Are Roof Rats Legal in Puerto Rico? Keeping, Breeding & Selling

Keeping / owning   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

DRNA Reglamento 6765 lists ‘Rattus rattus’ by binomial in Apéndice 4 (‘Especies exóticas de menor riesgo y elegibles para importación sin permiso’), in the MAMÍFEROS section, with the Spanish name ‘Rata negra’ and the qualifier ‘(variedad de laboratorio)’ and no asterisk. Art. 7.03(A) provides that Apéndice 4 species ‘se consideran de menor riesgo… y son elegibles para importación, posesión y venta sin permiso’, and that it is illegal only to possess exotics NOT listed in Apéndice 4. So a private individual may keep a captive-bred black rat with no wildlife permit, registration, facility inspection, or fee. The fancy rat (R. norvegicus) is in the same appendix with identical standing. Releasing the animal into the wild is flatly prohibited (Art. 7.03(A)).

Sources: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Microjuris al Día (mirror of the DRNA regulation), Asamblea Legislativa de Puerto Rico

Breeding   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

Art. 7.03(D) expressly permits ‘la reproducción en cautiverio de las especies incluidas en el Apéndice 4’, and requires prior DRNA permission (‘permiso previo del Departamento’) only for species followed by a double asterisk (**). R. rattus carries no asterisk in Apéndice 4, so private, non-commercial captive breeding of pet black rats needs no DRNA breeding permit, facility standard, or inventory report. The regulation also expects only captive-born individuals in commerce (Art. 7.03(B)). The fancy rat is treated identically.

Sources: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Microjuris al Día (mirror of the DRNA regulation)

Selling or giving away   Legal with a permit

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-14

Two layers. Free/private transfer: Art. 7.03(A) lets Apéndice 4 species be imported, possessed, and sold ‘sin permiso’, so giving a captive-bred black rat away or rehoming it through free vetted adoption needs no permit. Commercial business: Art. 7.01(B) requires a $150 permit to ‘operar un negocio de compraventa de especies exóticas’, and exempts only ‘especies agrícolas o domésticas… aquellos animales marcados con un asterisco (*) en el Apéndice 4’. R. rattus (and R. norvegicus) carry no asterisk, so a standing buy/sell rattery needs the $150 DRNA dealer permit, plus a municipal patente, ARP use permit, Hacienda debt certificate, escape-proof facility, and is subject to surprise inspection (Art. 7.01(C)-(F), 7.02, 7.06). Only captive-born individuals may be sold (Art. 7.03(B)). The dividing line between a hobbyist who occasionally rehomes a litter and a ‘negocio de compraventa’ is not quantified in the text, which is the source of the medium confidence.

Sources: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Microjuris al Día (mirror of the DRNA regulation)

Transport & import   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

Intra-island transport of a permit-free Apéndice 4 animal is not separately restricted, provided it is secured (no risk of release; escape must be reported to DRNA within 24 hours, Art. 7.02(F)). IMPORT into Puerto Rico triggers two layers. DRNA: Art. 7.03(B) requires every shipment to carry a ‘certificado veterinario’ and limits import to captive-born individuals; because R. rattus is in Apéndice 4, no separate DRNA import permit is required. Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (SAHO): even though PR is inside the U.S. customs zone, it runs an independent agricultural quarantine, the importer must obtain a prior import permit before shipping and present a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection issued within 30 days of shipment, and exotic species must also satisfy DRNA. Truly international import/export of the animal as ‘wildlife’ would add the U.S. federal USFWS layer (Form 3-177 declaration under 50 CFR Part 14) and the CDC bar on rodents of African origin. Release into the wild is prohibited (Art. 7.03(A)).

