UPDATE 4/1/26: Passed Senate and sent to House. Referred to Agricultural Affairs.
UPDATE 3/31/26: S1445 passed the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee and will go to the Senate floor. It provides that local jurisdictions may take reasonable steps to address invasive rats.
UPDATE: A substitute bill with less restrictive language was introduced and has a hearing on March 31. The bill declares that, “local governments are hereby empowered to take whatever reasonable steps, if any, that they deem necessary and appropriate to control and remove the rat on public property within their jurisdiction and to control and remove the rat on private property after obtaining written permission from the legal owner of such property…” This bill has a narrower scope and does not pose the problems for herpetoculture that the original bills did. Read S1445 at https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/S1445.pdf.
UPDATE 3/17/26: S1271 failed to pass (32-38 vote), and H0536 failed to meet the crossover deadline. Both bills are dead for this session.
Two bills, S1271 and H0536, have been introduced in Idaho. Both bills address a problem with Norway and Roof rats becoming increasingly problematic throughout the state, mainly in urban areas. H0536 permits the Board of Commissioners in each county to declare these rats agricultural pests and to take all actions they deem necessary to control them. S1271 declares these rats as a health and safety nuisance, invasive species, vermin, and agricultural, health, and welfare pest. It directs the Department of Agriculture Director to implement a plan by November 1, 2026.
Norway rats are the primary food source for pet, zoo, and other snakes kept under human care, in addition to other animals, including birds of prey. The concern is that the state may completely ban Norway rats, which would lead to food-sourcing and animal welfare problems.
Read S1271 and bill details at https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/S1271/. It has been referred to the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee.
Read H0536 and bill details at https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0536/. It has been referred to the House Local Government Committee.
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Subject line: Considerations for rat bills
Idaho Legislators and Director Tewalt,
As a responsible reptile owner in Idaho, I request that you make considerations regarding S1271 and H0536. These bills address the problem of Norway rats, mainly in metropolitan areas, but extreme overreach that will create animal welfare problems should be avoided.
The domesticated subspecies of the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus domestica) is sometimes called the fancy rat, domestic rat, or lab rat. It is the main food source for snakes and other animals, such as birds of prey, kept under human care for pets, in zoos, and for other purposes. This subspecies is commonly kept as a pet and used in research. I hope the state exempts this subspecies from any prohibition, specifically under the Idaho invasive species list (Chapter 19, Title 22 Idaho Code). An outright ban on this subspecies will cause serious animal welfare problems and do nothing to address the invasive species issue.
Additionally, if the intent is to address only feral rats, any law or regulation must make that clear. Intent may differ from how a law reads, and officers enforce the law’s language, not its intent.
Norway rats become invasive after they are introduced into cities via freight, arriving in trains, trucks, planes, and ships (when applicable). The subspecies Rattus norvegicus domestica is a domesticated animal and is not invasive. Please do not ban this subspecies as pets or for use as food for animals. Thank you for your time, and have a good day.
