Moving with pets
 

Hello everyone! My husband and I are currently in the preliminary stages of planning to move to Malta. My husband actually lived there many years ago and I have been there many times. We are currently gathering info but I'm finding it difficult to find out about pets, specifically fish. We have four dogs and know the process but also have a large fish tank with tropical fish. Can these come with us? Can't find information as to whether it's possible. Thanks!

Re: Moving with pets
 

A quick google search gives the following sites, among others:
Pet Importation - Importation of Pets | Visit Malta
giving some telephone numbers to contact, and a further link.
Malta Pet Passport - Current Dog and Cat Import Requirements
under "Other animals".
How would your fish be transported so far without trauma? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to leave them with family or friends, or sell them?

Re: Moving with pets
 

Thanks for the info. Trust me I looked for a good few hours so I don't know why I didn't find anything on fish....every time I searched about fish I came up with websites that weren't relevant or only mentioned dogs, cats and ferrets.

Actually live fish are frequently transported worldwide in a live state. Fish are often transported from.their native countries. Provided the correct care is given and the trip is fairly quick (no more than 48 hours) it's not that uncommon for fish to be transported this way. They are often kept in dark boxes and moved carefully to avoid too much water buoyancy.

Selling/giving them away is another option yes. But given the lifespan of certain fish (some of ours live 15-20 years) we don't really want to lose them as value them as our family as much as we do our dogs.

Re: Moving with pets
 

Try contacting the gov veterinary services malta. I did see a govenrment vet checking fish that had arrived at luqa airport ( cargo dept) whilst waiting for a cat to arrive.
Normally Air Malta only fly pets on a monday from heathrow - not sure about fish! you may need a pet transporter agent to advise.

Re: Moving with pets
 

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely do that.

Re: Moving with pets
 

Hi there. We too are moving to Gozo with 4 dogs, but with 2 birds not fish. My husband has sought guidance from the Veterinary Regulation Directorate. Their website is http://agriculture.gov.mt/en/vprd/Pages/travel_petmalta.aspx . You can call them on +356 2292 5216/5172 from MONDAY TO FRIDAY from 7.00 am to 3.00 pm or contact the Veterinary Regulation Directorate via Email at: [email protected].

Hope this helps -good luck!

Re: Moving with pets
 

Thank you ever so much Danielle. We have accepted we cannot move the fish. We have tried every way we can and it just doesn't seem possible. As we are going by caravan luckily the dogs are more straight forward. May I ask why you have chosen Gozo over Malta? As we too are currently considering Gozo as well.

Re: Moving with pets
 

That's no problem. I feel your pain re: the fish. We also have a pair of Java finches that we would like to take, but it's looking like they might require papers that we just don't have (they were purchased from a chain of garden centres in France). If you are travelling in a caravan there may be a possibility of transporting the fish - but bear in mind, if it's a towed caravan its going to be costly on the crossings! We considered all sorts of car/van/trailer combos for our move before settling on a car and shipped container. In response to your question, we chose Gozo because we went there first. We are only just discovering Malta. We like the peace and quiet and the idea of living on a small island appeals - especially as we have children.

Re: Moving with pets
 

Excellent. We are unsure whether we want to move to Malta or Gozo, purely because we need to look at the clients we want to attract. We would prefer Gozo to be honest, but the ferry cost is an issue.