![]() ![]() While understandably a little hesitant, I have always found it handy to remind property owners that reptiles are kept shut away pretty much the whole time, and therefore don’t produce the smell, hair and mess that dog owners often leave behind. I opted to rent a villa just outside Cognac, checking with the landlady in advance that she was fine about the reptiles. The good news about holiday properties in Europe is that many are pet friendly. If a query arises, you want to have the answer ready and waiting for them. Still, it’s better to be over-prepared, especially since port authorities only deal with exotic pets rarely. As it turned out, the process at both ends went very smoothly and no proof was necessary. I gathered all of these emails into a document wallet, ready for inspection if necessary. This needn’t be too problematic in the UK, for example, a quick email to Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) should suffice. I recommend double-checking with the authorities to ensure that you have written confirmation that your pets may leave and enter. In those cases you will need to make sure you have the necessary certifications to prove their captive-bred status. Of course, if you are traveling outside the EU, the rules are far more stringent. Even though some of the species I was transporting are protected – registered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – my experience is that registration should prevent any problems as long as you’re not planning to sell your pets. Fortunately, traveling within the EU is reasonably simple. The second set of regulations to be aware of are import and export rules. ![]() I also made to sure to place my pets in my trunk, to avoid startling any other passengers who may not share my enthusiasm for scaly animals! The process was quite simple, and just involved booking online, then contacting their customer service team with my booking reference to let them know what I would be carrying.Īs long as the animals remain safely locked in your car during the journey then there should be no issues. Personally, I traveled with Brittany Ferries. Pay close attention to these, as the last thing you want is to be turned back at port. The first of these are the rules set by each ferry company. When transporting “exotic pets” there are two kinds of rules that you’ll need to abide by. Booking early enough, comfy cabins were available for catching some sleep. I chose an overnight crossing, departing around 11pm and arriving into Caen, in northern France, early the next morning. I packed up all the animals in my car, drove them onto the ferry, and straight off again at the other end. Based in Sussex, this meant a drive of just over an hour to Portsmouth Harbour in order to catch the ferry. With the snakes and spiders, ferry was the most practical and cost-effective solution. ![]() These are my own tips garnered from traveling with three ball pythons measuring up to four and a half feet long, a milk snake called Kermit, and ten different tarantulas.Ĭheck Company Rules And Legal RegulationsĪs a Brit, there are three main options for getting to France: by air, Channel Tunnel, or ferry. (Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t very successful with the latter.) This just left one good option: take the “zoo” with me – which is exactly what I did. I could pay a pet sitter but they’re expensive or I could convince a friend. Sure, I could leave them at home for a few weeks: but what about the four months I was planning? The only problem in this otherwise life-changing plan were my four beautiful pet snakes and an assortment of random tarantulas. This is a guest post by Richard Adams, a reptile keeper with over 25 years of experience who writes about caring for all sorts of creatures on his website Keeping Exotic Pets.Īt the beginning of the year I made just one New Year’s Resolution: to take the summer off and explore France from my home in Sussex, England. ![]()
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