Private wildlife licence (basic and advanced) conditions

The power for the Conservation Regulator to apply these conditions is provided in Section 22(3)(ii) of the Wildlife Act 1975. Note that you may be required to comply with additional individualised conditions set out in your private wildlife licence, so make sure you read your licence carefully.

Keeping and trading wildlife

Wildlife that can be kept under a private wildlife licence

Objective

This regulation sets out which taxa of wildlife can be kept and traded under these licence types, and what the licence allows you to do with those animals.

How to comply

A private wildlife licence holder, whether basic or advanced, can buy or acquire certain species or taxa of captive-bred wildlife to keep. Taxa is the plural of taxon, meaning any formal name in the classification of living organisms (for example, species, genus, family, order, class, phylum).

The wildlife must be kept at the private address listed on the licence, which is usually your home. This is known as the specified premises. The wildlife cannot be displayed publicly, except at approved wildlife events. More information is detailed in Wildlife events.

Unless otherwise specified in the conditions on your licence, a basic licence holder can keep any of the taxa listed in Schedules 2 or 7 of the Wildlife Regulations 2024. Advanced licence holders can keep any of the taxa listed in Schedules 2, 3 or 7. Schedule 3 includes species that have more complex or demanding care requirements, or species that may be less common in legal trade, so are limited to advanced licence holders.

Wildlife listed in Schedule 4 of the Wildlife Regulations can be kept without a wildlife licence. While not legally required to be entered into your record book, you do need to maintain proof that these animals come from a lawful source. You can do this by maintaining receipts or other proof of purpose, or by recording any Schedule 4 species in your private wildlife licence record book so that you can show where they came from.

The schedules are found in the Wildlife Regulations 2024. Lists of species from the Wildlife Regulations schedules that are allowed to be kept under a basic or advanced wildlife licence are also available on the Conservation Regulator website.

• See Wildlife events
• Visit Wildlife Regulations 2024
• Visit Private wildlife licences

Keeping wildlife

Objective

To ensure wildlife are kept in a consistent, safe and appropriate location and are being cared for appropriately.

How to comply

Wildlife must be kept in secure cages or enclosures at the specified premises in accordance with licence conditions. Your specified premises is the address listed on your wildlife licence and is usually your home.

Anyone who possesses living wildlife must provide for the good health and welfare of that wildlife. Your enclosure must provide adequate shelter for your wildlife, prevent escape or injury, protect the wildlife from predators, and restrict access by anyone not authorised under the licence. Wildlife must be able to be readily monitored for health and wellbeing concerns, meaning enclosures must be a reasonable size to allow for this direct supervision. More information about standards of care and enclosure requirements is detailed in Housing and Care.

Emus can be kept under a private wildlife licence, but you can only keep up to 10 emus, as they are listed under Schedule 7 of the Wildlife Regulations. Emus less than four weeks old and emu eggs do not count towards the limit of 10. Emus are large animals that require a lot of space to stay healthy, and can be dangerous for inexperienced owners, especially if they are not used to people. Emus should not be kept alone, so you need space for at least two if you want to keep them. Useful guidance about keeping emus can be found online(opens in a new window).

Any wildlife held under your licence must be kept at the address listed in the licence except where you are:

• taking the wildlife to a registered vet for treatment, including preventative health checks or microchipping
• undertaking a transaction with another licence holder at their specified premises
• participating in a wildlife event that has been approved by the Conservation Regulator and allows the wildlife to be possessed, sold, displayed, for example, under the event conditions.

When transporting wildlife for any of the reasons above, you must comply with conditions regulating wildlife transportation. Further information is detailed in Transportation(opens in a new window).

Keeping wildlife at a location other than the premises specified in your licence is a breach of licence conditions and penalties may apply. If you need to keep wildlife at an alternate location, you must seek prior written approval from the Conservation Regulator. You can do this by emailing us with details of your request, including:

• why you need to house your wildlife at another location
• the species and number of wildlife
• the proposed duration of the housing at the alternate location
• details of appropriate enclosures and facilities at the alternate location.

• Email wildlifelicensing@deeca.vic.gov.au
• Visit Housing wildlife
• Visit Wildlife events
• Visit Transportation
• Visit Code of practice for husbandry of captive emus

Wildlife transactions

Objective

To ensure the welfare and sustainability of wildlife being possessed or traded. All wildlife transactions are required to be traceable to reduce the illegal possession and trade of wildlife.

How to comply

Before you agree to buy or accept any wildlife from another person or sell or give wildlife to another person, it is your responsibility to make sure that the transaction is legal, meaning the person you are transacting with has an appropriate and valid licence or exemption for the wildlife being transacted. In the event of an unlawful transaction occurring, both parties to the transaction may be culpable of an offence, if appropriate effort is not made to ensure the transaction meets legal requirements.

