# req. for DWA



## Elaphe (Jul 17, 2006)

does anyone know the requirements for a DWA liscence?
(im not thinking of trying to get one any time soon)


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

im not sure

heres a couple links but i find with most licenses and similar laws, online info is limited

http://www.bornfree.org.uk/zoocheck/zcnews36.htm
http://www.bornfree.org.uk/zoocheck/legislation.htm

I came across some info wen looking for details on pet shop license, if i find them ill post them.


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

If I remember rightly you need a secure viv, a double door in the room to make sure it can't escape and the money to get the license.. not sure if its different county to county but thats what I heard.


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## rossthedon (Feb 15, 2006)

you also need the fire brigade ispection to ensure you have an air tight room and the money depending on your local council (chances are your council wont allow it anyway) can cost about 3 grand plus your 1 million pound insurance policy you need.... i can go on, it aint really worth it and it would be daft to keep anythinf deadly as a pet lol


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## Elaphe (Jul 17, 2006)

i was more thinking show animals in the future when i win the lottery


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

There are no specific requirements for DWA (I assume you are asking in relation to venomous reps and not DWA mammals...) and each council has their own ideas on what must be done to your room. 

In general you require:
A secure room with a double door
Secure, locking vivs
Some knowledge/ability to handle the animals in question (how much depends on your licenser really)
Signage on your vivs (warnings/species info/protocol in case of bite)
Vet inspection

Some councils expect you to install emergency lighting and things too - anyone considering it should really ask their license officer for more details.

Most councils are pretty good about DWA licensing (generally they dont hasve a clue and thus you tell THEM what to do) - though some have never issued a DWA and openly admit they never will! This is somewhat illegal, but what can you do :roll:


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## Elaphe (Jul 17, 2006)

thanks for the information everyone!


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## Ecotherm (Nov 22, 2006)

There is no set price, the council can charge you anything from as little as a few hundred quid or a few thousand.



> it aint really worth it and it would be daft to keep anythinf deadly as a pet lol


You happen to keep 2 of the biggest constrictors in the world(both rank in the top 6)which happen to be deadly in the wrong hands.

You may want to check out the latest news from the DWA in regards to large constictors.

Not every body considers reptiles to be pets, and those that have kept them long enough, bred generations, and have had scientific articles/books published respect and recognise them as captives.


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

rossthedon said:


> you also need the fire brigade ispection to ensure you have an air tight room and the money depending on your local council (chances are your council wont allow it anyway) can cost about 3 grand plus your 1 million pound insurance policy you need.... i can go on, it aint really worth it and it would be daft to keep anythinf deadly as a pet lol


Air tight room? I don't think so some how as all you'll end up with is a load of dead animals.

Fire Brigade visit? Not sure on this one either, I know you have to be assessed by a vet and possibly the EHO.

3 grand? Depends on who your local council is, they all vary, some I think are less that £100 and some go up to the thousands.

A million pound insurance policy may not cost that much, it depends on what the insurance company think the risks are.

Not all animals on the DWA list are 'deadly', some of the smaller primates are on the DWA list and I'd hardly class them as 'deadly', same with lemurs, sometimes species are placed on the list due to their specific care requirements and the DWAL ensures that these are taken care of.


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## Elaphe (Jul 17, 2006)

lemurs arent on the list anymore :wink:


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

They are according to the DEFRA website.. leaping and large lemurs (Indriidae and lemuridae) require a DWAL.


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## Elaphe (Jul 17, 2006)

i heard that from one of the curators from college (who has the lisence) that lemurs have been taken off


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

There has been a lot of talk of animals being taken off the list, but thus far nothing has actually been removed. The DWAL is being overhauled in the near future, so they may well be coming off then.

It also depends which species he is referring to, as not ever species was on the list to begin with - for example the broad nosed lemur and grey gentle lemur are excepted.


