Tegus and Iguanas will be prohibited in Florida

Do you own a pet Green Iguana or Tegu? Then you need to apply for a permit. 

Beginning July 1, 2020, Florida prohibited the acquisition of green iguanas or tegus as personal pets. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is offering free Prohibited Species for Personal Use Permits for people who owned one prior to July 1, 2020. This only applies to animals owned prior to July 1st and requires owners to mark their pets with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags.

Per Executive Order 20-19, individuals who had a pet green iguana or tegu prior to July 1, 2020 can apply for a Prohibited Species for Personal Use Permit to lawfully possess that animal for the remainder of its life.

If you need to surrender your pet iguana or tegu, FWC offers an Exotic Pet Amnesty program to protect your pet and our environment.

Additionally, FWC Commissioners unanimously approved draft rules regarding invasive, nonnative reptiles for advertisement and development. The draft rule language limits possession of these high-risk invasive reptiles for qualifying entities engaged in educational exhibition, research or eradication and control. The drafts also address reporting requirements for permittees, biosecurity requirements to limit escape of these high-risk species, and some additional clarifying language. The FWC is interested in your comments on this draft language.

You can submit your comments and feedback on the proposed rule changes on MyFWC.com.