USDA License Required?

[Christi]

On a mailing list someone has stated that it is Federal law that you must have a USDA license in order to sell, trade or give away any exotic animal - including chins. But "they do not have enough staff to chase you down and catch you."

I am going to write tomorrow for a booklet and application to see but I thought this could make for good discussion.

[Dena]

I have never heard that. Breeding/selling/giving away exotics is done on the state level isn't it?

[Christi]

From what I have been told the USDA regulates it on a Federal level - and there can be additional state regulations.


Here's a link I was sent: USDA

These are the regulations on chinchillas:

(3) The following persons are exempt from the licensing requirements
under section 2 or section 3 of the Act:

(i) Retail pet stores which sell nondangerous, pet-type
animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs,
gophers, domestic ferrets, chinchilla, rats, and mice, for pets, at
retail only: Provided, That, Anyone wholesaling any animals, selling
any animals for research or exhibition, or selling any wild, exotic,
or nonpet animals retail, must have a license;

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/cfr/9cfr2.html

[Dena]

Thanks for the info! Didn't know all that. Didn't know any pet stores sold gophers either???

[Sassy]

From what I was told when calling about getting my USDA license was, I did not have to have a license to sell to private people but if I wanted to sell to pet stores then I would have to.
The big ranches are not USDA licensed.

[EyesOfTXChins]

Yeah I have the applications for USDA because I was gonna get approved to sell sugar gliders. But really unless you are selling pretty big, it's ok. And chins are OK also, for some reason not sugar gliders though. I think it might have to do with that chins aren't much considered an exotic anymore because we have domesticated them so much.