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

Keeping / owning   Unregulated / unclear

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-11

R. rattus is absent from every DNP conserved/protected/controlled wildlife schedule under WACPA B.E. 2562 (which regulates only scheduled species), so DNP wildlife jurisdiction simply does not attach, and because the test is scheduling, not ‘domestication,’ there is no requirement to prove a kept rat is captive-bred. It is classified as a native/naturalized ‘Least Concern’ agricultural pest, NOT an Invasive Alien Species (that designation falls on R. norvegicus under ONEP’s IAS List 1), so no possession/eradication mandate targets private keepers. The Cruelty Prevention & Welfare of Animals Act B.E. 2557 (2014) imposes baseline care duties on any kept animal but bans no non-listed species. Bangkok’s B.E. 2567 (2024) ordinance designates ‘mammals’ a controlled category with property-size density quotas (so it textually could reach caged rats), but registration/microchipping is dog/cat-only, enforcement is nuisance-driven, and the ordinance is delayed to 10 Jan 2027. ‘Unclear’ only because no official text affirmatively names R. rattus as a permitted pet; legality is derived from its absence on all prohibited schedules.

Sources: DNP (Thailand) / CITES MA, Thailand (via FAO FAOLEX), Office of Natural Resources & Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Thailand, BMA (legal summary, ILCT), Bangkok Post (reporting BMA Council vote)

Breeding   Unregulated / unclear

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-11

Breeding a non-scheduled, non-CITES species is outside the WACPA permit system, and there is no DNP/DLD ‘rat-breeder licence’ for domestic non-livestock rodents. Private, non-commercial breeding, keeping or giving away offspring, is entirely unregulated beyond welfare duties; small rodents are bred and sold openly (Chatuchak). The regulated layer attaches to the PREMISES and OPERATOR, not the species: under the Public Health Act B.E. 2535 (1992), local municipalities classify commercial animal breeding/boarding/retail as a ‘hazardous activity to health’ (กิจการที่เป็นอันตรายต่อสุขภาพ) needing a district-office premises permit (waste/ventilation/zoning inspection). Thai law sets no codified numeric threshold where a hobbyist becomes ‘commercial,’ so occasional give-away or cost-covering breeding is, in practice, ignored until scale generates waste/traffic/nuisance.

Sources: DNP (Thailand) / CITES MA, Thailand (municipal ordinance under the Public Health Act, illustrative)

Selling or giving away   Unregulated / unclear

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-11

Trade restrictions under WACPA apply only to scheduled/controlled wildlife, so no wildlife statute bars selling or gifting a captive-bred R. rattus, and non-commercial gifting between private parties is unrestricted (beyond welfare duties). Operating as a retail business adds general Department of Business Development (DBD) registration plus, at premises scale, the same municipal ‘hazardous activity to health’ permit as breeding, these attach to the business/premises, not to the species. Not CITES-listed. Ambiguity remains only over whether open-market sale of unlisted rodents needs a specific DLD animal-dealer licence or merely a local commercial-premises permit (the DR found the latter to be the practical answer).

Sources: DNP (Thailand) / CITES MA, Thailand (municipal ordinance under the Public Health Act, illustrative), CITES Secretariat

Transport & import   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-11

Regardless of its unlisted wildlife status, the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) holds absolute authority over the movement of all live animals under the Animal Epidemics Act B.E. 2558 (2015); for cross-border movement R. rattus is treated as a ‘restricted live animal.’ IMPORT requires: (1) an advance DLD import permit (Form R1/1), applied for at the Animal Quarantine Station at the port of entry no fewer than 7 and no more than 60 days before travel; (2) an Official Health Certificate from an accredited origin-country vet within 10 days of travel, formally endorsed (wet-ink) by the origin national veterinary authority (e.g., USDA APHIS), electronic copies are routinely rejected; (3) a 500 THB/animal fee at the airport, after which the officer issues the Notice of Import Approval (R-6) and Import Licence (R-7). The DLD holds discretionary authority to impose a 30-day quarantine on imported rodents but frequently waives it for healthy private pets with flawless paperwork from low-risk origins. Microchipping is strictly mandated for dogs/cats and only ambiguously for rodents, strongly advised (or get written AQS confirmation that photographic ID suffices). INTERNAL inter-province movement technically falls under the Animal Epidemics Act R.3/R.4 movement-permit chain, but that text targets agricultural livestock and is not enforced against private pet rats (negligible-enforcement gray zone). Never release a nonnative.

Sources: Department of Livestock Development (Thailand), Department of Livestock Development (Thailand)

• Apply for the DLD import permit (Form R1/1) at the destination Animal Quarantine Station 7-60 days before travel
• Obtain an Official Health Certificate from an accredited origin-country vet within 10 days, endorsed (wet-ink) by the origin national authority (e.g., USDA APHIS)
• On arrival use the ‘Goods to Declare’ channel; pay 500 THB/animal; receive the R-6 (approval) and R-7 (import licence)
• Microchip the rat if biologically safe, or get written AQS confirmation that photographic ID is accepted

Forms: DLD Import Permit (Form R1/1), Animal Quarantine Station · Where: Department of Livestock Development (DLD), Animal Quarantine Station (port of entry, e.g. Suvarnabhumi) · Fees: 500 THB per animal (airport processing); origin-country vet fee for the health certificate

Source: Department of Livestock Development (Thailand), Department of Livestock Development (Thailand)

• In Bangkok, keep rat enclosures secure, ventilated, and sanitary to avoid nuisance complaints (the practical enforcement trigger)
• If breeding/selling at commercial scale, obtain the district-office ‘hazardous activity to health’ premises permit

Where: Bangkok Metropolitan Administration district office (Veterinary Public Health) / your local municipality

Source: BMA (legal summary, ILCT), Bangkok Post (reporting BMA Council vote), Thailand (municipal ordinance under the Public Health Act, illustrative)

Where: Local district office

Source: Office of Natural Resources & Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Thailand