Is it illegal to have hamsters in Australia?

Yes, as I learned the hard way in the dark days before the Internet. As a tween had read in Enid Blyton books etc. about hamsters and longed for one as a pet. read more

There is no good reason to allow any other introduced mammal to add to the burden on the pest control folks. Note that in Australia and its territories we also have to try to control and eradicate foxes, feral cats, feral dogs, feral camels, feral buffalo and various other introduced species. No more. Buy a goldfish. read more

Gerbils and hamsters are classified as exotic rodents and they not allowed in Australia because they are a threat to the local ecosystem. That is, if they were to escape into the wild, they may start breeding and threaten native flora and fauna. read more

Yes, hamsters are illegal in Australia. In fact, Australia's navy searches boats for hamsters before letting them dock, if a boat is found to have illegal cargo, such as hamsters, the boat is turned away without docking and forced to go back where ever it came from. read more