Axys in Canada?!?!

[colin]

Okay, I'm in the rough boat here, can't find any axys.. been searching for almost 3 years on and off to no avail!

I know the border can be a pain but I am willing to take eggs (preferably eggs from 2 different sources)

I have connections to a vet clinic (and hence to all the proper paperwork, the right procedure and their willingness to help me do everything properly)

If a couple people could give me a hand with this I'd be greatly appreciative as I have yet to find anyone in Canada currently working with this beautiful creature

 

[joan]

It is not legal to ship/move axolotls across the border due to their CITES II listing, unless you have a CITES permit. These are practically impossible for the average individual to receive.

 

[leah]

Not at all- I was able to get them for my iguanas and turtles easily enough (I had to find new homes for most of my animals when I moved to Australia- they ended up in Detroit.)

Colin, try visiting the CITES website and give their customer service line a call. I had a horrible time getting through when I needed help, but once I did they were wonderful. Maybe they'll have some advice for you. There was a thread a while back here with another member looking for axies in Canada. He ran into problems with the US end of things- breeders there like the Indiana University and Wards were unwilling to ship to Canada. An import permit wasn't required, but an export permit was, so the responsibility is basically in the dealer's hands. Hopefully someone at CITES can help you with a solution!

 

[leah]

www.cites.ec.gc.ca
www.cites.org

 

[colin]

So the problem lies at the exporters hand? that's tough, because no exporters want to do the work

I have connections to get permits done properly and soundly with people who deal with CITES (due to a vet clinic has to deal with it all the time) I just need to find someone willing to at least try to go through the steps

I'll check the site, you wouldn't think it would be that tough; and everyone at the vet clinic and the people around it are saying it isn't that bad as long as you can prove they are captive bred

The other thing is it is not legal to move the live animals.. but the eggs are a whole nother ball park!

If worse comes to worse I'll get a vet to get get the permit.. and bring them in

thanks for the heads up.. if anyone has any further information let me know

 

[michael]

Being CITES II their is more paperwork and fees involved. Transporting eggs is the same as animals. I know lots of fish and salamanders are smuggled as eggs but it is not legal.

 

[leah]

My Eastern 3 toed box turtle was CITES II- no fees or extensive paperwork involved at all for her export permit. The most costly thing was the actual shipping- finding an airline that was able to handle live animal shipments and could give my turtle a direct flight was the biggest pain. The permit itself was simple and took less than 10 minutes of my time to fill out the papers. I really would call their customer service line!

 

[colin]

thanks for your encouraging words Leah, Luckily I know a member of CITES council or something.. not sure exactly what; but they're willing to assist me with the paperwork.. the only trouble is finding someone in the states who is willing.

Sure, you were the exporter.. but it seems really difficult to find anyone who will export to me they all think "it is such a pain"

keep on trying though

I think i'd like to start with eggs.. as they'll probably ship best and what not.. inexpensive.. and a great experience

 

[michael]

Leah,
I don't think you can compare what happens in Australia with what happens in Canada or the U.S..

Colins best bet would be to find c.b. axolotls in Canada or work with an importer that regularlly imports CITES animals to Canada. Maybe it would be possible to have some axolotls sent along with other animals to defray costs.

 

[leah]

Michael- I wasn't, if you re-read my posts. I have just moved from Canada to Australia, and to do so I had to find new homes for most of my animals. There is no cost, at least in Canada, in obtaining a CITES II export permit. Maybe it's different in the US, but all my animals ended up in the States quite legally, with very little work from me.

I think it's the import permits that are more difficult to obtain maybe?

The greatest cost, as I said, was the airfare. My smallest turtle was still about 150$ Canadian to ship- though I probably overdid the packing a little. Sending multiple animals requires special shipping containers, for reptiles anyway. For mine, I was able to get a printout of acceptable boxes from the Air Canada Cargo office (the company I used for transport.)

 

[michael]

My bad.

 

[brian]

I'm in the same boat as you (I think it was you I was talking to via Email, Colin). Find a pet store that gets it's animals from Mirdo Imports (based in Montreal). They get axies on a semi-regular basis. Talk to the fish department people at your local pet stores. They're on their fish lists, as opposed to the reptile/amphibian list. With a little luck, I'll be getting some from Mirdo in the next week or so. Unfortunately, Mirdo is a wholsaler, so you will have to go through a retail store. They should be around $40-$50 retail (wholsale on them is $20). I plan on breeding them when I get them, so keep an eye on these boards, because I'll announce it here.}