In most cases, this means determining that the person has the appropriate licence for that species, and that the licence is current and valid. Ask to see the person’s wildlife licence before agreeing to the transaction, regardless of whether the wildlife is being bought, sold, gifted or traded.

In limited circumstances, a person may be an exempt person from holding an appropriate licence or may have written approval from the Conservation Regulator. These written approvals may be either general or only issued for a specific wildlife transaction – so ask to see a copy of the exemption to ensure the transaction is legal before trading wildlife with them.

To confirm an exemption or to seek information about obtaining written approval from the Conservation Regulator, call or email us.

All transactions must be recorded in your record book by the end of the day the transaction happened on. Further information about record keeping is available in Record keeping requirements(opens in a new window). Information on the different types of wildlife licences and which wildlife can be held under each type can be found on our website.

• Call DEECA Customer Contact Centre 136 186
• Email wildlifelicensing@deeca.vic.gov.au
• Visit Record keeping requirements
• Visit Private wildlife licences

Trade of emus

Most wildlife held under your private licence may be traded with any person or company with a valid wildlife licence. The exception to this is emus: you may purchase Emus from any person legally in possession of them, but you can only dispose of emus to other private licence holders, a person with individual written approval from the Conservation Regulator to acquire the emu, or any zoo run by Zoos Victoria.

Rehoming Wildlife

Many wildlife species have specific care requirements, and some may be quite long-lived if cared for appropriately. This means that keeping wildlife generally requires a significant commitment of time and resources across the lifetime of the animal.

Despite best intentions, wildlife owners may face challenges that make looking after their wildlife tough. This may be due to health reasons, financial hardship, growing responsibilities or other changes in personal circumstances.

Rehoming can be a difficult decision for many, and it is important to prioritise the welfare of the wildlife in your care. The Conservation Regulator has prepared a guide available online(opens in a new window) to assist wildlife keepers to ensure they can legally rehome wildlife while preserving the welfare of the animals.

Visit Rehoming wildlife

Minimum period of ownership

Objective

A minimum period of ownership has been established in the Wildlife Regulations to reduce the spread of disease in wildlife collections, as well as prevent commercial trade of wildlife under a private licence. Any acquisition of wildlife should be a well-considered decision, to reduce the risk of wildlife being treated as a commodity, and to ensure that the wildlife can settle into its new surroundings.

How to comply

Do not sell, trade or give away wildlife that has been in your possession for less than 6 months, even if it was bred in your collection.

Wildlife can benefit from occupying familiar enclosures tailored to their requirements, similar to maintaining territory in the wild. Frequent movement can stress wildlife and result in greater incidence of disease.

Wildlife can often carry diseases without showing any symptoms for a long time. The requirement to keep each animal for at least six months before trading allows time for any symptoms to appear, so the animal can be treated before being passed on. This helps reduce the spread of diseases that could affect other wildlife keepers’ animals, as well as wild animals.

If you want to sell or dispose of wildlife before you have had them for six months, you must seek prior written approval from the Conservation Regulator. You can do this by emailing the Conservation Regulator with details of your request, including:

• the species, age and condition of the wildlife
• where the wildlife was acquired including licence number
• why you need to sell or dispose of the wildlife within six months.

You may also apply by completing the form online.

Your request will be considered, and you will be notified of the outcome in writing. Approval will not be issued retrospectively. Sale or disposal of wildlife you have held for less than six months without prior approval is a breach of licence conditions and penalties may apply.

• Email wildlifelicensing@deeca.vic.gov.au
• Visit Application for secondary permission under a wildlife licence

Where can a wildlife transaction take place?

Objective

To ensure that wildlife transactions under your licence occur at a suitable location.

How to comply

A transaction to buy, acquire, receive, sell, or dispose of wildlife can only take place at your specified premises (the address listed on your licence), or the premises of the other party involved in the transaction. You cannot conduct these transactions in a public place, at a business or any location not listed on either licence.

These transactions can be highly stressful for the wildlife and conducting them at unapproved locations increases the risk of wildlife escaping. It is important to keep the process as calm and low-stress as possible for the animals.

For consignment or sending of wildlife, whenever possible, the departure and delivery points should be the licensed premises (in Victoria) or the premises where the wildlife legally resides (if outside Victoria). An animal courier service can help to arrange door-to-door delivery services. See Transportation for further information.

Trade outside of Victoria may require an Import and export permit.

