Question

[ZenHerper]

You are allowed to own bog turtles in any state I thought you couldn’t own Those

Not sure what you mean. I said:

...
There are some species that may not be kept (bog turtles and any ESAs without a CBW - yep, you'd have to move), but most can. ...

No bogs, no ESAs-without-CBW in New Jersey.

 

[pacific chelonians]

I did not know you could own bog turtles anywhere in the USA without an AZA

 

[ZenHerper]

I did not know you could own bog turtles anywhere in the USA without an AZA

That would not surprise me. But they are not granted permits in NJ under any circumstances.

 

[Mrs.Jennifer]

New Jersey has weird turtle laws because of a 1970s Health Dept spin about salmonella (which is contracted mostly from food, then and now). The Wildlife Dept is in charge of enforcing. This law says that turtles/tortoises may not be sold within the state. So NJ residents who want these types of reptiles have to source them elsewhere. @HermanniChris cannot sell me one of his well-cared for CBs, but Tortoise Town can ship sickly, wrongly-identified, wild-collected animals in-and-out of the state all day long.

There are some species that may not be kept (bog turtles and any ESAs without a CBW - yep, you'd have to move), but most can. You have to have the standard $10/year wildlife permit. The application is straightforward, requiring a sales receipt/transfer declaration of said animal, knowledge of a veterinary office that sees exotics, and a description of how the animal is to be housed and cared for. Eastern painted turtles and common snappers don't need permits (but don't collect them from the wild! - all wildlife poaching is prohibited).

Chris kindly keeps his summary up to date here for anyone needing the NJ lowdown:

NJ TURTLE LAWS | GardenStateTortoise

www.gardenstatetortoise.com

Contact the Wildlife office with specific questions - they have done a very good job of making things work as well and fairly as possible.

**********************

My political analysis is that entities like TT essentially ruin everything for everyone else...while "protection" laws are enacted to ostensibly help animals kept and transacted under poor conditions, the impulse to take enforcement to logical extremes damages genuine efforts to enjoy and support species survival.

Of course, women and people of color are no strangers to the harm of Patronizing Logical Extremes. The U.S. Supreme Court is now poised to damage generations.

Are we helpless? Only in a Learned Helplessness sort of way. Read. Study. Discuss. Vote. Then hold politicians responsible for their appointments and choices. Watch out for legal changes...comment on proposed laws and by-laws. Make the powers-that-be know you by name.

I’ve always argued that anyone who puts a turtle in their mouth deserves salmonella. Just sayin’...

 

[ZenHerper]

I’ve always argued that anyone who puts a turtle in their mouth deserves salmonella. Just sayin’...

Thank you. You have my vote!


Note that it is perfectly all right to kiss any other kind of reptile, amphibian, fish, crustacean (no axolotls), chicken, parakeet...