Eastern Indigo Snake Permit

Hey Everyone. I recently came across this snake and am looking into getting one. After the research I did, I know they are on the endangered species list. I'm curious if any sort of permit is required to possess one of these animals? I have heard of the $100 permit for out of state purchases. Is there some place I can find this information because I'm not seeing it. Just FYI I'm located out of Iowa. Thanks in advance for the help!

Hi Trevor,

Most often, the breeder will assist you in the permit application. As I mentioned in answer to your other post, you will need a signed "Breeder's Statement", to include with your application. This statement affirms that the animals you are buying -- AND their parents -- are captive bred.

The permit application will go to:
U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service
1875 Century Blvd, Suite 200
Attention: Endangered Species Permits
Atlanta, GA 30345

Please note that USFWS will NOT give a permit for an Indigo to be kept "as a pet", because that would not be in line with the mission of protecting a threatened species. The snakes need to be raised in furtherance of the propagation and study of this animal, if you are to receive a permit from USFWS.

These are magnificent snakes. You should plan on feeding them a LOT of F/T food, to make sure you don't raise miniature ones like are being offered in the classified right now. You also need to know that these snakes crap up a storm! Their poop is incredibly stinky, and there's a lot of it! If you deprive them of clean water for more than a day or two, you'll likely cause irreverseable damage to their kidneys. And they cannot stand temperatures above the low 80's, or they will die.

Please, study the species just a little, before you buy. I highly recommend visiting the Black Pearl Reptiles website, and reading the wonderful "Drymarchon Care" section which is provided there.

All the best!
Chris

The USFWS Interstate Commerce Permit is very easy to secure. I have applied for and received several. If you fill out the application and write the $100 check, you will get the permit. Go on-line to determine which office of USFWS you need to apply to for your in your state. Just download and submit the application. Frankly, I do not know of anyone who has been denied.

If I'm not mistaken, friend Tim, the permits for Eastern Indigos are all handled from Atlanta.

USFWS has, I think, six regional offices, spread across the country. It used to be that you applied to your state's Regional Office. I am in TN so my application was sent to Atlanta. You may be correct. Perhaps now the Atlanta Office issues all Interstate Commerce Permits for USFWS. The OP just has to do a Google search for USFWS and permits. It will tell him where to send his application.
Also, where did you hear that they will not issue permits for "pets"? I secured my first Interstate Commerce permit for eastern indigos in 1997. More permits in 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2013. They were all for pets. It is great if you breed them; I have a gravid female now. But it is not a requisite for getting a permit.

I'm not really good at computers, so I'll be editing this post: (All quotes from USFWS site)

Recovery and interstate commerce permits are issued to allow for take as part of activities intended to foster the recovery of listed species. A typical use of a recovery permit is to allow for scientific research on a listed species in order to understand better the species' long-term survival needs. Interstate commerce permits also allow transport and sale of listed species across State lines (e.g., for purposes such as a breeding program

For threatened species, permits also may be issued for zoological, horticultural, or botanical exhibition; educational use; and special purposes consistent with the ESA.

A person registered with the FWS may obtain a captive-bred wildlife permit to buy and sell within the United States live, non-native endangered or threatened animals that were captive born in the United States for enhancement of species propagation, provided the other person in the transaction is registered for the same species. A separate permit is needed to import or export such species. Captive-bred wildlife permits are not issued to keep or breed endangered or threatened animals as pets. Using protected species as pets is not consistent with the purposes of the ESA, which is aimed at conservation of the species and recovery of wild populations

Correct. Eastern indigos do not require a recovery permit. They require the interstate commerce permit. They are two very different permits.

To determine which region is the lead region for the species of interest, search our endangered species database using the interface below and click on the species' scientific name in the search results. Lead region will be listed under the Current Listing Status Summary

From the quote above:

"Interstate commerce permits also allow transport and sale of listed species across State lines (e.g., for purposes such as a breeding program "

I just read the rules, and applied in such a way as to abide by how I was reading them. My original guide was Robert Bruce.I'm not sure that all the steps I took were necessary, but I prefer to give bureaucrats exactly what they want, to avoid problems.