Need advice for getting tarantulas into Canada

SkyeSpider

Spider Queen
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 17, 2002
Messages
1,250
I'm being forced to move rather suddenly, and am going to Toronto. I currently live in the US.

I know there's going to be a fee associated with getting my inverts into Canada, but does anyone know the exact process? I'll be driving in with them (10 tarantulas, 1 centipede, and some hissing roaches).

I need some advice. Any help is appreciated.
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 13, 2006
Messages
8,656
You’re going to have to contact the officials in the Provence you are moving to and find out what restrictions you might have in moving your inverts. They may point you in the right direction. After that you will have to contact your local fish and wildlife law offices and see what has to be done from the US side of the paperwork.
I'd venture to say you are almost better off parting with what you have now and starting again when you get settled up there. It can be a long process.
If it's really important to you, you can always contact an animal broker as well; you basically pay them to get everything done correctly for you. But I found out recently that unless you are dealing with 1000's of dollars it's too expensive to be worth it.
 

Nitibus

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 7, 2007
Messages
728
I only know of one importer that I have delt with here in Canada. Try Tarcan here on AB. He imports all the time and might be able to point you in the right direction.

Good luck... an bring us some more G. pulchra's. We need them !
 

maxident213

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Messages
650
You could run into some problems with the roaches, they are not the most legal thing to have here.
 

widowkeeper

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Messages
227
to be honest im with talkinlate just sell and start over your gonna need the money anyways it allways cost alot more to move then you think im sure the extra cash will come in handy .good luck
 

tarcan

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 8, 2003
Messages
2,097
The Eternal,

Forget about the roaches, that is for sure. They are not legal to import.

Contact the USFW in Bufalo, that is where I suggest you cross, you will need to use your crossing point according to your animals, and have to forget any previous itinary you might have considered.

You will need a personnal USFW import/export license, as usally over 7 specimens they will request it. Although might be worth to contact them anyway, they might give you an exemption.

They will ask you to fax your list ahead of time usually and you will need to settle a time for an appointment for the inspection. You will need to stop by their office before crossing the border.

Once you are crossing the border through Canada, you willneed to declare them. If you have your proper USFW release forms, you will be OK, but be prepared for possible headaches and to deal with custom officers who do not know what to do.

Make sure you have receipts for all your animals, be prepared to possibly pay taxes on their declared value, officials here are much more into collecting the taxes then anything else.

The only problem that I might forsee, Toronto has a bylaw that prohibits those animals as far as I know.

Centepede is no problem.

If you have CITES animals, you will need the permits to export them to Canada.

Good luck

Martin
 

Snipes

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 25, 2005
Messages
1,385
are there any dealers in the states and Canada who regularly ship to each other? If you could find someone here who is shipping to Canada anyways, maybe you could send them to that person and get them from the one in Canada. I dunno, it seems like a hassle any way you do it. I would be interested to see how it goes. Keep us up to date will you?
 

dukegarda

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 22, 2007
Messages
497
Here's an Idea, send your tarantulas to someone in the states, someone from this site, someone who is a dealer, and has a license to deal to Canada. Ask him/or her to mail your Ts to you once you're up there.

Of course this would require a lot of trust. This idea is so stupid, and simple, it could just work.
 

SkyeSpider

Spider Queen
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 17, 2002
Messages
1,250
Yikes. I may just put them under the seat and hope I don't get searched! I'm sure offering to pay taxes on them if I'm found out would help.

Maybe I'm just crazy. My mind is running in circles right now.
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 13, 2006
Messages
8,656
Yikes. I may just put them under the seat and hope I don't get searched! I'm sure offering to pay taxes on them if I'm found out would help.
If you like wearing orange suits then knock your self out. I personally don't look to dazzling in orange. Not my color.
 

Feathers

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
85
Smuggling?!?

Not a good idea. And the hassles of doing it legally seem pretty much not worth it. I do wish you the best of luck, but I would also be thinking of the well being of the Ts. I don't know if they'd be quarrantined if you got got, or what. The same might happen to you! I've heard some pretty nasty stories crossing into Canada with stuff you shouldn't be crossing with...
 

SkyeSpider

Spider Queen
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 17, 2002
Messages
1,250
After just learning that I can't bring venomous animals or roaches into Ontario/Toronto, and I can't have more than six even if I had them, I think I'll have to find somewhere else to move to...

Gah... This is a nightmare.
 

