BIG problem on my hands...

[Zephyr]

I woke up this morning and went outside to get some hibiscus leaves for my beardies. When I went to come back indoors, I saw a citation on our door.
Apparently, our mean-@$$ neighbor, who we've been fueding with for the past God-knows how many years, called the city on us because she saw me outside with one of my snakes. Now I've got a citation because it's "illegal to keep snakes." I'm enraged as ever now. I've lived here all my life, looked up every law and piece of legislation I could find, and have never seen anything banning snakes. Now I have to find out how exactly to combat this; but first, not without calling the city on the trash heap my neighbor calls a yard first.
If you can't tell, I'm VERY angry.

[guidofatherof5]

Kyle,

That's a terrible situation.
Please accept my advise as coming from someone who is not in the heat of battle.
Don't call in on your neightbor's yard(not yet) It will not serve to help you in anyway and may hurt you as this thing runs its course.
Get a copy of the code you were charged with(I don't see how you could be cited with something since they don't have firsthand knowledge that you are in violation of a code.) Findout who you can talk to about the situation. Be as professional as possible. Yelling about your neighbor will only make you look like a complainer and loose canon. You want to make the other person look like that. You're trying to get them on your side.
I wish you the best of luck and hope you can get things worked out.

[Zephyr]

Called them up. Pulled out the DNR papers for my legal collection/possession of eastern garters.
The guy was unflinching.
... HOWEVER...
He said it's fine for me to keep the snakes, as long as they're indoors. So, I know the problem isn't so much a violation of city law as it is our neighbor trying to get back at us. :P
The man was very cooperative, almost sympathetic. I'm sure he understand that there are plenty of people in the city keeping "exotics." (The note said "It is prohibited to keep exotics. It is illegal to keep snakes.")
So, all I have to do is take the snakes out of their outdoor enclosure, and I'm good to go.
As far as our neighbor is concerned... I don't think I'll be provoking her anytime soon. She's like... 70 or something anyways, so she'll be dead soon enough. :P

[Didymus20X6]

How can Thamnophis sirtalis - COMMON garter snakes, which are practically in every habitat from Florida to Alaska - be considered EXOTIC? Maybe if you lived in Europe, or if you had boas or something, but garter snakes?

[gregmonsta]

How can Thamnophis sirtalis - COMMON garter snakes, which are practically in every habitat from Florida to Alaska - be considered EXOTIC? Maybe if you lived in Europe, or if you had boas or something, but garter snakes?

It's a mad .... mad world I tell you

[Zephyr]

How can Thamnophis sirtalis - COMMON garter snakes, which are practically in every habitat from Florida to Alaska - be considered EXOTIC? Maybe if you lived in Europe, or if you had boas or something, but garter snakes?

Yeah, that's what I thought. I grabbed the DNR sheet and gave him the ordinance number and everything; basically exotics are anything that isn't domesticated, like cats, dogs, and guinea pigs.
But I'm not complaining; I think they know that if they actually enforced the law as "NO SNAKES!!!" then they'd get a lot of people fighting it.
I'm not gonna complain; I get to keep my snakes.

[Zephyr]

Coincidentally...
It's a good thing they don't know about the cockroaches. lol

[guidofatherof5]

Great news, Kyle. I'm glad it worked out so quickly and in your favor.

[ssssnakeluvr]

their ordinance is...well, stupid.... our ordinance on exotics states that and exotic animal is one that is "not native to the United States" how can a local animal be exotic??????

[guidofatherof5]

Each agency places a different definition on the same word.
The left hand doesn't know what the right hand of doing, kind of thing.
Typical bureaucracy.