Giant Pouched Rat!!!!?

Question

are they legal in Florida????

i want one sooo bad...but i have no idea were to get them.

does anyone know????

and whats the price range on them???

Answer 1

Because of the monkey pox scare a few years back, they're illegal to buy in the United States. (along with Prairie Dogs)

"Florida banned private ownership of the African rodent - one of the largest rats in the world - to keep them from escaping or being released into the wild." (2007)

P.S. Do research on them. They're not a pet for just anyone.

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/giant.htm

http://www.altpet.net/rodents/cricetomys...

Answer 2

There are two kinds of African Pouched Rats. The Gambian is the most common and the Emins is not so common.

These rats were banned in the USA in 2003. It is no longer legal to import, sell, breed, trade, give-away, or even transport these animals inside the USA.

If you live in the UK, I can put you in touch with a few breeders. But if you live in the USA, pretty much the only way you can get away with getting one is to start your own rescue for small animals and hope that you get lucky and someone will surrender you one. There are still many people inside the USA who have had theirs since before the ban. A friend of mine runs a rat rescue on the east coast and someone gave her one last year.

In Florida, Gambian Pouched Rats are living wild on Grassy Key. The government is trying to exterminate them since they are an invasive species. I guess you could go there and try to catch one, but it would be just as aggressive and wild and hard to keep as one straight out of Africa. Plus, it would be illegal.

I also would like to own one of these animals. I am moving to Canada in a few years and I think (not sure) that it is still legal to breed and sell them there (though they can not import them anymore). I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Answer 3

You wouldn't want one.

Not only are they illegal in the U.S but they are not as friendly as your little household ones. They are a lot more wild and dangerous. My brother went to China on a college trip for a Chinese philosophy class and he said they had them there. He brought back pictures of them by themselves because he said every time he approached them they ran or would try to bite him.

Answer 4

ewewewewewew!