Exotic pet laws in Mississippi
Mississippi bans none of the 52 animals on this list outright, but 2 of them need a permit before the animal arrives.
Read against the published rules, entries verified 4 August to 5 September 2026. Every entry below quotes the statute or regulation it comes from and carries the date it was last checked.
The governing body of law here: 40 Miss. Admin. Code Part 2, Rule 8.3, the inherently dangerous wild animal rule, revised April 2025. Native Mississippi wildlife held in captivity is covered by other rules in the same chapter, which were not read for this entry.
What Mississippi restricts
2 of 52, strictest first. Open one for the rule it comes from.
Flying squirrelPermit required
40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 5, R. 2.3(B), (C)(2), (F)
NONGAME MAMMALS ... SQUIRRELS Tamias striatus EASTERN CHIPMUNK Marmota monax WOODCHUCK Glaucomys volans SOUTHERN FLYING
Named by binomial on the nongame mammal list, which settles both nativity and treatment. The same licence requirement in 2.3(C)(2) that covers the anole covers this animal, and 2.3(F) caps nongame mammals at ten in possession with no more than two of the same species. Selling one taken from the wild is barred by 2.3(C)(1), and captive propagation for commercial purposes needs a separate permit under 2.3(I).
How this rule works: The rule that answers Mississippi natives, and the one the dangerous animal rule never reaches. It covers thirty-two small mammals and all native reptiles and amphibians, names each species, and requires a hunting licence to possess any of them for personal use. mdwfp.com serves a cert without its GlobalSign intermediate; complete the chain rather than skipping verification.
Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.
Green anolePermit required
40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 5, R. 2.3(B), (C)(2), (D)(2)
NONGAME REPTILES ... LIZARDS Anolis carolinensis GREEN ANOLE
This is the state the anole is actually from, and it is the state where keeping one costs a licence. Rule 2.3 lists Anolis carolinensis by binomial as a nongame lizard in need of management, and 2.3(C)(2) sets the licence for possessing a nongame species for personal use: a resident needs a Sportsman, All Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing, or Small Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing licence, a nonresident an All Game Hunting licence. 2.3(D)(2) caps possession at twenty nongame snakes and lizards together and no more than four of any one species. The rule excludes commercially recognised colour mutants at 2.3(A)(1)(b)(iv), which is a strong sign that ordinary captive-bred animals are meant to be inside it.
How this rule works: The rule that answers Mississippi natives, and the one the dangerous animal rule never reaches. It covers thirty-two small mammals and all native reptiles and amphibians, names each species, and requires a hunting licence to possess any of them for personal use. mdwfp.com serves a cert without its GlobalSign intermediate; complete the chain rather than skipping verification.
Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.
No restriction found in Mississippi
50 of 52. Each was read against the same body of law as the entries above and nothing in it reaches them. Local ordinances and tenancy terms still apply and are not on this map.
- Ackie monitor
- African grey parrot
- Argentine black and white tegu
- Axolotl
- Ball python
- Bearded dragon
- Bengal cat
- Blue-tongue skink
- Boa constrictor
- Box turtle
- Burmese python
- California kingsnake
- Capybara
- Chinchilla
- Cockatoo
- Corn snake
- Crested gecko
- Degu
- Emperor scorpion
- Fennec fox
- Ferret
- Garter snake
- Gerbil
- Giant African millipede
- Green iguana
- Guinea pig
- Hamster
- Hedgehog
- Hognose snake
- Jackson's chameleon
- Leopard gecko
- Madagascar hissing cockroach
- Milk snake
- Nile monitor
- Prairie dog
- Quaker parakeet
- Rabbit
- Red-eared slider
- Red-footed tortoise
- Rosy boa
- Russian tortoise
- Savannah monitor
- Serval
- Snapping turtle
- Sugar glider
- Sulcata tortoise
- Tarantula
- Tiger salamander
- Tokay gecko
- Veiled chameleon
Cite this page
Every entry here is quoted from the statute or regulation it comes from, with the date it was last read against the published text.
Before you rely on this
This page covers state law only. Cities and counties routinely prohibit what Mississippi allows, and a lease or HOA agreement can bar an animal that every level of government permits. Check all three, and check them in that order, because the one most likely to stop you is the one closest to your front door.