Are hamsters illegal in Australia?

Hamster rules at a glance

A penalty unit stands for a dollar amount that governments change from time to time. The detail, and who to contact, is under the law in each state and territory.

What is a hamster?

A hamster is a small rodent. The species Australian law names most often is the golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, also called the Syrian hamster. Other species include the common hamster and the dwarf hamsters.

The federal environment department reviewed the golden hamster in a risk analysis dated August 2021 (PDF). It says:

• It’s common in the pet trade overseas. It’s also the fifth most commonly used laboratory animal, after mice, rats, rabbits and guinea pigs.
• It comes from a small area. The wild population lives in 10,000 to 15,000 square kilometres north and south-west of the city of Aleppo, in northern Syria. The whole domestic stock came from four siblings caught in 1930.
• It lives alone. Wild golden hamsters are solitary, very territorial and live in burrows. Kept together in captivity, they fight, and that can end in injury or death.
• It breeds fast. Pregnancy lasts 16 days, which the analysis calls the shortest of any placental mammal. A litter averages about seven pups, and a female can fall pregnant again within 24 hours of giving birth.
• It hoards grain. The analysis says the species is listed as a serious pest of legume crops in Syria.

Those last two points matter for the law. See why hamsters are illegal.

Are hamsters illegal in Australia?

Yes, as pets, on the laws we read. One set of rules covers bringing a hamster into the country. Each state and territory then has its own rule about keeping one or bringing one in.

Can you bring a hamster into Australia?

No, not as a pet.

A live animal has to be on Australia’s live import list to be brought in. The list has two parts. Animals in Part 1 need no import permit under the national environment law. Animals in Part 2 need one, and the list can set conditions for each.

• The golden hamster is in Part 2. Its conditions read: “Research only. High security facilities only.”
• No other hamster is on the list. We searched the list as in force on 28 January 2026, the latest version on the Federal Register of Legislation. The department’s 2021 risk analysis (PDF) said the same.
• The old rule didn’t allow pets either. Until November 2021 the listing allowed castrated males only, for non-commercial purposes, with household pets excluded. The CSIRO’s disease research centre asked for the change so it could use male and female hamsters in COVID-19 research.

The federal agriculture department gives the same answer from the biosecurity side. Its page on unique and exotic pets (updated 29 March 2023) says only dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and selected species of birds from approved countries can be imported as pets, and only under strict conditions. It says no other vertebrate animals are approved for import as pets.

So you can’t bring a pet hamster with you when you move to Australia, and you can’t order one from overseas.

Can you have a hamster in Australia if it’s already here?

Not lawfully as a pet, on what we read. Two layers of law apply.

The national law. It’s an offence to have an animal that was illegally imported, or the offspring of one (section 303GN of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999). The section has exceptions, including a reasonable excuse.

The department’s 2021 risk analysis (PDF) says the golden hamster is illegal to import and therefore to possess. It also says limited numbers are in the Australian pet community, and that it found no evidence of them escaping or establishing in the wild.

The environment department’s Live Import List page (updated 24 September 2026) says liability for having, breeding or trading an animal that isn’t on the list depends on which parts of the law apply, its origin and the evidence in each case. It adds that a species having been in Australia for a long time doesn’t by itself show it’s here lawfully, or that any one person has committed an offence.

State and territory law. This applies wherever the hamster came from. It’s set out below.

What are the federal penalties?

These are the maximums in the national environment law, as in force on 24 August 2026:

• Importing a live animal against the list: up to 10 years in prison, 1,000 penalty units, or both (section 303EK). The environment department’s page puts the fine at up to $364,000 for a person and $1,820,000 for a corporation.
• Having an animal that was illegally imported, or the offspring of one: up to 5 years in prison, 1,000 penalty units, or both (section 303GN).

The law in each state and territory

Each section says what we found, and how sure we are. Four places name hamsters. The other four cover them with a general rule.

New South Wales

Banned, by name. The Biosecurity Act 2015 lists the golden hamster among the animals that can be dealt with only for exhibition or research (Schedule 3, Part 3). Any other dealing is prohibited.

The common hamster is named in a stricter list, where all dealings are prohibited (Schedule 3, Part 2). That Part also covers every other mammal that isn’t native, unless the Act deals with it elsewhere or puts it on a list of exceptions. No hamster is on that list. The guinea pig, the house mouse, the brown rat, the black rat, the European rabbit and the ferret are.

