Can I keep a pet squirrel or chipmunk in Washington?

KENNEWICK — You’ve heard the old adage that “a dog is a man’s best friend.” What if man has a different best friend? What happens if your best friend is a squirrel, a deer or a lizard? Can they take their best friend home then?

Exotic pet regulations are in place at the federal, state and county levels. So which animals can you legally own in Washington state?

Illegal exotic pets in Washington

Federal law protects all endangered species from sale and possession. You cannot own any endangered species. The IUCN red list has a searchable database of global species and their status.

Washington has several laws in place regarding animal ownership. You cannot take home wild animals without a permit. It is illegal in the Evergreen State to own a “potentially dangerous animal.” The definition is specified in the state code by species classification.

Because of the potential danger posed, the following animals are not lawful to own:

Potentially dangerous mammals

Felines: Lions, tigers, captive-bred cougars, jaguars, cheetahs, leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards

Canines: Wolves, except hybrids

All bears

Hyenas

Rhinoceroses

All nonhuman primates

All elephants

Potentially dangerous reptiles

All atractaspididae snakes

Boomslang snakes

All Elapid snakes, which includes cobras and mambas

All sea snakes

Water and crocodile monitors

All vipers

All crocodile species

The only exception to this regulation is animal owners who legally possessed one of the above animals before 2007, in which case the owner has a grandfathered right to own the animal for the rest of its life. The dangerous animal regulations were updated in 2007, meaning it would have been legal to own many of these animals before that.

Permits for some species may be issued for organizations, like an animal sanctuary, and qualified individuals.

It is also illegal to own animals that pose risk of rabies infection. This includes bats, skunks, foxes, raccoon and coyotes.

Additional state law covers “deleterious exotic wildlife,” which means wild animals that can cause damage to the local environment or native wildlife. The legal definition for deleterious exotic wildlife includes:

• Birds in the Anatidae family (ducks, geese) and the mute swan
• Mongoose
• Wild boar and the similar javelina
• Bovids: Chamois, Tahr, goats, ibexes except hircus, Barbary sheep, sheep except domestic sheep, sassabies, hartebeest, wildebeests
• Cervids: All nonnative subspecies of red deer, all hybrids with North American elk, fallow deer, axis deer, rusa deer, sambar deer, sika deer, reindeer and roe deer

Can I own this pet?

The McClatchy Northwest Service Journalism Team has received reader inquiries about the following animals and whether ownership is legal:

Frilled lizard: Yes, with proper licensing

Ball python: Legal statewide, but check your county regulations

Chipmunk: Not from the wild

Blue electric gecko: No, they are a critically endangered species

Wild rabbits: No, wild animals cannot be taken home