Can I Keep It?

Found a baby raccoon in your yard? Wondering whether a fox or a box turtle can be a pet where you live? This tool tells you what the law says in your state or province, then walks you through what keeping the animal would take. It’s for the curious, for people who just found an animal, and for anyone weighing a pet. It never tells you to go get one.

Pick an animal, pick where you live, and say how you came to have it. The legal answer comes first. The reality check comes after. It covers 11 animals, with the deepest coverage in the US, and each result links the agency’s own page.

Can I keep it?

How the tool works

  1. Choose the animal and your state or province. The tool covers raccoons, opossums, owls, squirrels, foxes, skunks, turtles, snakes, frogs, toads, and lizards.
  2. Say how you got it or plan to: found outside, from a licensed breeder, rescue or transfer, or already yours. Then say what you plan to do: keep it as a pet, hold it only until a rehabber can take it, or rehabilitate it as a licensed rehabilitator.
  3. Read the legal result first. It shows a tag, a plain-English summary, and a link to the official source.
  4. Then read the reality check. It covers what care involves, like finding a vet who sees wildlife.

If you found the animal outside, the answer is nearly always the same: call a licensed rehabilitator. Our find a rehabilitator tool links each state's and province's official list or guidance page.

What the tags mean

  • Legal pathway. A legal route exists for the situation you picked, and the result describes it.
  • Permit or exception. Legal only with a permit, license, or narrow exception, such as holding a rehabilitation license.
  • Prohibited. The rule you picked doesn't allow it. The result links the law or agency page that says so.
  • Depends on species. Used for turtles, snakes, frogs, toads, and lizards, where rules are set species by species. The result names the specifics we found.
  • Ask your rehabber. For holding an animal temporarily. A licensed rehabilitator can tell you whether to hold it and how.
  • Unverified. We couldn't confirm the rule against an official source. It doesn't mean legal. Contact the state or provincial wildlife agency before you act.
  • Not built yet. The tool doesn't cover that animal or place yet.

What this tool is not

It's a research summary, not legal advice. Every result shows the date we checked it, because laws change. Cities and counties often add rules of their own, and the tool doesn't see those. Canadian coverage is thinner than US coverage, and the tool says so when it couldn't confirm a rule. The state or provincial wildlife agency always has the final word.

Questions people ask

Can I keep a wild animal I found?

Rarely, and usually not as a pet. Many states and provinces bar keeping native wildlife, and some allow it only for licensed rehabilitators. Pick your animal and place above to see yours. If you're not sure an animal needs help at all, try Should I rescue this baby animal? first.

Why does the tool ask what I plan to do?

Because the answer changes with the plan. A rule for a pet can differ from a rule for a rehabilitator, and holding an animal for a few hours until a rehabber can take it isn't the same as keeping it.

What if my result says Unverified?

Treat it as unknown, not as a yes. Check the linked agency page or call the wildlife agency. A rehabilitator can also tell you the local rule.

Does legal mean it's a good idea?

No. That's why the reality check follows the legal result. Wildlife needs specialized diets and care, and few vets will treat it. For raccoons, our state-by-state guide goes deeper.

Sources