Sources: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Microjuris al Día (mirror of the DRNA regulation), Departamento de Agricultura de PR, Secretaría Auxiliar de Sanidad Animal (SAHO), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA APHIS / CDC

• Determine whether the activity is a ‘negocio de compraventa’ (a standing buy/sell business) versus a private/free transfer; only the former triggers the permit.
• If a business: file the DRNA dealer-permit application and pay $150 (certified check or money order to the Secretario de Hacienda, or in person at DRNA Recaudaciones).
• Provide the supporting documents: municipal Patente, ARP use permit, Hacienda debt certificate, and ASUME negative certification if applicable (Art. 7.01(C)).
• Maintain an escape-proof facility and post the permit and the list of species authorized for sale (Art. 7.01(D), 7.02); accept surprise DRNA inspections (Art. 7.06).
• Sell only captive-born individuals (Art. 7.03(B)).

Forms: DRNA permiso de Negocio de Compraventa de Especies Exóticas (apply via DRNA Oficina de Licencias y Permisos) · Where: DRNA, Oficina de Licencias y Permisos Forestales, Vida Silvestre y Pesquerías (San Juan / Río Piedras). · Fees: $150 dealer permit (commercial buy/sell business only). Free/private transfer: no fee.

Source: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Microjuris al Día (mirror of the DRNA regulation)

• Obtain the PRDA/SAHO import permit BEFORE the animal is shipped (application to the SAHO veterinary diagnostic lab in Dorado).
• Have a USDA-accredited veterinarian in the state/territory of origin issue a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection within 30 days of shipment, certifying the animal is free of communicable disease.
• Carry the DRNA ‘certificado veterinario’ requirement (satisfied by the CVI) and ensure the animal is captive-born (Art. 7.03(B)).
• For genuinely international shipments only, file the USFWS Form 3-177 wildlife declaration (50 CFR Part 14) and confirm the animal is not a rodent of African origin (CDC bar).

Forms: PR Dept of Agriculture (SAHO) animal-import requirements (permit + CVI), USFWS Form 3-177, Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife (international only) · Where: PR Dept of Agriculture, Secretaría Auxiliar de Sanidad Animal (SAHO), Laboratorio de Diagnóstico Veterinario, Dorado, PR; DRNA for the exotic-species side; USFWS wildlife inspection office for international shipments. · Fees: PRDA import permit fee (the DR reports $50; not confirmed in the extracted requirements text, confirm with PRDA). The issuing veterinarian charges for the CVI exam. No DRNA import-permit fee for Apéndice 4 species.

Source: Departamento de Agricultura de PR, Secretaría Auxiliar de Sanidad Animal (SAHO), Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Microjuris al Día (mirror of the DRNA regulation), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA APHIS / CDC

Where: DRNA.

Source: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Microjuris al Día (mirror of the DRNA regulation)

• Watch the DRNA ‘Propuestas de Reglamento’ page for the Ley 93-2025 draft and file a comment when it opens (see advocacy kit).
• Ask the Department of Agriculture whether it has designated captive-bred Rattus rattus/norvegicus as ‘doméstica’ under Art. 13, which would exclude them from the new law entirely.

Where: DRNA (rulemaking); PR Dept of Agriculture (Art. 13 domestic determination).

Source: Asamblea Legislativa de Puerto Rico (via LexJuris)

In Puerto Rico, keeping a captive-bred, tame pet roof rat (‘rata negra’, Rattus rattus) is currently legal. The species is named, with no restrictive asterisk, in Apéndice 4 of the DRNA wildlife regulation (Reglamento 6765), the list of lower-risk exotics eligible for import, possession, sale, and captive breeding without a permit (Art. 7.03). The fancy rat (R. norvegicus) sits in the same appendix with identical standing. Only releasing one into the wild is prohibited. The agency is reading the current rule correctly, and there is nothing for it to fix today. The issue is prospective: a 2025 statute, Ley Núm. 93-2025 (Ley para el Manejo de Especies Introducidas, signed Aug 1 2025), directs the DRNA to write a new regulation that will sort introduced species into ‘prohibida’, ‘restringida’, or ‘no restringida’, and the law’s statement of motives names the rata negra. If that future regulation groups tame, captive-bred pet lines with feral pest populations, permit-free keeping could end. The risk is in a coming rule under a new law, not in any misreading of the current rule.

