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

• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA), Ministry of Agriculture, written reply 16 June 2026 (ref 防檢二字第1151839185號): within APHIA’s authority over import quarantine, a roof rat (Rattus rattus), as a rodent, may be imported subject to the ‘Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of Other Mammals’ (pre-export quarantine, disease testing, and parasite control in the exporting country; an original veterinary health certificate; and post-arrival quarantine detention at a designated facility), and the importer must also obtain any wildlife-conservation permits required by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency. APHIA assesses the feasibility of importing a privately owned pet roof rat case by case and invites a specific import plan (scientific name, quantity, country of origin, purpose) for assessment. APHIA stated that keeping, breeding, selling, or transferring roof rats falls under the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and the animal-welfare authority, and that the Animal Protection Act Article 8 species-ownership-restriction list is maintained by the animal-welfare authority, not APHIA.
• Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Animal Welfare, written reply 30 June 2026 (ref 農護字第1150226258號) to the Chief-Mailbox petition (case #1152872): (1) Under Animal Protection Act Article 8, the roof rat (Rattus rattus) is currently NOT on the ‘Designated Animals Prohibited from Being Owned, Imported, or Exported’ list (Public Announcement 農護字第1140073489號 / NONG-HU-TZI-1140073489, 10 March 2026; https://law.moa.gov.tw/LawContent.aspx?id=GL000084), and any future regulatory change will be preceded by advance public notice and supporting measures. (2) Under Wildlife Conservation Act Article 24, live Protected Wildlife may not be imported or exported without prior approval of the Central Competent Authority; under Article 27, an exotic species not endemic to Taiwan imported for the first time must provide the CCA with all relevant species information and an Impact Assessment Report on its effect on native fauna and flora, and may be imported only after CCA approval. Whether any prior import of R. rattus is on record, and the relevant procedure, are to be raised with the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency. (3) Under Animal Protection Act Article 22 Paragraph 1, business licensing for commercial breeding, trading, and lodging applies only to ‘specific pets,’ which are legally limited to dogs and cats, so those business-licensing rules do not apply to pet rats; however, anyone trading, breeding, or keeping R. rattus is legally an ‘owner’ under the Act and must fulfill the owner welfare duties (proper food, clean water, adequate space, a safe/clean/ventilated environment with shelter/lighting/temperature, disease prevention, protection from abuse, and necessary medical treatment).
• Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (林業及自然保育署), Ministry of Agriculture, written reply 2 July 2026 (Director-General’s Mailbox case #1150307): (1) The roof rat (Rattus rattus) is not designated a Protected Species under Wildlife Conservation Act Article 4 and is therefore classified as general wildlife; because it is not included on the Article 55 list of captive-raised/bred wildlife, captive-bred individuals are not subject to the provisions of the WCA, and matters of keeping, breeding, selling, or transferring them as pets fall within pet management under the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Animal Welfare. (2) Under WCA Article 24 Paragraph 1, Article 27 Paragraph 1, and Article 26 Paragraph 1 of the WCA Enforcement Rules, live wild animals may not be imported without prior approval of the Central Competent Authority (the MOA); for an exotic species not endemic to Taiwan imported for the first time, the applicant must provide the CCA with all relevant species information and an Impact Assessment Report on the animal’s effect upon native fauna and flora, and it may be imported only after CCA approval. The importation of live roof rats, whether wild-caught or captive-bred, therefore requires the prior consent of the CCA. The applicant submits the application (original hard copy or electronic) with the relevant materials to the municipal or county (city) authority where the applicant resides for preliminary review; the application is then reported to the CCA for approval before any import procedure begins, via the MOA permit portal https://permit.moa.gov.tw/. (3) For disease-quarantine requirements and post-entry quarantine on importing roof rats, contact the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA).

