# Santa Photos With Reptiles? Taking Your Reptile Off Your Property



## Buggster (Jan 21, 2017)

i know this is a bit late, but one of my friends showed me a pic of her, her beardie and Santa Claus at a pet shop that offered 'Santa Pet Photos' during the Christmas period.

Im fairly sure the place was Kellyville pets NSW.
Then I remember that we're not allowed to take our reptiles off our own property (vet, expos and shows excluded), so wouldn't taking your pet lizard/snake to a 'Santa Photo' be considered against the terms of your license?
kellyville even offered in their promotion of the event something along the lines of 'bring in your furry, feathered, or scaly friends for a photo with Santa'. So they were encouraging people to bring in 'scaly' buddies.
Stranger still is that Kellyville is one of the few places that is licensed to sell reptiles (and offers to help people obtain a license on the spot) so you would imagine that someone in their reptile team (who I have spoken to before, and unlike many other petstores, these guys do know their stuff and do have their own collections) would know that bringing reptiles in the store would not be allowed. Not to mention they have hundreds of reptiles within the store, and even one infected Python brought into the store could potentially be disastrous.


I mean, personally I do think the 'no snakes outside of you property' is a bit too restrictive. There doesn't seem to be anything in the conditions on what you can do in case of emergency (oh, my house is burning down. Unfortunately it's illegal to remove you guys, so you'll just have to tough it out!) or if you're going on an extended holiday and wish for them to be looked after off-site by a friend (lol, you guys just sit tight for 6 months- be back soon!).
Obviously I understand that our pets can potentially infect native wildlife, but I seriously think it's more likely for a wild snake to break into my house than for my guys to come into contact with a wild snake if I do go off property with it.... just saying.


And ok. So maybe some people don't have the same love for snakes that I do, and they wouldn't feel comfortable sitting next to me in a cafe if I had a 6 foot Python around my neck (funny story ahead xD), fair enough.

Honestly not sure where you would take a reptile if the laws were ever changed- not like you'd go walking down the street with one... or would you?
My guys love exploring new things. We've done the backyard a million times, done the front, done the driveway. I'll admit I'm guilty of walking down the street with them around my neck and letting them have a peek at the world. 


Funny story time?
When I got my first snake, a Stimsons, we drove about 2hrs down south to meet the breeder halfway. Went smoothly and fell in love with the little guy (the snake, not the breeder xD). Bought him, thanked the breeder and when on my way. Two hour trek back up home :/
Was a VERY hot day, so I have the aircon running and the little guy in his container in a bit of shade. 
Decided to stop halfway for lunch and coffee, so went to a cafe/restaurant that I used to go to when I lived further south. 
And here was my problem. 35+ degree weather. I did not want to risk my little guy in the heat, stuck in a car for who knows how long. 
So there's me, holding onto the little container, sheepishly making my way up to the counter, dodging around people. Ask the lovely manager if it would be alright to bring my guy with me for lunch. He was absolutely fine with it and even took a few snaps of the little guy.
So there I was, sitting in the semi-outdoor seating, eating my lunch, with a little foot long python in his little transparent container sitting on the table.

Everyone wanted a photo. Everyone. In the end I covered his container with my hat because so many people kept coming up asking me to take him out for a photo. Standard response of "You're welcome to take a photo through the container, but he's only a baby so I don't want to take him out" wasn't enough for most people, but I stuck with it. 
Had one woman walk behind me, scream, and throw all her possessions on the floor when she saw him. Luckily she saw the humour to her actions and laughed it off. 
Not one person complained, everyone was curious, and even all the waiters and waitresses visited us to see the little guy.

Not something I'm likely to do again- really just a once off I-don't-want-you-to-be-cooked-in-the-car situation.


And on another note: is taking your reptiles off property to potentially sell them to a buyer legal?

Well, thanks for sticking around this long! 
Hope you all have a great day


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## Iguana (Jan 21, 2017)

You make some good point's Buggstar, thanks for taking the time and effort to write all this up,

The whole rule of "no reptiles in public" is, i'm guessing, there to protect not only the reptiles themselves, but other people. I understand people such as yourself and many others are responsible and don't go around waving snakes everywhere, but I'm certain others would if they could. Looking at the case of the "when your snake is your best friend" viral video, in which a guy brings his Scrub Python out in public places such as the supermarket or gym, it ended in his license being suspended and wildlife taken I believe. Even in the second video he made, the Scrub Python, which is hanging from gym equipment strikes at him, imagine the uproar if that was towards a child.
And all the money those Reptile exhibitors paid for their permit would be to waste, because anyone can do it. 
And as you said, people could have negative reactions, and it could only take so many complaints before they ban the keeping of reptiles. It's a privilege after all.
Wondering if the no reptiles in public applies to reptiles that don't require a license though? 

The whole pets with Santa is a funny idea I admit, and probably brings in quite a bit of profit. I guess technically it is against the license terms, but to be honest, I've never really met the owner or employee of a reptile store who is really uptight about the laws. The one closest to me offers boarding, which i'm not sure if requires a special permit on their part, but this has been going on for years. As for the Quarantine thing, I'm not sure exactly how contagious, Sunshine or IBD is, but I don't think that the guest reptile would really come into contact with the pet store ones. 

Generally I don't think that the DEPI (or whatever it's called in the other states), really cares a whole lot, the DEPI seems more focused on stopping smuggling and poaching than if someone wants to take their reptile out. I'm sure if they had enough complaints, they would track the person down. But overall they seem pretty relaxed, and I can see exceptions like house fire, or hot car being ok occasionally. 

Also i'm sure in almost every state that transporting your reptiles to buyers is okay as long as you both have valid licenses. 

There's my thoughts anyway lol :^)


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