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## Elaphe (Jul 17, 2006)

we've got ring tails and red ruffed lemurs at college


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

Both those animals are Lemuridae, which are controlled under the DWA. The only exception within the family Lemuridae are Hapalemur (bamboo) lemurs

These lemurs have not been removed from the DWA yet, though a recent DEFRA proposal has suggested they be removed when the DWA is overhauled.

They have also recommended tamarins, owl monkeys, squirrel monkeys, wooly lemurs, porcupines, capybara, some _felis_ species, racoons, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, coatimundi, the biturong, hyraxes, sand snakes, mangrove snakes and the brazilian wolf spider are removed.

Whether any or all of these species will be removed remains to be seen.
If anyone is interested the proposals can be found here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/dwaa-two/consultation.pdf


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## Elaphe (Jul 17, 2006)

we got coatis aswell


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

Aaaw


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## Elaphe (Jul 17, 2006)

they're pretty cool, only problem is cleaning em out and they smell bad :shock:


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## rossthedon (Feb 15, 2006)

we have the licence, and by air tight i mean as tight as a ducks ass so nothing will get out, air tight and tight as a ducks ass are just a figure of spech.

i wanted to keep some hots at home and it wasnt possible (legally) as the requirements here (scotland, west lothian) were not worth the hassle.
p.s i have care of a HOT at the mo and i even know myself its wrong.


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

Just out of interest say you had a reptile that wasn't on the DWA but was moved onto it for some reason or another would you have to get a DWA to continue keeping it?


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## rossthedon (Feb 15, 2006)

id think so, seemingly some of the biggies like burms, scrubs, retics.....will be going on it next year.
i wouldnt give mine up for no one.
i had to get a false water cobra now as i hear they will be added too and i always wanted one.


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## Kev132 (Aug 13, 2006)

ross, from what you describe, your either talking out ya rear, or the rules in scotland are very, VERY different to in england..

there are no set rules, they vary from council to council,

a few of my friends have dwa's most have differnt animals

one of my friends has a dwa as he keeps and breeds alot of hot snakes (albino cobras, copperheads, rattlesnakes etc) hes also got a chinese aligator too..these are all kept in a sealed double locke, double doored room, and between the doors theres a glass room so you can make sure nothing is out before you enter

a couple of my other friends have DWA's for caimens.... the requirements (although within the same council) are completelly different for them to be permitted with the dwa... some are kept in very slightly converted garages( single door, the caimens enclosures are jsut reasonably escape proof)

theres talk of alot of things changing on the dwa list recently.... caimens where meant to be comming off it last year.... 

theres also talk of large constrictors going on.... realisticly, the only ones that may go on are retics and anaconas, way to many people have burms and boas to try to introduce such a rule


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

Agreed, whilst the RSPCA inparticular were pushing for all snakes over 10ft to go on the DWA, this has been altered somewhat and realistically I dont think large constrictors will be going on at all this time around. *Fingers crossed eh?*

The major changes to the DWA in the overhaul will be the removal of various mammals (again crossed fingers here!) The FWC going on? Not a rumour Ive heard myself in a long while now, may happen, but not something DEFRA are actively looking into (not officially at least).

Anyway this thread was about REQUIREMENTS not what may or may not go on/come off, so back to the point...

The requirements themselves depend on the species you are requesting the license for and the local council - though the requirements I outlined earlier are prudent whether they are required or not!
Right I have exhausted my info for this thread, so Im going away and Im not coming back :lol: :lol:


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## rossthedon (Feb 15, 2006)

the rules here ARE verry different, as i stated in a previous post WEST LOTHIAN council wont even hear of it, i looked into it, i even spoke to my local councilor as my work requires me to take some reps home and we also breed hots so i wanted to keep gravid females at home.
dont tell me im talking shit kev, tell me you dissagree, fair enough but dont be a prick about it ok


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## Kev132 (Aug 13, 2006)

rossthedon said:


> you also need the fire brigade ispection to ensure you have an air tight room and the money depending on your local council (chances are your council wont allow it anyway) can cost about 3 grand plus your 1 million pound insurance policy you need.... i can go on, it aint really worth it and it would be daft to keep anythinf deadly as a pet lol