• What a dealing is: keeping, having, buying, selling, moving, breeding, bringing into the state or releasing the animal, among other things (section 12).
• The penalty: a prohibited dealing is a category 2 offence. The maximum for a person is $220,000, plus $55,000 for each day the offence continues, or $1,100,000 if a court finds it was committed negligently (sections 152 and 280).
• Who to tell: the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development takes reports of suspected exotic animals through an online form. Its page of animals that are illegal to keep names 11 animals, and hamsters aren’t among them. The Act names them.

We read the version of the Act in force from 10 June 2026.

Victoria

Banned, as a family. Victoria declares pest animals under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Its declared pest animal list makes the family Cricetidae, which it describes as hamsters and New World rats and mice, a prohibited pest animal for the whole state. The entry has no exceptions.

• The penalty: bringing into Victoria, keeping or selling a prohibited pest animal carries up to 480 penalty units (section 75 of the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994). Releasing one carries the same (section 75A).
• Permits: the Act lets the department’s Secretary grant a permit to bring in, keep or sell a pest animal, with conditions (section 77). Agriculture Victoria says importing, keeping, breeding and trading these animals without a permit is illegal. We didn’t find what a permit is granted for.
• Who to tell: Agriculture Victoria’s customer service centre on 136 186.

We read the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 as in force from 5 April 2023, and the list on a page updated 10 September 2026.

Queensland

Banned, by name. The Queensland Government lists hamsters among its prohibited animals, and says you aren’t allowed to keep any prohibited animal as a pet in Queensland (page updated 2 June 2026). Gerbils, ferrets and rabbits are on the same list.

• How the law is written: the regulation under the Biosecurity Act 2014 makes every mammal that isn’t native to Australia prohibited matter, apart from restricted matter and a list of named animals. The guinea pig, the house mouse, the black rat and the sewer rat are on that list. No hamster is (Biosecurity Regulation 2016, Schedule 1, Part 4).
• The penalty: the Biosecurity Act 2014’s maximum for dealing with prohibited matter is 1,000 penalty units or 1 year in prison (section 37). Dealing includes keeping, breeding, transporting and distributing the animal, and buying or supplying it for any of those purposes. Not telling an inspector about prohibited matter you have carries the same maximum (section 36).
• Permits: the government’s booklet, Pets you can’t keep in Queensland (PDF, 5.5 MB), says keeping a prohibited animal as a pet isn’t a purpose a permit is issued for.
• Who to tell: Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.

We read the Act and the regulation as in force from 27 April 2026.

South Australia

Banned, on our reading of the list. South Australia’s list of declared animals (PDF), made under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019 and dated 11 September 2024, doesn’t name hamsters.

Its first class, Class 1, names some animals. It then adds all other animals that aren’t native and aren’t listed in another class. Class 4, which holds common pets and livestock, has the guinea pig, the domestic rabbit, and domestic mice and rats. No class names a hamster. On that wording, a hamster is a Category 1 animal for the whole state.

That’s our reading of the list, not a ruling. No South Australian Government page we read mentions hamsters. Ask the Invasive Species Unit before you rely on it.

• The penalty for a Category 1 animal: keeping one, or selling one, carries up to $60,000 or 1 year in prison (sections 187 and 188 of the Landscape South Australia Act 2019). Releasing one carries up to $125,000 or 2 years in prison (section 189).
• Permits: the South Australian Government says permits to keep a declared animal go only to facilities that show extremely high standards of security, expertise, housing and animal management, or that benefit the community through education.
• Who to tell or ask: the Pest Alert Hotline on 1800 084 881, or the Invasive Species Unit on (08) 8429 0823.

We read the version of the Landscape South Australia Act 2019 dated 25 November 2023, the current one on the state’s legislation site.

Western Australia

Banned without a permit, by name. The state’s organism list has the golden hamster as a declared pest in its prohibited category, for the whole state. It gives the species as absent from Western Australia, with a keeping category of “prohibited”.

The department says prohibited organisms can be imported and kept only under permits. Its legend says an animal in the prohibited keeping category can be kept only under a permit for public display and education, or genuine scientific research, by entities the state approves.

