Any Canadian Breeders? or USA ones shipping to Canada?

[Philminator]

I have been away from the scene for a while here, I am trying to find out if there are any Canadian breeders of garter snakes that can ship within Canada, there are a few species I'm looking for. Secondly what is the big fuss over having it shipped over the border from US to Canada? is it the cost? is it that some species are restricted from leaving the country? Thanks, Phil.

[Spankenstyne]

Hi Phil, I replied to your PM regarding my stock availability. As for the second part the big fuss with shipping is partly cost but mainly the paperwork involved in shipping from the US to Canada. A great writeup was posted by Roy Stockwell on Reptiles Canada regarding the process which I'll cut & paste below. Most don't find it worth the hassle unless it's a large bulk commercial shipment or thousands in dollar value to make it worthwhile:

Below is information Compiled by Roy Stockwell on the importation and exportation of reptiles to and from Canada.

US IMPORT/EXPORT INFO
For Americans Exporting from the U.S.A. (Canadians should be familiar with these steps too)
All animals leaving or entering the USA must be inspected by US fish & wildlife This is generally done at what is known as a designated port (http://www.fws.gov/le/ImpExp/Designated_Ports.htm) . If you are not located at a designated port you must contact your local branch of USF&W and arrange an inspection. At this point a document called a 3-177 (http://www.fws.gov/le/pdffiles/3-177-1.pdf)will be completed. It is a declaration of import/export of wildlife. This must be done with all animals regardless of whether they are listed under the Washington Convention (CITES).
It is also possible and fairly common to have animals shipped first to a designated port for inspection and clearance, before heading on to the consignee. This is done when the shipper or recipient in the US is not near a designated port. It can however, sometimes get complicated and expensive because a broker can be required to transfer the shipment and arrange for fish&wildlife inspection. This is especially true if different air carriers are involved since Airlines are not obliged to move your cargo, especially into the hands of a competitive Airline. So if you need to hire a broker this can mean that your animals are being put into the hands of a middle man who might very well hate herps(or love them and steal your shipment). It's a bit scary to have someone opening your animals in the middle of their journey to your customer.

If the animals are CITES listed and are Appendix 2 you need to apply To the US department of the interior/F&W for a CITES export permit. This must then be stamped by a wildlife agent at the time of the inspection otherwise the permit is not valid...
You will also now need (since I think bout 97) a US fish and wildlife IMPORT EXPORT license (http://www.fws.gov/forms/3-200-3.pdf)... you need to apply for it. It is $100.00us and is good for only one year. If you are not getting your inspection at a Designated port, but are using a border port (http://www.fws.gov/le/ImpExp/Canadian_Border_Ports.htm) you may also be required to apply for what's called an "Exception to Designated Port"permit (http://www.fws.gov/forms/3-200-2.pdf). It's now also $100US bucks and is good for 2 years.

For Canadians taking animals into or out of the USA
If you are taking animals across the border in a car, you need to apply for and obtain this US fish and wildlife IMPORT EXPORT license (http://www.fws.gov/forms/3-200-3.pdf)... and yes also the exception from designated port permit if you have more than just a few animals.

You must phone US F&W in advance and arrange for an inspection 48 hrs before you cross. An agent will be dispatched to the crossing of your choice(See the list of Border Ports (http://www.fws.gov/le/ImpExp/Canadian_Border_Ports.htm)) . You will be charged for the inspection. $55US standard, more if its CITES or outside of business hours.A 3-177 declaration will need to be presented at the time of the inspection. I recommend pre ordering this form from USF&W and filling them out ahead of time. It makes the wildlife agents happy and you are more likely to know the Scientific names, which must be shown on the declaration. It's also helpful to take a book with pictures to help verify the species.

If you are taking a lot of stuff into the US for personal delivery or to fly out of an American airport it may be considered a commercial shipment and this will also require a Customs Broker...I use PBB. (Peace Bridge Brokers)

Also, if you are taking CITES listed animals out of Canada you must first apply for and obtain a Canadian CITES Export permit. You will be required to prove legal origin to be granted this permit. Before crossing the border, you must first stop on the Canadian side and get Customs to validate it, otherwise it is not a legal CITES permit.

A complete list, with prices, of US Fish & Wildlife forms including CITES applications, licenses etc, can be found here (http://www.fws.gov/forms/display.cfm?number1=200)

And info , printable permit applications and prices also can be found Here (http://www.fws.gov/le/ImpExp/Regional_Permit_Offices.htm)

[Philminator]

Thanks for the info, guess I'll stick to Canadian breeders if I find any.

[ConcinusMan]

That's pretty much why Canada doesn't have all the garters we have in the U.S. it's a real pain, and expensive to get them into Canada legally. You're pretty much stuck with what you can find in Canada.