If you are unable to arrange door-to-door consignment, or need to trade at a premises not covered under the above conditions, you can apply for written approval for alternative arrangements by emailing us with details of your request, including:

• why you are unable to facilitate trade at the specified premises of one of the parties to the transaction
• the location of the proposed alternative transaction location
• why the alternative transaction location has been chosen, and whether it is appropriate for trade of wildlife
• for consignment, limitations on door-to-door service and the proposed alternative arrangements (for example, pick up and drop off from a courier depot).

• Visit Transportation(opens in a new window)
• Visit Import and export
• Email wildlifelicensing@deeca.vic.gov.au

Wildlife events

Objective

Wildlife interest groups hold public events across Victoria for the display and trade of wildlife. These events allow wildlife licence holders to attend with their wildlife, share knowledge and promote the lawful keeping of wildlife. More information about wildlife events can be found online.

The Conservation Regulator approves wildlife events under the Wildlife Regulations 2024, so holders of wildlife licences can display, buy, sell, acquire, receive, keep, or possess wildlife in accordance with their licence and the event conditions imposed. Approved wildlife events are listed online.

To ensure animal welfare, under Wildlife Regulation 113 (3)(c), wildlife events must be approved by the Conservation Regulator and conditions can be specified that apply to the displaying, buying, selling, acquiring, receiving, keeping or possessing of wildlife at the wildlife event.

How to comply

Attend only Conservation Regulator-approved wildlife events. You must meet the event conditions specified in the event approval for the individual event.

You can check Victoria Government Gazette and Conservation Regulator websites to find approved wildlife events. The notice for an approved event includes:

Name of the event.

• Organiser.
• Date.
• Venue.
• Categories of wildlife licence holders that the event applies to.
• Conditions that event participants must comply with, in addition to existing legal requirements.

You may need to register with the event organiser to attend.

• Visit Wildlife events
• Visit Approved wildlife events(opens in a new window)
• Visit Victoria Government Gazette(opens in a new window)

Display of wildlife

Objective

To ensure wildlife held under a private wildlife licence are kept as companion animals and not unnecessarily exposed to stressful environments.

How to comply

A wildlife basic or advance licence is a private, non-commercial licence. This means that while you may sell or trade wildlife under your licence as you would any other companion animal, the purpose of wildlife being kept must not be for financial gain.

Displaying wildlife held under your wildlife basic or advanced licence to the public must only occur in association with trade at a wildlife event, and you cannot charge for anyone to view your wildlife.

If you wish to hold wildlife for commercial purposes, including displaying wildlife for commercial purposes, it may be more appropriate for you to hold a wildlife demonstrator licence (for travelling display/exhibition), a wildlife displayer licence (for static display/exhibition), or a wildlife dealer licence (for commercial sale of wildlife). See the Conservation Regulator website for further information on commercial wildlife licences.

Visit Commercial wildlife licences

Exemptions for trade of emu eggs and parts of emus

Objective

To reduce unnecessary restrictions on activities, including where activities are not likely to impact wild populations or animal welfare

How to comply

If you keep emus under your private wildlife licence, and the emus produce for example, you can sell or dispose of those eggs to any person as long as they are infertile or are eggshells. You can ensure that eggs are infertile by separating male and female animals during the breeding season or seeking information on checking egg viability with expert emu keepers. If in doubt whether an egg is fertilised or not, do not trade the egg.

You can also trade processed (but not taxidermied) parts of any emu that has been kept under your licence, such as tanned skins or feathers.

Requirements on crocodile possession

Restrictions on crocodile possession

Objective

To restrict the acquisition of new crocodiles under private licence in Victoria, to preserve animal welfare and human safety.

How to comply

You must not in any way acquire or receive any crocodile without prior written permission from the Conservation Regulator.

This condition ensures that more crocodiles are not brought into Victoria that would potentially need to be disposed of when changes to the Wildlife Regulations come into place.

Permission will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Construction of a suitable enclosure is not considered grounds for acquiring a crocodile.

To acquire a crocodile under an Advanced Private Wildlife Licence, you require evidence of suitable care and husbandry arrangements to uphold animal welfare, including but not limited to housing that meets or exceeds the standards required to keep a crocodile for the duration of its natural life. This is challenging and resource-intensive to achieve.

Prior to commencing construction or modification to enclosures to seek acquisition, contact the Conservation Regulator to discuss the proposed acquisition. Early engagement will ensure that requirements for permission to be granted are clear, and that any enclosure proposed is appropriate and will meet the requirements of the species.

You can do this by emailing us. Ensure you have clear details surrounding your request to assist the Conservation Regulator in providing advice, including but not limited to:

• Why you are applying to acquire a crocodile, including any exceptional circumstances.
• Species of crocodile, and number if relevant.
• Current size of the crocodile.
• Proposed source of the crocodile.
• Proposed enclosure, including relevant dimensions and environmental management features (for example, temperature and light control).
• Your knowledge and experience caring for the species.