Drachenjager

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Messages
3,509
After just learning that I can't bring venomous animals or roaches into Ontario/Toronto, and I can't have more than six even if I had them, I think I'll have to find somewhere else to move to...

Gah... This is a nightmare.
just move to Texas
 

dukegarda

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 22, 2007
Messages
497
It could be a pain in the butt, but come to Manitoba (one province over from Ontario). Bring them in separately. Move there first, leave your collection with a friend. Come back to the states, pick up your collection, bring it up into Manitoba, say they're for a friend as a 'gift', drive you're way back to Toronto. Manitoba has no ridiculous limit on venomous animals, except for reptiles, holy smokes, like all venomous reptiles are banned. Just throwing ideas out there.
 

moricollins

Arachno search engine
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 15, 2003
Messages
3,687
TheEternal:

There's always the suburbs you can move to, I haven't heard of many of them (like Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby on the Eastern side of Toronto) having exotics laws, and they aren't far from Toronto to commute to work, there's the GO train that travels across the suburbs then onto downtown Toronto all the time.

I would suggest selling your collection (unless you have some that are particularly intrinsically [spelling?] valuable to you) and replacing them when you move. You never know, there may be some Canadians willing to send you some slings for free (I know I have some extras around right now, and I'm sure others do too) if you pay shipping.

Mori

P.S. This post is not an invitation for people to PM or email me asking for free spiders.
 

YouLosePayUp

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
843
TheEternal:

There's always the suburbs you can move to, I haven't heard of many of them (like Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby on the Eastern side of Toronto) having exotics laws, and they aren't far from Toronto to commute to work, there's the GO train that travels across the suburbs then onto downtown Toronto all the time.

I would suggest selling your collection (unless you have some that are particularly intrinsically [spelling?] valuable to you) and replacing them when you move. You never know, there may be some Canadians willing to send you some slings for free (I know I have some extras around right now, and I'm sure others do too) if you pay shipping.

Mori
Oshawa:

SECTION 2: Offences and Exemptions
2.1 WILD ANIMALS: Subject to the provisions of section 2.4, it shall constitute an offence
for a PERSON to OWN a WILD ANIMAL within Oshawa.
2.2 EXOTIC ANIMALS: Subject to the provisions of sections 2.3 and 2.4, it shall constitute
an offence for a PERSON to OWN an EXOTIC ANIMAL within Oshawa.

Ajax:

KEEPING OF CERTAIN ANIMALS PROHIBITED
2. a) No person shall, either knowingly or not knowingly, keep
in the urban area of the Town an animal of a class set
out in Schedule 'A' hereto.
b) No person shall, either knowingly or not knowingly, keep
in the rural area of the Town an animal of a class set
out in Schedule 'B' hereto.

SCHEDULE 'A' TO BY-LAW 125-95
Class of Animal Common Name
Set out in this column are some
of the common names of animals
included in the classes of
animals referred to in the
opposite column of this
schedule. The common names are
provided for illustration
purposes only and are not
intended to limit the extent of
the classes of animals referred
to.
Arthropods of the classes of scorpion, spider, centipede,
Arachnid Chilopoda and Diplopoda millipede
Arthropods of the class Insecta beetles
Venomous Reptilia venomous snake, lizard
Serpentes of the families boa, python
Pythonidae and Boidae

Pickering:

PROHIBIT KEEPING OF CERTAIN ANIMALS
2. No person shall, knowingly or not knowingly, keep, in that area of the Town
defined in Schedule A-1 hereto, an animal of a class set out in Schedule A-2
hereto.
3. No person shall, knowingly or not knowingly, keep, in that area of the Town
defined in Schedule B-1 hereto, an animal of a class set out in Schedule B-2
hereto.

Schedule A-2
Item Class of Animal Common Names

3. Arthropods of the scorpion, spider/centipede/
classes Arachnid, millipede
Chilopoda and
Diplopoda

24. Venomous Reptilia venomous snake, lizard
25. Serpentes of the boa, python
families Pythonidae
and Boidae

As far as I know the GTA aka all the cities between Milton and Bowmanville along the 401 all have exotics bans. Now if you go 30 mins North (must be away from the 400 series highways) you will find more lenient bylaws. You will also find down around the "golden horseshoe" (again so long as you are away from the 400 series aka the 403 in this area) that there are some areas with less stringent rulings.


Here's a rough map of what should be ok with exotics and what most likely has a ban on exotics. Banned OK

map_339.gif

P.S. This post is not an invitation for people to PM or email me asking for free spiders.
P.S. Mori Whatcha got???
 
Last edited:
Top