Are Roof Rats Legal in Austria? Keeping, Breeding & Selling

• Bundesministerium fuer Arbeit, Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz (BMASGPK), Sektion III, Gruppe B/Abteilung 16 (veterinary law), written and officially signed reply of 3 August 2026 (Geschaeftszahl 2026-0.635.895-2-A; amtssigniert 2026-08-03), answering our inquiry of 24 June 2026: (1) rodents are Heimtiere under TSchG 4 Z 3 only if domesticated, and in the ministry’s view the roof rat is not domesticated, so it is a Wildtier under 4 Z 4; (2) as a wild animal it may be kept only on an Anzeige to the locally competent Bezirksverwaltungsbehoerde under TSchG 25 with 8 Abs. 1 Z 1 of the 2. THVO, exemptions at 25 Abs. 2; (3) breeding otherwise needs a Meldung under 31b Abs. 1, but TSch-SV 34 waives a separate one where it was made within the 25 Anzeige; (4) a Bewilligung under 31b Abs. 2 Z 4 is required only above 300 juveniles given away per year; (5) rat housing follows point 3.8 of Anlage 1 of the 2. THVO. The letter does NOT address transfer of the notification duty to a new keeper, sell/give generally, or transport and import.

Keeping / owning   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-08-03

Legal, on a notification. The BMASGPK confirmed in writing (Geschaeftszahl 2026-0.635.895, 3 August 2026) that R. rattus is not domesticated and is therefore a Wildtier under TSchG 4 Z 4, not a Heimtier under 4 Z 3. Wild animals with special husbandry needs may be kept only on the basis of an Anzeige to the district authority, to be filed within two weeks of starting and again within 14 days of stopping (TSchG 25 Abs. 1, with 8 Abs. 1 Z 1 of the 2. THVO). Exemptions from that duty are listed in TSchG 25 Abs. 2. The Anzeige carries the keeper’s name and address, the species and maximum number of animals, and the place of keeping. Housing must meet point 3.8 of Anlage 1 of the 2. THVO. Nothing here is a permit: it is a filing, and the ministry did not attach any approval condition to keeping.

Sources: RIS, Austrian Federal Law, RIS, Austrian Federal Law, Austrian Government (oesterreich.gv.at), RIS, Austrian Federal Law, Bundesministerium fuer Arbeit, Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz

Breeding   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-08-03

Legal, and it needs no second form. Breeding normally triggers its own report to the district authority under TSchG 31b Abs. 1. For wild animals the Tierschutz-Sonderhaltungsverordnung 34 removes that: a separate 31b Abs. 1 Meldung is not required where the report was already made within the TSchG 25 Anzeige. So one filing, made once and covering breeding, is the whole obligation. That provision entered force on 19 June 2026, which is why our earlier research did not have it. A genuine permit (Bewilligung under TSchG 23) is required only above the 31b Abs. 2 Z 4 threshold: more than 300 juveniles of mice, rats, hamsters or gerbils GIVEN AWAY per year. The statute counts animals transferred, not animals born. On transfer, the breeder must supply the species care information required by 31 Abs. 2 (31b Abs. 4).

Sources: RIS, Austrian Federal Law, RIS, Austrian Federal Law, RIS, Austrian Federal Law, RIS, Austrian Federal Law, Bundesministerium fuer Arbeit, Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz

Selling or giving away   Restricted

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-11

Private, unadvertised transfer to acquaintances is legal, but TSchG §31a prohibits ALL public advertising of animals for sale/transfer by unregistered private individuals (social media, classifieds, forums, print), regardless of the small-breeder (300 pups/yr) threshold; only registered breeders, licensed dealers, and approved shelters may advertise. So a private keeper can give a roof rat away quietly but cannot publicly advertise it without registering as a breeder (e.g. ~€27.54 in Vienna). Written husbandry info must accompany any transfer.

Sources: RIS, Austrian Federal Law, RIS, Austrian Federal Law

Transport & import   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-11

Intra-EU non-commercial transport (owner-accompanied, no sale) of pet rodents needs no veterinary health certificate (EU Reg. 2016/429 + Del. Reg. 2020/688; rodents are certificate-exempt when owner-accompanied and not for sale). Commercial intra-EU movement needs health documentation but no pre-import permit for EU-origin rodents. No Austrian import ban on R. rattus (not on the EU Union list). Note: the §8 2. THVO notification attaches on keeping, not at the border. Never release.

Sources: EU / EUR-Lex, Bundesamt für Verbrauchergesundheit (BAVG), EU / EUR-Lex

• File the TSchG 25 Anzeige with the Bezirksverwaltungsbehoerde within two weeks of starting to keep
• Declare breeding in that same Anzeige, so TSch-SV 34 removes the separate 31b Abs. 1 Meldung
• Meet the rat housing standard at point 3.8 of Anlage 1 of the 2. THVO
• Notify the authority within 14 days if you stop keeping (TSchG 25 Abs. 1)
• Only if you give away more than 300 juveniles a year: apply for a Bewilligung under TSchG 23

Where: Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde (district authority) / Veterinäramt

Source: RIS, Austrian Federal Law, RIS, Austrian Federal Law, RIS, Austrian Federal Law, Bundesministerium fuer Arbeit, Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz

• Give away quietly to acquaintances: no extra step beyond the keep/Meldung
• To advertise publicly: register as a breeder with the Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde / Veterinäramt
• Provide written species-specific care info to every new owner

Where: Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde / Veterinäramt · Fees: e.g. €27.54 (Vienna MA 60) for breeder registration

Source: City of Vienna