The ask: Both asks address the future rule, not the current status. (1) When the DRNA publishes its draft Ley 93-2025 classification regulation for public comment, ask in writing that Rattus rattus kept as a captive-bred pet be classified ‘no restringida’, or that captive-bred, indoor pet lines be expressly distinguished from feral and invasive populations, consistent with the species already being on Apéndice 4 and with Ley 93-2025 Art. 13, which excludes domestic and already-naturalized species as determined by the Department of Agriculture. (2) Ask your senator and representative for the same outcome: pet roof rats are domesticated companion animals, like the fancy rat already in Apéndice 4, and the implementing regulation should not strip permit-free status from keepers of captive-bred animals. These animals are captive-bred, hand-tame, kept strictly indoors, and never released; they are not the source of feral establishment. Domestication, not wild ancestry, is what defines a domestic animal: the dog descends from the wolf and the cat from a wild felid, yet both are recognized as domestic companions. The fancy rat is itself the wild brown rat (R. norvegicus), domesticated only in the 19th century (see https://blonderoofrat.com/how-the-sewer-rat-became-the-fancy-rat/), so a captive-bred roof rat is domesticated on the same footing, one species over.

Where the lever really is: This is a legislature/rulemaking lever, not an agency-misreading lever. The DRNA is applying its wildlife regulation correctly: Rattus rattus sits in Apéndice 4 of Reg. 6765 with no restrictive asterisk, so keeping, captive breeding, and private/free transfer are permit-free (Art. 7.03), and only release is prohibited. There is nothing for the agency to reinterpret now; writing to DRNA to clarify that the rat is legal would only confirm a status that is already correct, and could not change a law the agency is applying properly. The risk and the lever both lie upstream, in a new statute: Ley Núm. 93-2025 (verified, signed Aug 1 2025) directs DRNA to promulgate a regulation classifying introduced species as prohibida / restringida / no restringida (Art. 5), with the regulation due within 180 days of approval (Art. 10(b)), and the statute’s statement of motives names the rata negra. The classification list carries a 30-day public-comment window before it is finalized (Art. 5(x)). DRNA’s official ‘Propuestas de Reglamento’ page was fetched 2026-06-14 and shows NO posted draft implementing Ley 93-2025, so the comment window is not yet open. The two actions are: (a) watch the DRNA rulemaking page and file a comment when the draft appears, and (b) contact the legislature, because Ley 93-2025 is the enabling statute and legislators can shape both the mandate and the agency’s posture. The science-based ask (captive-bred indoor pet lines are not the source of feral establishment, the species is already naturalized, and Art. 13 already excludes domestic and naturalized species) belongs in the rulemaking comment and in messages to legislators, not in a request for the agency to override its current correct reading.

Where to send it (more than one channel helps):

• DRNA, Propuestas de Reglamento (official proposed-regulations / public-comment page) (public comment), official contact page
  This is the official page where DRNA posts draft regulations for public comment. The Ley 93-2025 introduced-species classification rule will appear here, with its comment deadline and any public hearing. Checked 2026-06-14: the posted drafts are water-quality, tire-disposal, landfill, single-use-plastics, falconry, and a Condado lagoon reserve rule; NO Ley 93-2025 / introduced-species draft is posted, so the comment window is not yet open. When the draft appears, submit the comment asking that captive-bred pet Rattus rattus be classified ‘no restringida’ / distinguished from feral populations. This is the single most decisive touchpoint because it is where the actual rule gets written.
• Directorio Legislativo, Oficina de Servicios Legislativos de Puerto Rico (official find-and-contact-your-legislator portal) (legislature), official contact page
  Official OSLPR directory (2025-2028 term) that lets any member of the public look up and contact senators and representatives by name, district, or chamber, with phone and email on each profile. Because Ley 93-2025 is the enabling STATUTE behind the coming reclassification, legislators are the right audience for the message that pet roof rats are domesticated companion animals and the implementing rule should preserve permit-free keeping of captive-bred animals.
• DRNA, Oficina de Licencias y Permisos Forestales, Vida Silvestre y Pesquerías (wildlife/exotic-species permits office) (executive / agency), official contact page
  The substantive wildlife authority for exotic/introduced species and the office that will administer the Ley 93-2025 rule. Its public page (fetched 2026-06-14) lists only phone (787-999-2200, wildlife ext. 2750/2783) and a mailing address, NO official email or online form, so treat it as a monitoring/inquiry touchpoint (call or mail) to confirm the rule’s status and timing, not as a lever to change the law it is correctly applying.

