Where is it legal to import tarantulas?

[SuzukiSwift]

At the moment I'm studying in China but I'm only going to be here 5 years max, and obviously many of my Ts will still be alive at that time. I have no plans for my future after study yet, but I will most likely be heading over-seas to another country to start a career. Does anyone have a list of countries where I would be allowed to bring my Ts with me when that time comes? Things will probably change over the years so the information now won't be so accurate, but I am curious to know

My future will (of course) take priority over my pets, but it would be great to be able to take them with me, I would hate to say goodbye to them :cry:

And just so there's no misunderstanding, I do NOT condone illegal importing and would never do it, so I don't want anyone 'hinting' anything about how it can be done illegaly cause I'm not interested

 

[poisoned]

I think you'll need import permits almost everywhere in the world. I think the easiest way is to say goodbye to your current Ts and restart the collection.

 

[Giomanach]

im afraid ill agree with poisoned, the easiest way is probably to sell them and when you return start again.

Good luck, Gr Gio

 

[Storm76]

What the others said - you'll most likely have to seel them off and start over again in the country you're moving to eventually.

 

[SamuraiSid]

if you can stomach the idea you might be able to get away with a night in the freezer, removing the guts and putting them in shadow boxes. Given, you still have to start from scratch for live speciemens, but you'll have some awesome art for your new place.

 

[SuzukiSwift]

if you can stomach the idea you might be able to get away with a night in the freezer, removing the guts and putting them in shadow boxes. Given, you still have to start from scratch for live speciemens, but you'll have some awesome art for your new place.

I can't stomach that idea no! lol

When I made this thread I was pretty sure what the answer would be =( I guess it's also exciting to start from scratch, but I'll be super sad to say goodbye to the Ts I have! In that case then a new question, which countries is it legal to raise Ts? Obviously in America and most European countries you can it seems, but what about Australia or New Zealand for example?

 

[poisoned]

if you can stomach the idea you might be able to get away with a night in the freezer, removing the guts and putting them in shadow boxes. Given, you still have to start from scratch for live speciemens, but you'll have some awesome art for your new place.

That would also be illegal in many countries if those would be CITES listed.

I can't stomach that idea no! lol

When I made this thread I was pretty sure what the answer would be =( I guess it's also exciting to start from scratch, but I'll be super sad to say goodbye to the Ts I have! In that case then a new question, which countries is it legal to raise Ts? Obviously in America and most European countries you can it seems, but what about Australia or New Zealand for example?

IIRC It's illegal to keep any imported exotics in Australia. Not sure about NZ.

 

[SuzukiSwift]

That would also be illegal in many countries if those would be CITES listed.


IIRC It's illegal to keep any imported exotics in Australia. Not sure about NZ.

Oh I'm not talking about imported exotics I'm talking about exotics bought IN Australia?

 

[poisoned]

Oh I'm not talking about imported exotics I'm talking about exotics bought IN Australia?

I think you can't keep almost anything that isn't native to Australia. You can keep their native Ts (which are unavailable elsewhere), but that's pretty much it.

 

[arscariosus]

I think you can't keep almost anything that isn't native to Australia. You can keep their native Ts (which are unavailable elsewhere), but that's pretty much it.

I see, now I understand why my dealer is emphasizing the fact that he doesn't ship to Australia.

 

[SuzukiSwift]

I think you can't keep almost anything that isn't native to Australia. You can keep their native Ts (which are unavailable elsewhere), but that's pretty much it.

Oh I see! Well hopefully Australia has a large variety of native Ts then =) (I'll probably end up there)

 

[poisoned]

Oh I see! Well hopefully Australia has a large variety of native Ts then =) (I'll probably end up there)

Actually, I don't think there's much variety available. But you may get to own some Ts that you wouldn't be able otherwise!

 

[SuzukiSwift]

Actually, I don't think there's much variety available. But you may get to own some Ts that you wouldn't be able otherwise!

Mmm that's a hard choice, have not much variety but a unique set of Ts or have lots of variety and have less unique Ts (well, there will still be unique ones too) Either way I'll be able to continue the hobby so I'm happy to hear that! =D haha Obsessed...

 

[pocock1899]

Most countries allow the import of legal tarantulas. You'll want to check with the Chinese, as I believe they require some export paperwork.

The cost is going to depend on how many tarantulas you have (too many and they'll be considered a commercial shipment, which is usually much more expensive).

It will also depend on how you ship your tarantulas. If you are driving across the border to a neighboring country, it will be much less expensive than shipping them air cargo to someplace in the EU or the USA.

If you are dead set on bringing your spiders, I'd look to find a broker that could facilitate you shipment. It might be more expensive, but the chances of a successful shipment are much higher. JMO.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

 

[SuzukiSwift]

Most countries allow the import of legal tarantulas. You'll want to check with the Chinese, as I believe they require some export paperwork.

The cost is going to depend on how many tarantulas you have (too many and they'll be considered a commercial shipment, which is usually much more expensive).

