Moving to Australia with my dragon?

[MissCutiePatootie]

My boyfriend currently lives in Australia and I live in the U.S. I was curious...

If I move to Australia, am I allowed to take my dragon with me?

How much would it cost?

What's the process?

 

[EllenD]

My guess is no, because in Australia I believe you have to have a license or a registration to keep pet reptiles, plus I'm sure there's quarantine laws, or regulations since they are a wild species in Australia, so bringing a captive bred dragon in is most likely an issue. Someone else who knows for certain can chime in, but I've heard several people talk about Australia having very strict laws about owning reptiles as pets..

 

[Stres]

My guess is no, because in Australia I believe you have to have a license or a registration to keep pet reptiles, plus I'm sure there's quarantine laws, or regulations since they are a wild species in Australia, so bringing a captive bred dragon in is most likely an issue. Someone else who knows for certain can chime in, but I've heard several people talk about Australia having very strict laws about owning reptiles as pets..

I think they are very strict about letting anything into the country, anything from Seeds and plants to animals.

I had two friends move there a few years ago and they were basically forced to leave their dogs with family due to how hard it was to move them over there, I think even johnny Depp (rich actor) couldn't take his dogs if I remember correctly.

 

[CaramelBeet]

I don't know if it's possible, they aren't on the list of animals that you can import, so I doubt it. Even if you could, you'd have to jump through some hoops.
You'd have to have a license, (you need an Australian residential address, so you'd either need someone to look after him while waiting for it to be approved after you moved, or you could get your boyfriend to be his licensed owner for a while), and I believe you'd also need an import license.
My guess is that you'd also need to be able to prove where and when you bought him, and get him tested for adenovirus.

Maybe you can give the department of agriculture, land and water a ring, and see if they can advise you further.

 

[MissCutiePatootie]

Thank you all for your responses. I really hope that it is possible. I expect it to cost a fortune and be a huge headache. I'm not sure what I'll do if it comes to that. I have a snake and two kitties as well. I can't imagine choosing between them or my future with my boyfriend. It would be heart breaking either way. =[

 

[kingofnobbys]

Sorry but , even though bearded dragons are native to Australia and very common in the wild (even in suburbia) , the reptile deseases that are common in the USA are unheardof here in Australia.

You will not be allowed to import your pet bearded dragon from the USA to Australia , there are no exceptions , this is to protect our indigenous wild reptiles and captive bred reptiles from introduced deseases that they will have no defences for.

The import of reptiles into Australia are strictly forbidden , many reptile keepers here (in Australia would love to have non-native reptiles (but they are not able to) see http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-trade/natives , still no harm in asking the Dept of Environment http://www.environment.gov.au/ about importing your pets to Australia.

The cat , maybe but it will involve a long period of quarranteen.

 

[EllenD]

Yes, I actually went and researched after reading this post, and there is absolutely NO WAY to bring a reptile from the US into Australia, and actually it makes perfect sense why you can't. Adenovirus is only one of many diseases that are unheard of in Australia, and since beardies are indigenous to Australia, bringing an infected reptile in from another country could be catastrophic. So I'm sorry, but there's no way you can bring your beardie at all.

The kitten is also most likely a no, based on what I read on the Australian government page I read, as even if you go through all the hoops it takes to get a residence and apply for all of the quarantine and health allotments, typically they won't let you bring in any animals to Australia from another country, and if they do it costs thousands and thousands of dollars. There are a few Johnny Depp articles online that talk about his dog, he was denied entrance to Australia with the dog, and he went through all the red tape and paid the big bucks...Then was denied...That kind of sucks. But they have their reasons I guess...Sorry you can't take them, you'd think the cat would be alright after a long quarantine...I understand about the reptiles though... That's how the US ended up with HIV, importing animals for the pet trade...

 

[kingofnobbys]

I don't know if it's possible, they aren't on the list of animals that you can import, so I doubt it. Even if you could, you'd have to jump through some hoops.
You'd have to have a license, (you need an Australian residential address, so you'd either need someone to look after him while waiting for it to be approved after you moved, or you could get your boyfriend to be his licensed owner for a while), and I believe you'd also need an import license.
My guess is that you'd also need to be able to prove where and when you bought him, and get him tested for adenovirus. <<< its not just ADV , there are many reptile deseases present in the USA that are not seen here in Australia , as well as parasites.

Maybe you can give the department of agriculture, land and water a ring, and see if they can advise you further.

There is a long history of introduced animals becoming noxious pests and causing carnage and mayhem here in Australia , just a few are
>> indian minors
>> cane toads
>> rabbits
>> house mice
>> ratus ratus
>> goats
>> camels
>> horses
>> pigs
>> cattle
>> sheep
>> Asian buffalo
>> argentine ants
>> cats
>> dogs