A starting-point message, please put it in your own words; a short personal note carries far more weight than an identical form letter:

Subject: Keep captive-bred pet roof rats classified as lower-risk under the Ley 93-2025 regulation

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing about the introduced-species classification regulation the DRNA must adopt under Ley Núm. 93-2025. I respectfully ask that the captive-bred domestic roof rat (Rattus rattus, 'rata negra') kept as a pet be classified 'no restringida', or that captive-bred, indoor pet lines be expressly distinguished from feral populations.

This is consistent with current law: the species is already in Apéndice 4 of Reglamento 6765 as a lower-risk exotic eligible for possession, sale, and captive breeding without a permit (Art. 7.03), and Ley 93-2025 (Art. 13) already excludes domestic and naturalized species as determined by the Department of Agriculture.

The animals I am writing about are captive-bred, hand-tame, kept strictly indoors, and never released. Like the fancy rat, which sits in the same Apéndice 4, the pet roof rat is a domesticated companion animal. It is not the source of any feral population; the distinction is the lineage and use, not the species name. Domestication, not wild ancestry, is what defines a domestic animal: the dog descends from the wolf and the cat from a wild felid, yet both are recognized as domestic companions. The fancy rat is itself the wild brown rat, domesticated only in the 19th century, so a captive-bred roof rat is domesticated on the same footing as the fancy rat already in Apéndice 4.

I ask that the forthcoming regulation preserve permit-free keeping of captive-bred pet roof rats. Please let me know when the draft regulation opens for public comment.

Thank you for your time and service.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your municipality, Puerto Rico]
[Your email]

Asunto: Mantener a la rata negra de compañía criada en cautiverio como especie de menor riesgo en el reglamento de la Ley 93-2025

Estimado señor o señora:

Le escribo sobre el reglamento de clasificación de especies introducidas que el DRNA debe adoptar conforme a la Ley Núm. 93-2025. Respetuosamente solicito que la rata negra doméstica (Rattus rattus) criada en cautiverio y mantenida como mascota se clasifique como 'no restringida', o que las líneas de mascota criadas en cautiverio y mantenidas bajo techo se distingan expresamente de las poblaciones asilvestradas.

Esto es congruente con el derecho vigente: la especie ya figura en el Apéndice 4 del Reglamento 6765 como exótico de menor riesgo elegible para posesión, venta y reproducción en cautiverio sin permiso (Art. 7.03), y la propia Ley 93-2025 (Art. 13) excluye a las especies domésticas y naturalizadas según lo determine el Departamento de Agricultura.

Los animales a los que me refiero son criados en cautiverio, mansos, mantenidos estrictamente bajo techo y nunca liberados. Al igual que la rata fancy, que figura en el mismo Apéndice 4, la rata negra de compañía es un animal doméstico de compañía. No es el origen de ninguna población asilvestrada; la diferencia está en el linaje y el uso, no en el nombre de la especie. Lo que define a un animal doméstico es la domesticación, no su ascendencia silvestre: el perro desciende del lobo y el gato de un félido silvestre, y aun así ambos son reconocidos como animales domésticos de compañía. La rata fancy es la propia rata parda silvestre, domesticada apenas en el siglo XIX, de modo que una rata negra criada en cautiverio está domesticada en el mismo plano que la rata fancy que ya figura en el Apéndice 4.

Solicito que el reglamento próximo a adoptarse conserve la tenencia sin permiso de ratas negras de compañía criadas en cautiverio. Le agradeceré me informe cuándo el borrador del reglamento se abra a comentarios públicos.

Gracias por su tiempo y servicio.

Atentamente,
[Su nombre]
[Su municipio, Puerto Rico]
[Su correo electrónico]

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