Last Updated:
Saturday, 26. July 2008

Pets in Australia

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Bringing your Pet to Australia.

  • How much does it cost to bring a Dog or Cat to Australia ?  From the info that I have shown below, I would say that you are looking from about GBP £1,500 upwards, plus another AUS $700-$800 to including quarantine etc.  Then maybe further costs to transport the pet from one of the three quarantine stations to your final destination.

 

Cats & Dogs

If you wish to import a cat or dog into Australia, you need to apply for an AQIS import permit via the Live Animal Imports Program, however, different import conditions apply for the importation of disability assistance dogs.  An Import Permit currently costs $180.00 for the first animal. (April 2008)

Note: An import permit does not guarantee a space at an Animal Quarantine Station, make sure you book a space as soon as possible.
Source: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs

Do NOT give your dog the Leptospirosis vaccination prior to travel, as it may adversely affect the ability to bring your dog to Australia.

 

Horses

Refer to the Horses link on http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/other

 

Other Pets

No other pets can be imported to Australia. These include such animals as; chinchillas, fish, ferrets, guinea pigs, hamster, lizards, mice, snakes, spiders and turtles. Source: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/other  There are exceptions for imported pets from New Zealand, where Rabbits and certain types of Birds are allowed to be brought in.  However, with an import permit fee of $180 minimum, I would not be sure about the economics of it.

Quarantine

Your Pets must spend time in Quarantine, after arrival from the UK, and there are currently only 3 quarantine stations throughout Australia, at the following locations.

  • New South Wales: Eastern Creek Quarantine Station, 60 Wallgrove Road, Eastern Creek, NSW 2766 : Tel: 61 2 9625 4566 PDF Info File The Eastern Creek Animal Quarantine Station is located 40Km west of Sydney.

  • Victoria: Spotswood Quarantine Station, 43-47 Craig Street, Spotswood, VIC 3105 : Tel: 61 3 9391 1627 PDF Info File The Spotswood quarantine station is located approximately 12km west of central Melbourne and approximately 25km from Melbourne Airport.

  • West Australia: Byford Quarantine Station, 106 Nettleton Road, Byford, WA 6122 : Tel: 61 8 9525 1763 PDF Info File The Byford Animal Quarantine Station is located 37 kilometres south of Perth

 

Fees for Government quarantine service for Cats & Dogs:

Quarantine entry, Inspection & Documents: $108
Transport to quarantine station: $95 or $120
Daily rate for the first cat - includes food and care - $13.55  (30 days = $406.50 + $108 + $120 = $624.50)
Daily rate for the first dog – includes food and care - $17.55  (30 days = $526.50 + $108 + $120 = $754.50)
Source: http://www.daffa.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/fees-charges/govt-stations  (These prices were current at Feb 2008, and there may be other incidental costs vaccinations etc)

Travel

Bringing your Pet to Australia can be expensive, I have seen figures range from £1,500 to £2,400 for the basic cost of transportation to the Airport in Australia.   I have also seen a figure quoted of £2,500 for two dogs, and on top of that is the costs in Australia of quarantine.  Worth checking around and getting EXACT quotes

Pet travel services 

Australian Pet Travel Services, including Interstate Travel

 

Pet Restrictions

Some areas of Australia have restrictions on the ownership of pets, and there are various reasons for this, and relate mainly to the native wildlife of Australia.

One example is that some councils may restrict the number of Dogs that you own to just 2.  So it pays to check with the local council if pets are an important part of your life.

 

Ferrets

Can I have a ferret in Queensland?

No. The ferret is a Class 1 declared pest animal, and as such is a prohibited pet in Queensland. Other Australian states also have restrictions on keeping ferrets as pets. Source: http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/dpi/hs.xsl/4790_8281_ENA_HTML.htm

Rabbits

Can I have a pet rabbit in Queensland?

No. There are no provisions under the Act to allow the keeping of domestic rabbits as pets in Queensland.  Other States do however allow them as Pets. Rabbits are Australia's most destructive agricultural and environmental introduced animal pest, costing between $600 million and $1 billion annually. Source

Cats

How do I tell the difference between a feral cat and a domestic one?

A feral cat is a declared pest. A domestic cat is defined as a cat that is fed and kept; all other cats are defined as feral.

So that domestic cats can be returned if they stray, owners should attach identifying information to them with a collar and/or a microchip.

Estimates are that Australia has up to 14 million feral cats, which kill up to 4 billion small mammals, birds and reptiles each year.

Hamsters

Hamsters, Gerbils and Chinchillas are completely banned in Australia

Guinea Pigs, Mice and Rats are allowed as pets, at least in QLD.

Listing of Prohibited mammals, reptiles and amphibians in Queensland, include, but are not limited to:
American corn snakes, dingoes, feral pigs, ferrets, foxes, gerbils, hamsters, monkeys, rabbits, red-eared slider turtles, squirrels, stoats, weasels and wild dogs.  Source: http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/dpi/hs.xsl/4790_8263_ENA_HTML.htm

 

Links

  • OzPet An Australian Pet Portal dedicated solely to Australian pets and pet related web sites

  • Pets Playground - Listing of Leash Free Parks in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane

 



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