Keeping / owning   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-30

Keeping a captive-bred R. rattus is legal by statutory omission. The Ministry of Agriculture’s March-2026 amendment to ‘Designated Animals Banned from Raising, Importing, or Exporting’ (指定禁止飼養輸入或輸出之動物), in force 1 May 2026, lists 641 dangerous/venomous/invasive species, and among rodents names ONLY the Myocastoridae family (nutria/giant water rat); the Muridae family (R. rattus and R. norvegicus) is entirely absent, so APA Art. 8 does not ban keeping. R. rattus is also NOT on the Forestry & Nature Conservation Agency’s WCA Art. 55 list of captive-bred terrestrial wildlife (whose mammalian entries are limited to the Tibetan argali, argali, urial, and hairy armadillo), so no Art. 55 wildlife registration/microchipping applies. No permit, registration, facility standard, or health certificate is required to keep a pet roof rat; the only duty is the APA’s universal anti-cruelty baseline (food, water, space, safe environment, no abandonment). Taiwan law draws no distinction between R. rattus and the fancy rat R. norvegicus for keeping.

Sources: Ministry of Agriculture (Taiwan), Laws & Regulations Database, Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC (Taiwan), Forestry & Nature Conservation Agency, Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC

Breeding   Unregulated / unclear

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-30

Breeding R. rattus domestically sits in a structural regulatory gap. The ‘Specified Pet Business Management Regulations’ (特定寵物業管理辦法) under the APA, which impose facility standards, veterinary contracts, microchipping, and municipal inspection on breeders, define ‘specified pets’ (特定寵物) narrowly: dogs only, recently expanded to cats. All other small mammals, including rodents, are exempt, so a hobbyist or even a commercial operation breeding roof rats needs no Specific Pet Business Licence and alerts no central or municipal authority. Because R. rattus is not a WCA Art. 55 captive-bred-wildlife species, the WCA captive-breeding/registration regime also does not attach. ‘Unclear’ only in that no published rule affirmatively authorizes it (legality is by omission), and large-scale commercial breeding of a known public-health pest could in theory draw municipal zoning/sanitation scrutiny; the practical baseline is unrestricted, bounded only by APA anti-cruelty duties.

Sources: Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC, Forestry & Nature Conservation Agency

Selling or giving away   Unregulated / unclear

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-30

Selling or gifting a captive-bred R. rattus domestically is legal by statutory silence. Because R. rattus is not a ‘specified pet’ (dogs/cats only), its sale needs no commercial pet-dealer licence under the Specified Pet Business Management Regulations, pet stores and hobbyists sell hamsters, guinea pigs, and fancy rats (R. norvegicus) without one, and roof rats fall under the same standard (the transaction is ordinary transfer of property under the Civil Code / Consumer Protection Act). The commercial-wildlife dealer regime under WCA Art. 36 (‘Regulations for the Management of Commercial Wildlife Breeding, Trading and Processing’) does NOT apply: Art. 2 of those regulations limits scope to wildlife taken directly from the wild or species announced under WCA Art. 55, and captive-bred R. rattus is neither. The one absolute prohibition is release/abandonment into the wild (WCA Art. 32 + APA): unwanted stock must be rehomed or surrendered to a municipal shelter, never released. ‘Unclear’ / medium because legality rests on omission and large-scale commercial sale of a public-health pest could draw municipal scrutiny.

Sources: Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC, Forestry & Nature Conservation Agency, Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC

