# Purchasing online for Canadians



## steve426 (Feb 13, 2011)

I see several online sites all over the internet selling tortoises and shipping them to your door but none of them as far as i know will ship into Canada. I know there are several other canadians on this forum and i hoping some of you might know of a website that we can actually use to obtain reptiles, more specifically tortoises.


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## Isa (Feb 13, 2011)

Sorry, I do not know any Canadian websites where you can buy tortoises. Where do you live in Canada?


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## Snapper (Feb 14, 2011)

I had the same problem. It was frustrating to find so many sites that sell tortoises, but none that would ship to me! There is a website -but I have to find it somewhere-that has tortoises for sale AT TIMES. If you post on reptiles canada, someone there will be able to help. I will try and find the website I was talking about...

Found it: http://www.portcreditpets.com


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## JourneyTort (Feb 14, 2011)

Snapper said:


> I had the same problem. It was frustrating to find so many sites that sell tortoises, but none that would ship to me! There is a website -but I have to find it somewhere-that has tortoises for sale AT TIMES. If you post on reptiles canada, someone there will be able to help. I will try and find the website I was talking about...




There is nothing comparable to any of the US sites for Canadians. We just don't have the supply and demand (I am assuming) and also it is very difficult to introduce a new species into the market 'legally'. 

I see you are from Trenton, you can peruse Port Credit Pet Centre's web site (they seem to sell the most torts) but not sure if they deliver but not too far of a drive for you. 

Depends what species you are looking for. Redfoots and Sulcatas are very easily obtained in Canada. Look on Kijiji, seems like they get re-homed around 3 - 5 years of age!!


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## steve426 (Feb 14, 2011)

Thank you everybody for your input I will look into Port Credit Pets. JorneyTort, i know what you mean about Sulcata's getting rehomed after a few years. I recently acquired a male sulcata (Dozer) who is 13" in length. He was being kept in 30 long and as you can imagine he had absolutely no room to move. The concave part of his Plastron was completely packed full of feces and wood chips. He seems to just fine now after some TLC but still seems to miss the 80% Lettuce diet he was on. Non the less he has come a long way and is now in good hands and seems to enjoy being able to stretch his legs.


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## Terry Allan Hall (Feb 16, 2011)

Snapper said:


> I had the same problem. It was frustrating to find so many sites that sell tortoises, but none that would ship to me! There is a website -but I have to find it somewhere-that has tortoises for sale AT TIMES. If you post on reptiles canada, someone there will be able to help. I will try and find the website I was talking about...
> 
> Found it: http://www.portcreditpets.com



Russian Tortoises - *$559.00*? Wow! 

At those prices, you could just cross the border into the US and save a lot of $$$...what would be the legal aspects?


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## JourneyTort (Feb 16, 2011)

Terry Allan Hall said:


> Snapper said:
> 
> 
> > I had the same problem. It was frustrating to find so many sites that sell tortoises, but none that would ship to me! There is a website -but I have to find it somewhere-that has tortoises for sale AT TIMES. If you post on reptiles canada, someone there will be able to help. I will try and find the website I was talking about...
> ...



If you were to try to bring a tort across the border, from my understanding from what I have looked into it is very, very hard to be able to bring a tort into the country. They make it almost impossible and depends if they are CITES listed, etc.


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## Isa (Feb 16, 2011)

It is not legal. There is a law that says that all reptiles in Canada must be bred in Canada. So I guess that if they catch you, they would take your little tortoise at the border 

The prices here are crazy!!!! I have paid 400$ for my Hermann!


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## JourneyTort (Feb 16, 2011)

Isa said:


> It is not legal. There is a law that says that all reptiles in Canada must be bred in Canada. So I guess that if they catch you, they would take your little tortoise at the border
> 
> The prices here are crazy!!!! I have paid 400$ for my Hermann!





Isa, I was not aware of that law. Where is it?? When I was investigating bringing a tort over nowhere did I encounter any governmental site say it is illegal and we couldn't do it. Basically you had to jump through hoops to do this but it is not against the law as far as I am aware. Unless it has changed in the last 5 years.

You can't bring a tort/reptile up to the border and say I just bought this reptile, that is illegal. You need paperwork to bring it across.


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## Isa (Feb 16, 2011)

That is what the custom told me when I called them before getting my first tortoise, They told me the reptiles in Canada must be bred in Canada.


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## JourneyTort (Feb 17, 2011)

Isa said:


> That is what the custom told me when I called them before getting my first tortoise, They told me the reptiles in Canada must be bred in Canada.



I am afraid that is incorrect information. You can bring reptiles over into Canada. The Vendor has to supply paperwork as well as the purchaser and you have to do it in a certain order and it really is not easy but it can be done. It is more difficult (or can't be done) for certain species of reptiles depending on their CITES listing.

The custom people never know what food is allowed from one day to the next, I wouldn't trust what they advise unless you have it in writing.


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## JohnathanO (Feb 17, 2011)

I'm not sure if it's different for tortoises but a few years ago I ordered a couple of lizards from the US, the amount of money I had to pay for the paperwork was ridiculous, I paid almost as much for the paperwork as I did for the lizards themselves.


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## Isa (Feb 17, 2011)

No way!! I so did not know that! I always thought it was illegal since that is what they told me! Everyone at the custom should give the right informations. 

Jonathan, how did you have to pay for the paperworks? I am curious?


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## Spankenstyne (Feb 18, 2011)

You can bring snakes & lizards in with the appropriate paperwork, turtles & tortoises cannot be legally brought into Canada unless you have an import permit and they were in the "owner's personal possession in the country of origin and accompany the owner to Canada." Eggs used to be a loophole but now those permits are only issued to zoos & research facilities. This isn't Fish & Wildlife regs though, it's a CFIA thing.

Here's a link http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/imp/petani/amphe.shtml

Then you have to consider your local F&W regs which may limit things even further.


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## Isa (Feb 19, 2011)

Thanks for letting us know, the website does not work right now but I will try again and call again on Monday  Thanks for your help!


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## Yvonne G (Feb 19, 2011)

Spankenstyne said:


> You can bring snakes & lizards in with the appropriate paperwork, turtles & tortoises cannot be legally brought into Canada unless you have an import permit and they were in the "owner's personal possession in the country of origin and accompany the owner to Canada.



Wow, Spankenstyne...you've been a member almost as long as I have and yet this is your first post! I commend your restraint. I can't read without responding!

Welcome to the forum! Are you Canadian?


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