It will also depend on how you ship your tarantulas. If you are driving across the border to a neighboring country, it will be much less expensive than shipping them air cargo to someplace in the EU or the USA.

If you are dead set on bringing your spiders, I'd look to find a broker that could facilitate you shipment. It might be more expensive, but the chances of a successful shipment are much higher. JMO.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

So it is possible? Let's say for example I have 10 tarantulas, most within the 4-5" range, do you have any idea how much that would cost to ship to America for example? I'll be dead set on bringing them with me 'depening' on how much money we're talking about lol

Another quick question, there's a shop here with quite a variety of slings (for dirt cheap prices considering their species, for an example, OBT sling for the equivalent of $4 american) how much would it cost to ship ten little slings to america? They could all fit in just one small box easily

 

[pocock1899]

I don't want to discourage you, if you are determined to carry on, but the cost is going to depend on a lot of things:

I'm used to bigger, commercial shipments. As I think about this, if you were to pack them in a very small box (that is still IATA compatible), you could get by one of the small special rates that airlines sometimes have, and with careful research, you could try to omit hiring a broker.This could save you hundreds of dollars. You'll likely still pay for fees, licensing, etc., but you might be able to get by with only spending a few hundred dollars.

Again, it's all guess work on my part, not having spent much time on Chinese live shipments.It's possible that you'll need chinese export papers and customs inspections. I have no idea how much that is, or where you'd start in China (but a broker can do this too). Protected animals will cost more, as will CITES species (currently, only Brachypelma require CITES).

For import into the US, with 20+ spiders, it'a possible that USFWS will say that it's a commercial shipment. (8 items is usually their cutoff, but it's not a hard and fast rule. Be nice and negotiate, it might save you some money).
If it's declared as a commercial shipment, that means $100 for Import Export license. Also, your inspection fee for a live, non-protected, commercial shipment is going to cost $186 (more if overtime is involved.)
If you can get them to accept that it's a personal shipment, then there is no need for a license and the inspection fee for a live, non-protected, non-commercial shipment is $93 (again, more if have to pay for overtime).

I'd recommend if you have a choice, ship your spiders through SFO or MIA. They could go through DFW, EWR, LAX or ATL as well, but I know the inspectors at SFO and MIA are somewhat more familiar with spiders. That's where I'd send mine.

So, we are at $500-1000+ dollars as a (VERY) rough guess.

I know that seems like lot for 10 to 20 spiders, but if you had 500 spiders in that shipment, it wouldn't seem quite so bad. That's why overseas shipments are usually in big lots.

So, while you can do it, you can see that it's probably just not economical for small numbers of animals, or for small private collections.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do.

For sending your collection into Australia, check here:
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-trade/lists/import/index.html

To save you the trouble looking through all that, at this point, Australia does not allow the import of non-native tarantulas.

 

[SuzukiSwift]

I don't want to discourage you, if you are determined to carry on, but the cost is going to depend on a lot of things:

I'm used to bigger, commercial shipments. As I think about this, if you were to pack them in a very small box (that is still IATA compatible), you could get by one of the small special rates that airlines sometimes have, and with careful research, you could try to omit hiring a broker.This could save you hundreds of dollars. You'll likely still pay for fees, licensing, etc., but you might be able to get by with only spending a few hundred dollars.

Again, it's all guess work on my part, not having spent much time on Chinese live shipments.It's possible that you'll need chinese export papers and customs inspections. I have no idea how much that is, or where you'd start in China (but a broker can do this too). Protected animals will cost more, as will CITES species (currently, only Brachypelma require CITES).

For import into the US, with 20+ spiders, it'a possible that USFWS will say that it's a commercial shipment. (8 items is usually their cutoff, but it's not a hard and fast rule. Be nice and negotiate, it might save you some money).
If it's declared as a commercial shipment, that means $100 for Import Export license. Also, your inspection fee for a live, non-protected, commercial shipment is going to cost $186 (more if overtime is involved.)
If you can get them to accept that it's a personal shipment, then there is no need for a license and the inspection fee for a live, non-protected, non-commercial shipment is $93 (again, more if have to pay for overtime).

I'd recommend if you have a choice, ship your spiders through SFO or MIA. They could go through DFW, EWR, LAX or ATL as well, but I know the inspectors at SFO and MIA are somewhat more familiar with spiders. That's where I'd send mine.

So, we are at $500-1000+ dollars as a (VERY) rough guess.

I know that seems like lot for 10 to 20 spiders, but if you had 500 spiders in that shipment, it wouldn't seem quite so bad. That's why overseas shipments are usually in big lots.

So, while you can do it, you can see that it's probably just not economical for small numbers of animals, or for small private collections.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do.

For sending your collection into Australia, check here:
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-trade/lists/import/index.html

To save you the trouble looking through all that, at this point, Australia does not allow the import of non-native tarantulas.

LOL Ok, forget that idea then, you could easily buy a whole bunch of new Ts instead with that kind of money! Thanks for the info! Yeah already knew about Australia