few in private hands overseas???maybe we are the ones that should be jealous,even zoos and parks have to jump through many hoops and are still not gauranteed to be able to hold them?(tuataras)

[livingart]

Bearded dragons-inland and coastal

Water dragons

Blue tongues where not outlawed by Regionl Council (Auckland etc)

leopard geckos

Hermans and spur thighed tortoise

Frogs-Australian (whistlers, golden and southern bell)

Turtles-red eared, snakeneck and reeves

NZ native lizards with the correct permits

And I am sure there are othes that can be added.

shinglebacks

that's as official as it gets

until you want to test the water

[livingart]

probably the most complete list i have seen compiled

Exotic Amphibians And Reptiles In New Zealand

12-03-2011

Following on from the other animal lists for mammals and birds, here are the exotic amphibians and reptiles in captivity in New Zealand. Native species (not listed below) include four species of frogs, eighty-odd species of skinks and geckoes, and two species of tuatara. The species in the list are those I know are in New Zealand that are held legally. Most are to be seen within zoos and aquariums; some chelonians are kept only in the private sector but would be available to zoos if they sought them out.

AMPHIBIANS

(these are the only exotic amphibians held legally in NZ, either publicly or privately. Other species are also held illegally, ones that have cropped up most recently being White's tree frog Litoria caerulea in 2009 and banjo frog Limnodynastes sp. in 1999)

*Golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) -- introduced Australian species found wild in the top half of the North Island.

*Southern bell frog (Litoria raniformis) -- introduced Australian species common all over New Zealand.

*Whistling frog (Litoria ewingii) -- introduced Australian species common in parts of New Zealand.

*African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) -- originally brought in by University labs, now seen in some zoos and aquariums as well. Not legal to keep privately.

*Cane toad (Bufo marinus) -- originally brought in by University labs, sometimes seen in some zoos and aquariums (I haven't actually seen any in a while so not sure if there's any in the country now). Not legal to keep privately.

*Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) -- common in the pet trade in various colour forms; sometimes seen in zoos and aquariums.

*Japanese fire-bellied newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster) -- the commonest of the two fire-bellied newt species in the pet trade here. The populations of both species in NZ descend from smuggled animals.

*Chinese fire-bellied newt (Cynops orientalis)

SNAKES

(no exotic snakes are allowed to be held in NZ, even for zoos. The larger zoos (i.e. Wellington and Auckland) have tried in the past to be permitted to hold male individuals of non-venomous species that wouldn't be able to survive in the NZ climate but have been rejected every time. The only "native" snakes in NZ, in the sense that the individuals make their own way to the country, are the sea snakes which occasionally wash up on our shores half-moribund with cold. These are usually yellow-bellied sea snakes Pelamis platurus although banded sea snakes Laticauda colubrina also occur from time to time. Sea snakes which are still alive are taken to Kelly Tarton's in Auckland for care, and they are sometimes displayed to the public until fit enough to be released in the tropical Pacific)

LIZARDS

(there are more species than listed here kept privately, mainly Australian species, but most of those are either outright illegal or are on shaky legal ground. As well as the following species, I also remember Auckland Zoo having an Asian bloodsucker Calotes versicolor and Fijian banded iguanas Brachylophus fasciatus in their collection in the 1990s, but their old reptile house/aquarium has been closed up for several years now and I don't know what's still there. Wellington Zoo and the National Aquarium (Napier) had green iguanas Iguana iguana in the mid-1980s to early 1990s that had been bred at Taronga Zoo; there are also green iguanas being kept illegally in NZ from smuggled animals)

*Scheltopusik (Ophisaurus (or Pseudopus) apodus) -- there was a pair of these at Auckland Zoo for decades but now only one is left. They make a good snake-substitute; you'd be surprised how many people think the zoo there keeps snakes!

*Jackson's chameleon (Chamaeleo jacksonii) -- originally at Auckland Zoo although I'm not sure when or from whence they came. Stock bred there later went to Ti Point (which was good, as Auckland Zoo managed to kill all the ones they had left!). Not legal to keep privately.

*Gould's monitor (Varanus gouldii) -- there was one at Ti Point in 2009 which now appears to be gone; I saw a small-ish one at Wellington Zoo in 2002 as well, which could have been the same individual. The Ti Point individual is/was the only monitor now in any NZ zoo although lace monitors Varanus varius used to be seen frequently. There appear to be a few individuals of smaller monitor species kept privately however.

*Eastern water dragon (Physignathus lesueurii) -- originally mainly seen in zoos (Auckland Zoo in particular was breeding them well), but now common in the private sector as well.

*Inland (central) bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) -- common in both zoos and the private sector. Fairly recently colour morphs (especially reds and yellows) have started appearing in the pet trade, despite these morphs not appearing overseas before legal imports to NZ were halted.

*Coastal (eastern) bearded dragon (Pogona barbata) -- appeared out of nowhere seemingly......

*Eastern blue-tongue skink (Tiliqua scincoides) -- very common in zoos and the private sector. (Apparently there are some other species held privately in NZ as well but who knows).

*Stump-tailed skink (Tiliqua (or Trachydosaurus) rugosus) -- not many left in NZ zoos any more. Still some in private hands as well.

