Is it legal to keep a wild Western Skink (small lizard) as a pet?

Question

We caught a small lizard the other day, I looked it up, it's a Western Skink. It's beautiful! It's body is is primarily brown with gold stripes, then it's tail turns BRILLIANTLY BLUE! It's the kind of lizard that looses it's tail if you grab it. Anyway, we made a little cage and have feed it some crickets. The kids love it and find it very interesting. Is it legal for us to keep as a pet? How can I find out for sure?

Answer 1

it is probably illegal it is in most state

there seem to be a large number of ignorant morons on 2day who are answering your question even if u think its a silly law its still illegal in most and u can be fined up to $100,000 in those states

also u really need to know that keeping wild caught lizards in captivity (as pets) is cruel immoral and environmentally reprehensible and as a parent and adult u should know better. when a wild animal i removed from its natural environment and put in a confined space it causes massive amounts of stress. this affects herps (reptiles and amphibians) very badly worse than most other orders many die simply from the stress of being in captivity it also weakens there immune system meaning more die from disease. those that survive suffer from stress related behavior disorders, stress related illness and have a shortened life span. there quality of life is pretty bad too

Answer 2

idk but its prob hard to take care of it let it go

Answer 3

i dunno, who cares :P

Jus keep it and nobodies gonna care if u have an illegal PET, like who gives a **** its a lizard...im sure it looks cool so i suggest yu keep it cuz nobodies gonna come in yur house and go call 911 sayin yu got soem illegal lizard so jus relaaaaxxx :) :P

Answer 4

No

Answer 5

In most states catching and keeping wild [native] animals is illegal, but if you don't plan on taking it around and letting a ton of people see it... (it's only staying in your home, in other words) Why not keep it? Just make sure it's eating the food you offer otherwise it can slowly start to die. Also, skinks are terrestrial lizards and will need at least a 10gal tank (or more) with appropriate hide spots. If you know it's a Western Skink for sure, just follow the care sheet that I have provided. If you're still worried about it being legal or not, maybe you should let it go and go buy a legal one from a local pet store. Anoles make great pets and are low cost. I have 2 myself. Good Luck