This son, is certainly bull, did i get. offensive ? no so why do you feel the need to be offensive to me ? 

your in scotland, this chaps in devon, your just about as far apart as you can be in the uk.... so how would you know the chances are his local council wont allow it ? not really very helpful to the guy when your guessing is it

why is it daft to keep anything deadly as a pet ? your burm is deadly... you keep that as a pet ?

next time you want to try being a keyboard warrior, go find some kiddies forum mate


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

OK ok ok.. lets not get knickers in a twist here.... let me sum it up as simply as possible.. the requirements for a DWA are different county to county and they wont even allow you to have a license in certain parts of the country... the best way for you to find out is to ask your local council.... all better... now shhhh :lol: :lol:


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## rossthedon (Feb 15, 2006)

> ross, from what you describe, your either talking out ya rear, or the rules in scotland are very, VERY different to in england..





> next time you want to try being a keyboard warrior, go find some kiddies forum mate





> This son, is certainly bull, did i get. offensive ? no so why do you feel the need to be offensive to me ?


id call this being a prick and being offensive, check my posts iv never said a wrong word to anyone on this forum.
sorry if you think im being out of order but when someone says "yer talking out ya rear" i take offence to that as im sure anyone else her would. thats why i said


> dont tell me im talking shit kev, tell me you dissagree, fair enough but dont be a prick about it ok


i rest my case.
sorry you took offence but i took offence from your coments too, so iv said my piece and iv also appologised so lets leave it out now ok


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## rossthedon (Feb 15, 2006)

oops i posted the same post twice


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## Dexter (Jun 24, 2005)

Having watched programs about so many experienced getting bitten (some dying) by venomous snakes, I can't see the point unless you're genuinely interested in studying species further, etc.

For instance, a vet or a person graduated in biology that does research or extract poison for serious purposes, etc is one thing, the bloke who just likes to show off to his mates is anohter (the latter would probably be 99.9% of the cases).

I'm sure if all of us kept posonous snakes at home, 75% of us would not be here by now.

I do love and admire so many venomous snakes, and would love to have a chance to get a lecture by experts and maybe take a course about them, but would never keep one at home because I'm sure it would be an accident waiting to happen. I got bitten several times in my life, and never thought I would when I started my hobby, so I'm sure the same would eventually happen (and it can happen even for the most careful ones).

It's like riding a bike, who can say with hands on heart they never fell over :roll:


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## captaincaveman (Nov 6, 2006)

I got accepted for a dwa about 5years ago(but decided against getting a dwarf caimen) and live in northamptonshire(only just outside of town) and if id lived 3miles closer to town and not been under the borough council it would have been refused. And thats just in our county

I think it varies from council to council and person to person. The descision maker in my case was a keeper himself and more pro than some.


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## Elaphe (Jul 17, 2006)

i wont actually start keeping venomous snakes until ive had the proper training and everything


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## Dexter (Jun 24, 2005)

That's wise Elaphe :lol:


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## intravenous (Dec 20, 2006)

What will happen if large constrictors do get added to the list? Will current owners have to apply to keep their reptiles? How much would that cost?

I don't think it will happen.. they'll have to many large constrictors dumped on the doorstep or on side streets!


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## Dexter (Jun 24, 2005)

Can't see that happening. Too many people keep and breed boas these days in age, they would not have means to control it.

In Brazil for instance, the hobby of keeping snakes is very recent. People are not allowed to import or keep snakes other than red tail boas originated from Brazil. Of course you will find corn snakes, pythons, etc that were smuggled into the country, but you could end up in jail if you get caught.

Since they aloowed people to keep boas recently, the law says that you are only allowed to keep CB (there are only half a dozen authorised breeders in Brazil), the snake must be microchipped, and the owner must keep the invoice and certificate given by the breeder.

If you fail to produce this documents and you get caught, you will lose the animal and you will be heavily fined.


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