*Cunningham's skink (Egernia cunninghami) -- not many in NZ zoos. Still in the private sector but I don't know how common/rare they are.

*Rainbow skink (Leiolopisma delicata) -- introduced Australian species common in the wild in the North Island.

*Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularus) -- originally a few individuals (four?) imported by Orana Park for their then-new reptile house, later passed on to Eric Fox of Otorohanga Kiwi House who bred them, and from there they entered the private sector. Recently colour morphs have started appearing on the market which is nothing if not suspicious.

*Madagascar day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis) -- originally imported from Australia in about 2000 (presumably by Auckland Zoo, I'm not quite sure). There are still not a lot of them around. I know they are currently at Wellington Zoo, Hamilton Zoo, Ti Point, the Parrot Ranch, and the Dunedin Butterfly House. Not legal to keep privately, but apparently there are people with them.

*House gecko (Gekko monarchus) -- at Ti Point

*Northern dtella (Gehyra australis) -- at Ti Point

CHELONIANS

(the turtles are found mainly in the private sector and range in abundance from very common to very rare; zoos could obtain them easily from breeders if they wanted them. Apart for the Greek and Hermann's most of the tortoises could be classed as rare to very rare in NZ, and are mostly housed at Ti Point. There's probably a few more species in NZ than listed below but they would be composed of one or two old individuals unless descended from smuggled animals)

*Galapagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) -- a male and two females at Auckland Zoo, and one male at Ti Point (ex-Auckland Zoo). I believe all four were imported from Honolulu Zoo in 1983 (the two males definitely were).

*Red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria) -- at Ti Point

*Yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulata) -- at Ti Point

*Chaco / pampas tortoise (Chelonoidis petersi / C. chilensis) -- at Ti Point [in NZ these are called chaco tortoises with the scientific name Geochelone chilensis (under the older genus name), but the chaco tortoise is petersi and the pampas tortoise is chilensis so I'm not actually sure which is the species in NZ]

*Texas tortoise (Gopherus berlandieri) -- at Ti Point

*Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) -- at Ti Point and Auckland Zoo

*Elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) -- a few in private hands

*Greek (spur-thighed) tortoise (Testudo graeca) -- the commonest tortoise in the NZ pet trade

*Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) -- the second-commonest tortoise in the NZ pet trade

*Leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) -- two females confiscated at Wellington airport in 1996 were sent to Auckland Zoo where they were joined in 2002 by a male donated by a lady from Dunedin who had been keeping him as a pet since being given him in northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in 1958! Ti Point also had at least one leopard tortoise, but Auckland Zoo has bred quite a number from their trio and the young ones can be seen in several other NZ zoos now. They are not currently legal to keep privately.

*Red-eared terrapin (Trachemys scripta elegans) -- very common in the pet trade. There are suggestions in some circles that they should be banned to prevent them becoming established in the wild as a pest.

*Cumberlands terrapin (Trachemys scripta troostii)

*Painted terrapin (Chrysemys picta)

*Florida cooter (Pseudemys floridana)

*Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) -- may be none left now

*Carolina box turtle (Terrapene carolina) -- may still be some other Terrapene species around as well

*Reeves' turtle (Chinemys reevesii)

*Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata)

*Striped leaf turtle (Cyclemys atripons)

*Spiny turtle (Heosemys spinosa)

*Asian box turtle (Cuora amboinensis)

*Chinese box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata) and possibly some of the other Cuora species

*Murray River turtle (Emydura macquarii)

*Eastern snakeneck (Chelodina longicollis)

*Narrow-breasted snakeneck (Chelodina oblonga) -- may still be around

*Broad-shelled snakeneck (Chelodina expansa) -- may still be around

*Matamata (Chelus fimbriatus) -- used to be in NZ, probably none left now

*Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox) -- at Ti Point and (formerly?) National Aquarium in Napier (the Ti Point ones were bred at Napier)

*Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)

*Snapping turtle -- I can't remember if the one(s) in NZ were common or alligator snappers. I doubt there's any left now.

*Marine turtles are/have been kept at Kelly Tarlton's and the National Aquarium in Napier. The latter keeps two hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) which came from Fiji in 1979. Kelly Tarlton's rescues any sea turtles that wash up in NZ and after recovery at the facility return them to the wild in the tropical Pacific.

http://www.zoochat.com/17/exotic-amphibians-reptiles-new-zealand-205707/

[David R]

*Leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) -- two females confiscated at Wellington airport in 1996 were sent to Auckland Zoo where they were joined in 2002 by a male donated by a lady from Dunedin who had been keeping him as a pet since being given him in northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in 1958! Ti Point also had at least one leopard tortoise, but Auckland Zoo has bred quite a number from their trio and the young ones can be seen in several other NZ zoos now. They are not currently legal to keep privately.

I thought there was some confusion about their status last time that topic was discussed?

[herperjosh]

rumour has there are quite a few in private hands overseas???maybe we are the ones that should be jealous,even zoos and parks have to jump through many hoops and are still not gauranteed to be able to hold them?(tuataras)

I have seen videos on you tube of American zoos releasing them into their enclosures. That my be true about the tuatara in private overseas hands. Native geckos are in private hands overseas.