Legalities with long toed salamanders

Hello all,

A few months ago I rescued a Columbian long toed salamander that had been transported to my house hundreds of miles away from its natural habitat with a load of firewood for the winter. I couldn't return the salamander to its original home as I had no idea where that was, and I knew that there was no chance of survival in the desert like environment I live in. I decided to keep him and so far he has adapted very well to captivity, in great health, and a very happy animal.

Unfortunately I find myself in a situation where I am moving to a house that doesn't allow animals, and as a result will have to rehome all of my axolotls, fish, and salamanders. This concerns me as it has come to my attention that it is illegal to own long toed salamanders in the state of Washington.

I did not intentionally seek this salamander out, and returning him to the wild simply wasn't an option, but how can I rehome him in a legal way? What are the specific legalities with having this species in this state? I could really use the help. anything and everything helps, thank you!

Firstly, i am sorry to hear you have to re-home your animals! That is really too bad.

As for the legality, that is tough. The thing is, honestly, people don't really regard the laws with amphibians much in WA. I have seen people selling illegal species at expos, on craigslist, and know of other people who keep illegal species.
I don't condone doing such things, i'm just saying people do it, publicly, and get away with it. I also feel that if the State of WA knew your situation, they would not punish you for such actions, as releasing it could potentially harm wild populations via diseases.

You could contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and ask what they would like you to do about it, just be clear that you kept it because you felt it could not survive in the location it was transported to.

I hope this helps you some....that definitely is a tough decision to make. I guess it comes down to what you are comfortable with.
And again, really sorry to hear you can't keep your animals any longer!

sde said:

Firstly, i am sorry to hear you have to re-home your animals! That is really too bad.

As for the legality, that is tough. The thing is, honestly, people don't really regard the laws with amphibians much in WA. I have seen people selling illegal species at expos, on craigslist, and know of other people who keep illegal species.
I don't condone doing such things, i'm just saying people do it, publicly, and get away with it. I also feel that if the State of WA knew your situation, they would not punish you for such actions, as releasing it could potentially harm wild populations via diseases.

You could contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and ask what they would like you to do about it, just be clear that you kept it because you felt it could not survive in the location it was transported to.

I hope this helps you some....that definitely is a tough decision to make. I guess it comes down to what you are comfortable with.
And again, really sorry to hear you can't keep your animals any longer!

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Thank you so much for the advice! It helped a lot. Luckily I have until this summer to rehome my animals and figure out what to do with them all, and it's a big relief to know that I have options for my salamander. I appreciate you taking you time to help me. :happy: