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Moving Snakes to CANADA?

xStaticSnow

xStaticSnow

New member
So after I complete my bachelors degree in the states there is a reasonable chance that I will be moving up to Canada for my post grad degree and possibly as a permanent situation. It is likely that I will end up somewhere around Vancouver which is nice because I live fairly close and that means I can drive up there. I was wondering about my snakes and other reptiles though. Will I be able to take them with me? Will it be unreasonably expensive with import fees and such, or is it manageable? I only have 6 snakes at the moment but I also have my blue tongue skink and my crested gecko.

What about mammals and fish? I have 3 female pet rats that may or may not still be alive by the time I need to move. However I have been considering getting some young males too so they would likely live until it was time for me to move. I also have lots of betta fish that I could rehome if I needed to because I'm not as attached to them (but I still would rather keep them).

Any other advice from any other fellow international travelers with lots of pets?

Thanks!
 
You will most likely be able to bring your pets with you (so long as you have nothing venomous) but each province's laws are different, and so are each area's/city's (just to keep in mind). It will be very expensive, however. I have looked into it before, for purchasing animals in the US at expos to bring back over... and let me just say, I can see why people sneak them in. ;) (Not actually but you catch my drift)

If you have a lot of animals, it might be worth it though. For me, just one or a couple isn't.

Here's a quick link to get an idea:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals...-and-reptiles/eng/1326658752555/1326658911065

All the best!
 
Thank you for the information! I am a little confused about the link you gave me, mainly because of one paragraph in specific:

"Amphibians and reptiles (excluding turtles and tortoises) are not regulated under the Health of Animals Regulations (other than Part XII that regulates the transport of all animals). As a result, there is no Canadian Food Inspection Agency requirement to obtain an import permit, nor a health certificate. Under normal circumstances, there are no border inspections. Imports are permitted from any country, for any use, to any destination in Canada."

I am not sure if this means that I do or do not need to obtain an import permit and submit to an inspection of my animals.

I'm assuming the expenses that you referred to on your post come from the import permits. I have 8 reptiles and 3 rats as the animals I would likely be importing, would this number of animals be worth import in your eyes?

Even if the cost is rather large, if it is not totally unreasonable I would really prefer to not have to rehome any of my animals.
 
Last edited:
xStaticSnow said:
Thank you for the information! I am a little confused about the link you gave me, mainly because of one paragraph in specific:

"Amphibians and reptiles (excluding turtles and tortoises) are not regulated under the Health of Animals Regulations (other than Part XII that regulates the transport of all animals). As a result, there is no Canadian Food Inspection Agency requirement to obtain an import permit, nor a health certificate. Under normal circumstances, there are no border inspections. Imports are permitted from any country, for any use, to any destination in Canada."

I am not sure if this means that I do or do not need to obtain an import permit and submit to an inspection of my animals.

I'm assuming the expenses that you referred to on your post come from the import permits. I have 8 reptiles and 3 rats as the animals I would likely be importing, would this number of animals be worth import in your eyes?

Even if the cost is rather large, if it is not totally unreasonable I would really prefer to not have to rehome any of my animals.
Click to expand...

That is a little confusing, isn't it! Leave it to Canada to have vague laws... ;)
You'll also have to check with the USA's export laws and fees, though. You may want to call the border control itself to get more details, if you can't find them online (that's what I would do) but make sure to talk to both a USA and Canadian inspector -- is it inspector? Border control personnel, anyhow.

I mean, if you are moving here, a few thousand dollars for your pets might be worth it. If I had the money I would. Fees will vary I'm sure. I don't know the amount off hand... inspection fees as per that same website:
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/fpa-apa/fees-droits-eng.html

I am having a hard time finding a link I'd found before with specific costs drawn out... if I remember correctly, it was in the high hundreds - low thousands. That was for one snake coming across the border, with the export papers from the USA, the import papers from Canada, and inspection fees, etc. However I can't find it now. So, maybe they've changed it ;) Probably not but wouldn't that be awesome!

All the best!
 
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