howardlux --
There are no U.S. governmental restrictions on importation of pet
hamsters. California, which has its own "exotic" pet regulatory
scheme, also has no restrictions on the importation of common "golden
(or Syrian) hamsters" to that state.
First, the U.S.:
The U.S. Embassy in Belgium has posted a Customs Service pamphlet to
assist travelers to the U.S. Here is the relevant excerpt:
"Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, Ferrets and Other Pet Rodents:
There are no CDC [Center for Disease Control] or USFWS [United States
Fish and Wildlife Service] restrictions on these animals if brought in
as pets."
U.S. Customs Service: Pets and Wildlife Licensing and Health
Requirements (at p. 10)
http://www.usembassy.be/consul/amcit/pets.pdf
(This is a PDF document that requires Adobe Reader to access. In the
unlikely event that it is not installed on your computer, here is a
link to a free and convenient download:
Adobe Reader: Download
http://www.adobe.co.uk/products/acrobat/readstep2.html )
California apparently will also welcome your hamster (although it
requires a permit for gerbils):
"Sect. 2118: Unlawful to Import, Etc. Specified Animals; Exception
. . .
(b) Order Rodentia (rodents) All species, except domesticated golden
hamsters, also known as Syrian hamsters, Mesocricetus Auratus . . .
. .
California Department of Fish and Game: Restricted Species Law and
Regulations (at p. 2)"
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/pdffiles/fg1518.pdf
Additional Information
Since the found California's decision to regulate gerbils to be
interesting, here is a relevant link to the American Gerbil Society's
website:
American Gerbil Society
http://www.agsgerbils.org/California.html
Search Strategy:
Nailing this down was much more difficult that it might seem, because
of the problem of "proving a negative," that is, no regulation. The
search was also complicated by the fact that various agencies have a
hand in regulating imports of animals.
First, I first a variety of Google searches to look for any
limitations on hamster importation into the United States, such as,
among many others:
pets import hamster
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=pets+import+hamster
pets import OR importation "no restrictions OR limitations"
://www.google.com/search?q=import+OR+importation+hamsters+%22no+restrictions+OR+limitations%22+&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&c2coff=1
I found no indication that hamster importation was regulated by any of
the relevant agencies, but I also found no specific exemption for
these rodents in my initial research (except a statement allowing
their importation without restriction for laboratory experiments).
I then focused on finding specific language allowing hamster
importation (which I thought must exist somewhere) and found the
Customs Services language cited above in the first page of results
from this search:
hamsters "may be imported"
://www.google.com/search?q=hamsters+%22may+be+imported%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&safe=off&start=20&sa=N
Finally, I located the California information with the following search:
california importing OR import hamsters
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=california+importing+OR+import+hamsters
I am confident that this is the information you are seeking. If
anything is unclear, please ask for clarification before rating the
answer.
markj-ga |
,
0 Comments
)