• Keeping one: a fine of $50,000 (Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007, section 23).
• Importing one without a permit: a fine of $50,000 (section 15).
• Supplying one to a person in the state without a permit: a fine of $20,000 (Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Regulations 2013, regulation 25; section 24 of the Act). The Act’s meaning of supply takes in selling, giving and offering to do either.
• Advertising one for supply: a fine of $5,000, unless the ad carries one of two set statements (regulation 26).
• A higher maximum: for an organism prescribed as “high impact”, keeping or importing one carries $100,000 and 12 months in prison. The 2013 Regulations don’t use the term. We didn’t check other regulations.
• Other hamsters: the common hamster has the same entry in the organism list as the golden hamster. We didn’t find the dwarf hamsters or the Chinese hamster in the list’s name look-up, which we searched by scientific name. The department says an organism that isn’t on the Western Australian Organism List is automatically prohibited entry, and importing one without a permit carries a fine of $20,000 (section 15).
• Who to ask: the department’s Pest and Disease Information Service on (08) 9368 3080.

We read the Act as in force from 28 May 2026 and the Regulations as in force from 19 March 2026.

Tasmania

Can’t be brought in without written permission. We found no Tasmanian page or law that names hamsters. What the Nature Conservation Act 2002 says (section 32):

• A “controlled animal” is any mammal other than a dog, a cat, domestic stock or a restricted animal. Domestic stock is a set list. Its mammals include the guinea pig and the European rabbit, and no hamster (Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulations 2021, Schedule 7).
• Bringing one in needs the prior written permission of the department’s Secretary, and has to comply with the Biosecurity Act 2019. The maximum fine is 10 penalty units for each animal.
• Having one that was brought in against that rule carries the same maximum. So does letting one go at large without permission.
• The burden is on the keeper. A controlled animal in someone’s possession is presumed to have been brought in without permission until the contrary is proved. The animal can be seized and destroyed.

The department’s list of import and keeping requirements (PDF) (dated 2017) has no hamster on it. It says to contact the department about any animal that isn’t listed.

We didn’t find a rule for a hamster already in Tasmania that wasn’t brought in unlawfully. Ask the department’s Wildlife Services on 03 6165 4305 before you assume one is allowed.

We read the Act as in force from 27 November 2023 and the Regulations as in force from 9 September 2026.

Northern Territory

Banned without a permit. Under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976, a vertebrate animal that isn’t native to the Territory is a “prohibited entrant” unless the regulations say otherwise (section 52).

The regulations’ list of exempt mammals has 16 entries. They include the guinea pig, the domestic rabbit, and laboratory strains of mice and rats. No hamster is on the list.

• The penalty: bringing in, having or releasing a prohibited entrant without authority carries up to 100 penalty units or 12 months in prison for a person (section 67B).
• Permits: the Territory Government says you need a permit to keep or import prohibited wildlife, and that applications are assessed case by case.
• Who to tell: Parks and Wildlife’s wildlife operations on 0401 115 702. That’s the 24-hour number the Territory Government’s wildlife crime page gives.

We read the Act and the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Regulations 2001 as in force at 13 September 2025.

ACT

Banned without a licence. Under the Nature Conservation Act 2014, it’s an offence to keep, sell or bring into the ACT an animal that isn’t an “exempt animal”, unless a licence allows it. Selling includes offering for sale. The maximum is 100 penalty units, 1 year in prison, or both (sections 133, 134 and 136).

The exempt list, remade on 11 May 2026, has eight entries for mammals: cats, dogs, fancy and laboratory mice, fancy and laboratory rats, guinea pigs, llamas, domestic rabbits and stock. No hamster is on it.

• Licences: the Conservator’s licensing guidelines (2024) say licences won’t be issued to keep non-native mammals other than ferrets.
• In dollars: the Act’s own notes put a penalty unit at $160 for a person when this version was published. That makes 100 units $16,000.
• Who to ask: Access Canberra Animal Regulation on 02 6207 2959, the contact the ACT Government’s page gives.

We read the version of the Act effective from 26 December 2025.

Why are hamsters illegal in Australia?

Because governments treat them as a possible pest, and act before one gets established.

What the federal risk analysis (PDF) found. The department used the Australian Bird and Mammal Risk Assessment Model. For the golden hamster it found:

• a low risk of establishing a wild population if released
• a moderate risk of becoming a pest if it did establish
• no danger to the public
• a very low climate match with Australia.

The analysis notes the species has never been recorded establishing in the wild in another country, despite being kept around the world.

