A new problem shipping/receiving and everything else

We have not had any issues shipping to Ohio yet, but I will post as soon as I do. Sometimes these things are created to just sneak up on people. Thanks for the heads-up!
Ken Chiarella
Wormman.com

I just wanted to give you guys some insight into this situation as it is a proposal for several states right now that is being kept quiet. For your info as well they can have fish and wildlife/department of natural resources file an executive order from the head of the administration and that puts it into effect as a law without having the opportunity for their to be public hearings and votes by the state houses. This is how they get most of what they want against us.

I am dealing now with a couple customers in Tennessee and the law there is what they are looking for. You must notify state governemnt prior to shipments coming in. You must pay a fee for every shipment that comes in. Any "native animals" and let me be very clear about this, the state does not recognize subspecies or mutations as exemptions to the owner having to have permits. What I am saying is in Tennessee and some other states, if you were to by albino honduran milks, hypo pueblan milks, albino cornsnakes, etc, etc, they are all considered native, true or not, and it does not matter if they are a mutation. This is the worst kind of law. This efectively destroys the pet trade and hobby of reptile keeping.

Originally posted by evansnakes
I am dealing now with a couple customers in Tennessee and the law there is what they are looking for. You must notify state governemnt prior to shipments coming in. You must pay a fee for every shipment that comes in. Any "native animals" and let me be very clear about this, the state does not recognize subspecies or mutations as exemptions to the owner having to have permits. What I am saying is in Tennessee and some other states, if you were to by albino honduran milks, hypo pueblan milks, albino cornsnakes, etc, etc, they are all considered native, true or not, and it does not matter if they are a mutation. This is the worst kind of law. This efectively destroys the pet trade and hobby of reptile keeping.

Evan,
First of all I want to say thanks for all that you are doing for each and every one of us in the reptile trade. Your hard work and tenacity are definitely appreciated.

You are correct about TN requiring import permits, but possession permits are not required to keep legally obtained animals. The permit is required only when the intent to breed and sell offspring, if I understand the laws correctly. Anyway, here is a link that may help..

TN regulations of live wildlife

See page 2, section 2 - d.

Hope this helps,

Thanks very much Dwight. I ma just learning about this from talking to folks this week. Thanks very much for the kind words as well. It helps.

Can you imagine though, the government requiring every shipment of produce or house plants to be inspected as they cross state lines? It could never be done. They have singled us out and are requiring US citizens doing business in the USA to go through a process that is only required for international borders from other industries! What's next? Barbed wire and armed guards at the Ohio Michigan border?

Just out of curiosity, what is the stated purpose of putting these restrictions on shipping live goods? Cantagion? Fear of establishing non native animals outside of their natural range?

What problems are the laws supposed to address?

I just purchased some reptiles from someone in Ohio. They sent them in one of those pre-made scales boxes labled perishable on it. It made it past the first UPS DC, then was stopped and returned to sender. I told the gentlemen to just ship it in a unmarked box. It made it just fine. I ship UPS all the time and never mark the box. I have never had one problem to this day. It is to bad people look down on shipping reptiles, but I believe some of it has to also do with people packaging things properly. I would have to believe that they have had several instances where things have gone wrong because people didn't pack stuff well, which has led to them being tight-As@es. Anyway it still sucks.
James