Do you see dogs and cats as boring pets and want something more exotic? Well, there are critters you’d better steer clear of, as they’re illegal! While regulations vary from state to state, here are 20 animals you can’t legally own in the U.S.
Roosters
Don’t get us wrong; you can own a pet chicken, but this privilege only applies to hens. In many states across the US, you’re banned from keeping a rooster in your home. Special restrictions exist because roosters’ annoying crowing sound constitutes a public nuisance in residential neighborhoods.
Tarantulas
Tarantulas are dangerously venomous, so states like New York and Hawaii have laws against keeping them as pets. If you do, you face huge penalties. For instance, in Hawaii, you face up to $200,000 in fines and three years in jail for keeping a tarantula!
Squirrels
Owning a squirrel as a pet is banned in up to 26 states across the US. Yes, they’re just as small and cute as hamsters, but Texas’ A&M University explains that squirrels are wild animals that are hard to train and are known to cause a public nuisance when left unchecked.
Dolphins
Dolphins are banned in California, Hawaii, North Carolina, and New York, but we have to question how you would keep one in the first place! Bans are justified because these animals need very stringent social and biological environments to thrive, which humans can’t provide. Surely that’s common sense!?
Wolves
Although wolves may be relatives of our canine friends at home, they aren’t as domesticated as dogs. Their biological makeup also makes them dangerous, regardless of whether they’re brought up in captivity. This is why they’re banned in Colorado, California, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, and many other states.
Alligators
While states like New Mexico, Florida, and Texas require you to have a license to own one, alligators are totally banned in most other states in the US. Of course, they’re animals that are dangerous to keep around, but most bans are intended to protect these creatures from going extinct.
Deer
Keeping deer as pets is banned in 35 states and requires a license in 11 states. Why? Well, they aren’t as cute as you may think them to be. As wild animals, deer grow up to be viciously territorial and have antlers that could be fatal to humans in an attack.
Raccoons
Raccoons are also regarded as illegal pets or are extremely restricted in most states across the US, with only 16 states deeming them legal. These critters are dangerous due to their distemper, salmonella, leptospirosis, and rabies, and there aren’t any confirmed vaccine treatments for them. Best to stick with dogs.
Iguanas
Iguanas aren’t the most dangerous animals on our list, but they can threaten native species, so they’re banned as pets all over the US. The Guardian reports that even a state like Florida, with great tolerance for exotic species, banned iguanas because of their invasive nature.
Sheep
California enforces a ban on big-horn sheep, while New York City has a total ban on keeping all types of sheep as pets. In California, prohibitions are in place to protect public health and stop an uncontrolled sheep population from wreaking havoc on the state’s agricultural interests.
Bees
Bees are considered an endangered species in many states across the US, which is why there are bans enforced against keeping them as pets. There’s a catch, however. Many of these states still allow you to keep only honeybees as pets, both for commercial and non-commercial use.
Eagles
To conserve the species, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits the ownership of eagles in the US unless you acquire the right permits. This federal regulation also bans the killing, harming, and selling of eagles, eagle eggs, and eagle nests.
Monkeys
Monkeys are banned as pets in 25 states across the US, and you need a permit to own them in 12 other states. National Geographic makes a case for the bans, explaining that “in an attempt to establish dominance, monkeys may attack their human family members.” That says it all, really!
Skunk
Domestic and wild skunk species have separate regulations, with the latter understandably facing more stringent restrictions. There are 33 states with total bans on pet domestic skunks, and 13 require permits to own one. Wyoming is the only state that permits the ownership of a wild skunk.
Kangaroos
A majority of 37 states have either total bans or restrictions on owning a kangaroo as a pet. Where bans are in place, they typically cover other marsupials like wallabies, opossums, and koalas. These regulations mostly exist to protect kangaroos as a commercially threatened species, although they’re pretty aggressive, too!
Hedgehogs
Taken from a PETA post, “It’s currently illegal to own a hedgehog in California, Georgia, Hawaii, New York City, Omaha, and Washington, D.C.” Hedgehogs are said to carry foot and mouth diseases that are dangerous to native animals—especially cloven-hoofed species like cows, goats, and buffalo.
Asian Arowana
They may be beautiful creatures you’d love to stare at all day, but the Asian arowana is completely banned as a pet across America. As a critically endangered fish, it is deemed illegal to import it into the US, use it in international trade, or possess it in any form.
Sugar Gliders
It’s mostly legal to own sugar gliders in the US unless you live in Alaska, California, or Hawaii. Georgia, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania require a permit to own one, and Spruce Pets believes these controls are in place to protect the wild sugar glider population from depleting.
Ferrets
Regulations regarding ferrets are a little less stringent than those for other animals on our list, as they’re only banned in California and Hawaii. The main concerns regarding them are their aggressive nature towards smaller pets and their tendency to colonize and threaten local wildlife when they escape captivity. Yikes!
Quaker Parakeets
Finally, you can’t own quaker parakeets in California, Connecticut, Georgia, and five other states in the US, and unless you’ve had one since before 1990, you can’t own one in Colorado either! Like ferrets, quaker parakeets can get pretty aggressive against other animals and are known to deplete native bird populations.
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