It still advises against pets. It says that if golden hamsters were imported for pets, they would have the potential to establish and could cause environmental damage. Elsewhere it notes their breeding rate, and that they’re listed as a serious pest of legume crops in Syria. It adds that the reported crop damage may be overstated. The outcome was to allow them only for research, in facilities the department has certified for high risk animals.

What the federal agriculture department says. Live animals from overseas could bring in some of the world’s most damaging pests and diseases.

What state governments say.

• Queensland: some introduced animals have become serious pests that damage crops, the environment and the economy. Its booklet, Pets you can’t keep in Queensland (PDF, 5.5 MB), says pet owners around the world have released unwanted pets, which then formed wild populations.
• Western Australia: captive animals can escape or be let go, and over time establish in the wild. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development says that once established they’re impossible to eradicate in most cases.
• New South Wales: exotic animals can compete with native species, carry disease, and survive and spread without human help.
• Victoria: the law doesn’t wait for proof of harm. An animal that isn’t native can be declared a prohibited pest animal if its potential to threaten farming, the environment or community health in Victoria is unknown (section 64).

So, as we read these sources, the bans don’t rest on hamsters having done damage here. They’re a precaution.

What are the welfare concerns?

The illegal trade is hard on animals. The federal environment department says smuggled animals suffer stress, dehydration or starvation, and that many more die than reach an owner.

An illegal pet is less likely to see a vet. Queensland’s booklet (PDF, 5.5 MB) says owners of illegal pets may be reluctant to seek veterinary care, which can lead to more suffering or death. It says the trade can also involve animals kept or moved in poor conditions.

The animal can be taken. In Tasmania, a hamster brought in unlawfully can be seized and destroyed (Nature Conservation Act 2002). Western Australia’s department says people who keep a regulated animal without the right permit can be prosecuted and must forfeit the animal.

Golden hamsters don’t share space. The federal risk analysis (PDF) says they have to be housed apart in captivity to avoid fighting, which can end in injury or death.

What should you do if you see a hamster advertised?

Treat it as a warning sign. An ad offering hamsters for sale in Australia may be an illegal animal, a scam, or another animal sold under the wrong name.

If it’s a real hamster, buying it can be an offence too. In New South Wales, buying one is a dealing in its own right (Biosecurity Act 2015). In Queensland, buying one to keep counts as dealing with it (Biosecurity Act 2014). And, on the laws we read, you’d be taking on an animal you can’t lawfully keep or sell where you live.

Why it fits a scam. A Scamwatch alert from 30 April 2013 describes the pattern for puppies: an ad for an animal that doesn’t exist, photos, then fees for transport, customs or medical costs before delivery. It says a scammer who claims the animal is overseas may blame customs or quarantine and ask for more money. An animal that can’t lawfully be imported or kept suits that story. That’s our view, not Scamwatch’s. See how to spot a pet scam.

If the seller is overseas, don’t order. Importing a hamster as a pet is the offence with the 10-year maximum.

What to do:

• Don’t pay anything, including a deposit. If you’ve already paid, call your bank now, then read what to do next.
• Report the ad to the site it’s on.
• Tell the government agency for that state. Each state’s contact is in its section above. They’re the contacts each government’s own page gives.
• If you think an animal was brought in from overseas, the federal environment department takes reports about wildlife trade through an online form or on 1800 110 395, and you can stay anonymous. The agriculture department takes confidential reports of suspected breaches of biosecurity law on its Redline, 1800 803 006.

If an ad for one appears on Pet Sales Australia, email info@petsales.net.au.

What if you already have a hamster?

Don’t release it, and don’t sell it or give it away.

• Releasing is its own offence. In Victoria it carries up to 480 penalty units (Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994), and in South Australia up to $125,000 or 2 years in prison for a declared animal (Landscape South Australia Act 2019). The federal environment department says a released exotic pet is likely to die from exposure or starvation.
• Passing it on can be an offence too. Selling one is an offence in New South Wales (Biosecurity Act 2015), Victoria (Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994) and the ACT (Nature Conservation Act 2014), among others. In Western Australia, supplying one without a permit is an offence (Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007), and supplying includes giving. Queensland’s booklet (PDF, 5.5 MB) tells people not to give an illegal pet to friends or family.
• Ask the agency for your state what to do. The Queensland Government says you can surrender an illegally kept pet to Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23. If you’re moving to Queensland with a prohibited pet, it says you can surrender it there or to your local council. Western Australia’s department says to contact it for advice on rehoming unwanted animals, and that surrendered animals are placed with a responsible keeper whenever possible. We didn’t find surrender advice on the other governments’ pages, so ask the agency listed above for your state.