Transport & import   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-07-02

Import is the operative question, and APHIA (the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the competent import-quarantine authority) confirmed in writing (16 June 2026, ref 防檢二字第1151839185號) that a roof rat, as a rodent (Order Rodentia), may be imported subject to the ‘Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of Other Mammals’: pre-export quarantine, disease testing, and parasite control in the exporting country; an original veterinary health certificate from that country’s competent quarantine authority; and, on arrival, quarantine detention at a designated facility, with release only after all requirements are met. The importer must also obtain any wildlife-conservation permits required by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and consult APHIA in advance for the specific quarantine requirements and the availability of a quarantine facility. The MoA Department of Animal Welfare (30 June 2026, ref 農護字第1150226258號) specified the wildlife gate as WCA Art. 24 (live Protected Wildlife may not be imported without Central Competent Authority prior approval) plus Art. 27 (an exotic species not endemic to Taiwan, imported for the FIRST time, must supply species information and an Impact Assessment Report on native fauna and flora, and may be imported only after CCA approval), and redirected the procedure (and whether any prior R. rattus import is on record) to the FNCA. APHIA stated that the feasibility of importing a privately owned pet roof rat is assessed CASE BY CASE (it cannot be decided from the species name alone) and invited a concrete plan (scientific name, quantity, country of origin, purpose) for assessment. This corrects the earlier read that treated import as structurally impossible (laboratory-pathway only). Note the channel: hand-carried or checked passenger import remains limited to dogs, cats, and rabbits, so a roof rat must enter through the formal cargo/quarantine process, not as accompanied baggage. The FNCA (Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency) then agency-confirmed the import procedure in writing (2 July 2026, Chief-Mailbox case #1150307): under WCA Art. 24 ¶1, Art. 27 ¶1, and Art. 26 ¶1 of the WCA Enforcement Rules, no live wild animal may be imported without prior approval of the Central Competent Authority (the MOA), and importing a live roof rat – whether wild-caught OR captive-bred – requires that prior CCA consent (so the FNCA does assert the import-consent gate over a domesticated captive-bred strain); a first-time import of an exotic species not endemic to Taiwan must supply full species information plus an Impact Assessment Report on native fauna and flora, importable only after CCA approval. The applicant files the import application (original hard copy or electronic) with the municipal or county (city) authority where they reside for preliminary review, which is then forwarded to the CCA for approval before any import procedure begins, using the MOA permit portal at https://permit.moa.gov.tw/; disease-quarantine details are handled separately by APHIA. Domestic transport of a lawfully kept rat needs no central permit, only the carrier rules of individual transit operators.

Sources: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA), Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC, Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC (Taiwan), Ministry of Agriculture (Taiwan), THSR carriage policy (summary)

• Do NOT hand-carry or check a live rodent as passenger baggage; only dogs, cats, and rabbits are allowed that way
• Import a roof rat through the formal cargo/quarantine channel under the ‘Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of Other Mammals’
• Arrange pre-export quarantine, disease testing, and parasite control plus an original veterinary health certificate in the exporting country
• Obtain the FNCA wildlife-import consent and consult APHIA in advance for the exact quarantine requirements and quarantine-facility availability
• File the wildlife-import application (WCA Art. 24 ¶1 / Art. 27 ¶1 / Enforcement Rules Art. 26 ¶1) with the municipal or county (city) authority where you reside for preliminary review; it is then forwarded to the CCA (MOA) for approval before import begins – use the MOA permit portal https://permit.moa.gov.tw/ (prior CCA consent is required for any live roof rat, wild-caught or captive-bred)
• As a first-time import of an exotic non-endemic species, expect to supply full species information plus an Impact Assessment Report on native fauna and flora (approvable only by the CCA)
• Submit a plan to APHIA (scientific name, quantity, country of origin, purpose) for a case-by-case quarantine feasibility assessment
• Never release a roof rat: it is a documented invasive pest subject to state eradication

Where: MOA import-permit portal https://permit.moa.gov.tw/ (application filed via the resident’s municipal/county authority for preliminary review, then Central Competent Authority approval); Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (WCA wildlife-import consent); APHIA (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, disease quarantine)

Source: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA), Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC, Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC (Taiwan), Ministry of Agriculture (Taiwan)

• Use a rigid, escape-proof carrier within the operator’s size limits (THSR: ≤210 cm total, no side >70 cm)
• Keep the carrier clean and odor-free to avoid discretionary refusal by staff

Where: Individual transit operator (THSR / MRT / TRA)

Source: THSR carriage policy (summary)

• Never release or abandon a roof rat into the environment (criminal offense)
• Rehome unwanted stock to a capable owner, or surrender to a municipal animal shelter

Where: Local municipal animal protection office / shelter

Source: Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC