Current status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to respond to the recommendation in the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission's Exotic Pet Working Group: final report, published on 11 November 2022, to introduce a permitted list of species that can legally be kept as pets in order to address animal welfare issues associated with the trade and keeping of exotic pets.
The Scottish Government is aware of the growing sales and ownership of non-traditional and so-called exotic pets but that the full details of this are not easily gathered. We are also aware of campaigns by NGOs as well as SAWC’s historical reports, recommending the introduction of a permitted or positive list system for the keeping of pets in Scotland.
While we acknowledge reports of certain negative welfare outcomes associated with exotic pet ownership, we equally acknowledge that with the right owner education, such species can often be kept under good welfare conditions and in certain cases some species may be kept and bred for important conservation purposes.
At this time, we have no plans to introduce a permitted/positive list system, but we will continue to hold discussions with stakeholders and consider any and all relevant information in this area.