If you’re worried about your own position, get legal advice.

Why doesn’t Pet Sales Australia list hamsters?

Because our Listing Rules don’t allow it, and because of the law set out above.

Our Listing Rules name hamsters. The list of what can’t be listed includes this line: “Hamsters, gerbils, native mammals (such as sugar gliders and possums), hedgehogs, degus and primates.” The same list bars “Any animal you don’t have the right to sell or give away, or that’s illegal to sell, give away or keep where you are.”

The rule applies in every state and territory.

Which small pets can you own instead?

Guinea pigs, rats, mice and rabbits are small pets that the lists we read allow. None is a stand-in for a hamster, and we don’t rank them. They differ from the golden hamster in one way that matters. The RSPCA describes all four as social animals, and recommends keeping each with at least one of its own kind. Plan for at least two.

Guinea pigs

The RSPCA calls guinea pigs herd animals. Its advice (updated 22 August 2023):

• wherever possible, a guinea pig should have at least one other guinea pig as a companion
• they’ll be with you for 5 to 10 years
• grass hay should be the base of the diet
• take a new guinea pig to a vet straight after you get it, then once a year.

See guinea pigs.

Rats

The RSPCA says rats are social animals that need the company of at least one other rat (page updated 1 July 2024). It says:

• pet rats are usually kept in indoor enclosures
• they should eat commercial pellets made for rats
• desexing is recommended for males and females
• they live for approximately 4 to 5 years.

Mice

The RSPCA says mice are social animals that need the company of other mice (page updated 1 July 2024). It says:

• they can breed from as young as four weeks old, so single-sex groups are preferable
• they live approximately 1 to 3 years
• rats and mice shouldn’t be kept in the same enclosure.

See small pets.

Rabbits

The RSPCA says rabbits are a social species and shouldn’t be kept alone (page updated 6 March 2023). It says:

• they generally live for an average of 6 to 12 years
• they should be vaccinated against calicivirus every 6 to 12 months
• children and rabbits should always be supervised together.

Not in Queensland. The RSPCA says every state and territory except Queensland allows pet rabbits. The Queensland Government’s booklet (PDF, 5.5 MB) puts it this way: “You cannot keep a rabbit as a pet in Queensland.”

See rabbits.

What each state’s list says about guinea pigs, rats, mice and rabbits

From the same Acts, lists and government pages as the state sections above, read on 11 October 2026. Western Australia’s row comes from its page on bringing animals into the state, not from a keeping rule. Councils and landlords can set their own limits, which we didn’t check.

Looking for a small pet? See guinea pigs, rabbits or small pets, or ask a rescue group: see rescue and adoption. Listings open soon.

Which other exotic pets are illegal in Australia?

It depends on the animal and the state, so check before you buy any unusual pet.

The federal environment department calls an animal “exotic” if it doesn’t occur naturally in the wild in Australia. Its page on household pets (updated 6 March 2025) says you’re allowed to own a wide range of exotic animals, with restrictions. It gives two checks to make before you buy one:

• that the animal was imported legally, or is allowed to be owned in Australia
• that you can legally keep it in your state or territory.

Two government lists show how wide the bans go. Queensland names hamsters, gerbils, ferrets, rabbits, squirrels, monkeys, iguanas, chameleons and boa constrictors, among others (Keeping exotic animals as pets in Queensland). New South Wales names 11 animals on its page of animals that are illegal to keep, including the African hedgehog, the green iguana and the American corn snake.

Ferrets show how much the states differ. The Queensland Government lists them as prohibited pets, and the Northern Territory Government says it’s illegal to import or keep one there. New South Wales has the ferret on its list of exceptions. See are ferrets legal in Australia?

Gerbils can’t be imported either, and the state and territory laws we read stop you keeping one, selling one or bringing one in. See are gerbils legal in Australia?

Before you pay for any small pet

• Meet the seller and the animal in person before you pay anything, including a deposit. A video is a first look, not a visit.
• Never pay a seller for transport, crates or insurance. These are common scam fees.
• Be wary of a rare animal at any price. A fair price doesn’t prove an ad is real.

Pet Sales Australia doesn’t hold or protect payments between buyers and sellers. You pay the seller directly, and we can’t get your money back.