COLORADO NEWS

A List of Animals You Can Legally Own in Colorado

Sep 22, 2022, 4:55 PM

There’s a story of a man in Northern Colorado getting attacked by a reindeer that has people around the state talking about what types of animals are legal to own here. Surprisingly reindeer aren’t the oddest animal on the list…

KDVR Denver put out the following list…

Domestic animals you can own

  • Alpaca
  • Donkey
  • Bison
  • Camel
  • Cats
  • Cattle
  • Chickens
  • Chinchilla
  • Dogs
  • Ducks
  • Emu
  • European ferrets
  • Fowl
  • Geese
  • Gerbils
  • Goats
  • Hamsters
  • Horses
  • Llama
  • Mice
  • Mink
  • Ostrich
  • Peafowl
  • Pig
  • Pigeons
  • Rabbits
  • Rats
  • Rhea
  • Reindeer
  • Sheep
  • Swine
  • Turkeys
  • Yak

Legal non-mammals:
You are legally allowed to own up to four of the following species:

  • Plains spadefoot toad
  • Woodhouse’s toad
  • Western chorus frog
  • Painted turtle
  • Sagebrush lizard
  • Tree lizard
  • Side-blotched lizard
  • Prairie and plateau lizards
  • Bullsnake
  • Western terrestrial garter snake
  • Lesser earless lizard
  • Western whiptail
  • Racer
  • Western hognose snake
  • Legal mammals

Legal mammals:

  • African pygmy hedgehog
  • Red Kangaroo
  • Short-tailed possum
  • Sugar gliders
  • Bennett wallaby
  • Dama wallaby
  • Swamp wallaby
  • Wallaroo

Now suddenly I really want a kangaroo!!

Colorado News

(Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***...

Shawn Patrick

Colorado’s second drive-thru-only Chick-fil-A opens May 14 with free food for anyone dressed like a cow

Dig through the closet, raid the kids’ craft supplies, borrow a onesie — whatever it takes to look like a cow by Thursday morning. Chick-fil-A’s second drive-thru-only restaurant in Colorado […]

14 hours ago

Photo by Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Denver’s Harry Potter pop-up bar vanishes after Warner Bros. casts cease-and-desist spell

A Harry Potter-themed pop-up bar in downtown Denver lasted barely a week before the magic ran out — courtesy of Warner Bros. The Underground School of Magic opened May 6 […]

14 hours ago

Photo by Jens Schlueter/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Loose cow triggers late-night roundup in Denver park, proves the city earned its nickname

They don’t call it the Cow Town for nothing. A runaway cow that wandered out of Lakewood and into Denver late Monday night sparked a brief urban rodeo at Garfield […]

15 hours ago

(Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

LOOK – Denver Zoo welcomes critically endangered bongo calf

I often say that all baby animals are cute, but some are way cuter than others, and today I learned baby bongos are EXTTRA CUTE! The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance […]

15 hours ago

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 31: Gas prices are displayed at a 7 Eleven gas station on March 31, 2026 in A...

Big Mic

7-Eleven offering pump relief with 50 cents off per gallon in June and July

It’s one of the top things on everyone’s minds right now, the ever-growing cost of gasoline, and 7-eleven is hoping to bring some relief this Summer with 50 Cents off […]

17 hours ago

DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 16: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs hugs Bo Nix #10 of th...

Brailey Jones

Broncos to Open 2026 Season on Monday Night Football vs. Chiefs

With the 2026 NFL schedule rollout officially underway, Denver Broncos fans already have one date circled on the calendar. The Broncos will open the 2026 season on “Monday Night Football” […]

20 hours ago

A List of Animals You Can Legally Own in Colorado