This condition is not intended to prevent lawful trade, but to ensure that any crocodile in Victoria is only acquired where it can be appropriately housed and kept in a manner that preserves animal welfare long-term. This condition also ensures licence holders keeping crocodiles meet the standards that may apply under any future transition arrangements implemented through changes to the wildlife regulations.

More information is available on our website.

• Email wildlifelicensing@deeca.vic.gov.au
• Visit vic.gov.au/wildlife-licencing-review

Disposal of crocodiles

Objective

To ensure the movement of crocodiles within Victoria is appropriately monitored given upcoming regulatory changes, and to provide a mechanism for the Conservation Regulator to prevent illegal trade of wildlife and understand where wildlife may not be properly cared for.

How to comply

You may continue to lawfully dispose of any crocodile under your licence, in accordance with your existing licence conditions. You must report disposal of any crocodile to the Conservation Regulator by email within two business days of the disposal. You must record any disposal appropriately in your licence record book.

For live crocodiles, disposal may occur by:

• Export.
• Disposal to a wildlife demonstrator licence holder.
• Disposal to a wildlife displayer licence holder that has the appropriate species listed on their licence.
• Disposal to another advanced private wildlife licence holder, where that person has prior written permission from the Conservation Regulator to acquire the crocodile.
• Veterinary euthanasia or destruction.

For dead crocodiles, disposal may occur by:

• Export.
• Disposal to a wildlife taxidermist or wildlife demonstrator licence holder.
• Disposal to a wildlife displayer licence holder that has the appropriate species listed on their licence.
• Burial or incineration.

You must not dispose of crocodiles that have been in your possession for less than six months without the prior written permission of the Conservation Regulator.

If you want to sell or dispose of wildlife before you have had them for six months, you must seek prior written approval from the Conservation Regulator. You can do this by emailing the Conservation Regulator with details of your request, including:

• Species, age and condition of the wildlife.
• Where the wildlife was acquired from including licence number.
• Why you need to sell or dispose of the wildlife within six months.

You may also apply by completing the form online.

Your request will be considered, and you will be notified of the outcome in writing. Approval will not be issued retrospectively. Sale or disposal of wildlife you have held for less than six months without prior approval is a breach of licence conditions and penalties may apply.

Email wildlifelicensing@deeca.vic.gov.au

Apply for secondary permission

Crocodile breeding

Objective

To restrict the acquisition of new crocodiles under private licence in Victoria, including by breeding; and to preserve animal welfare and human safety.

How to comply

You are not permitted to obtain crocodiles through breeding. This means you must prevent the production of viable young from any crocodile in your possession. There are several ways to achieve this, with the simplest method being ensuring that reproductively viable male and female crocodiles are housed separately.

If a crocodile in your possession does produce eggs, these eggs must be destroyed as soon as they are detected. Given that breeding of crocodiles must be prevented under the conditions of any Advanced Private Wildlife License, any crocodile egg produced is expected to be non-viable.

You must record the production and subsequent destruction of any crocodile egg in your wildlife record book.

Enclosure standards for crocodiles

Objective

To ensure you provide appropriate permanent housing that provides for the good health and welfare of any wildlife held under your licence.

How to comply

You must house any living wildlife in a manner that meets the enclosure requirements established at Regulation 120 of the Wildlife Regulations 2024 (see Housing wildlife). This means ensuring enclosures provide adequate shelter, protect wildlife from injury or unauthorised access, protect wildlife from predators, and provide for the good health and welfare of the crocodile.

The Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals- Private Keeping of Reptiles sets standards for wildlife enclosures. This code is established under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 and is incorporated as enforceable under the Wildlife Regulations 2024. This code contains mandatory minimum enclosure standards for crocodiles that must be complied with.

To assist you in understanding these standards, they have been reproduced as a condition of your licence, with wording changes to assist in understanding application and intent behind each standard.

General requirements

Per the condition, all crocodile enclosures require a pond as well as a haul-out area. Crocodiles can be co-housed, as long as there is sufficient space for all animals in the enclosure and there is no observed aggression or exclusion from resources (for example, food). Note that it’s recommended males and females are not co-housed, to prevent any breeding attempt.

The minimum size of any crocodile enclosure is based on the length of the crocodile housed in that enclosure. Any length measurement must be taken from crocodile snout to tip of tail, not snout to vent.

For crocodiles greater than 25 centimetres in length:

• The pond must be at least twice as long and as wide as the length (snout to tail-tip) of the longest animal within the enclosure.
• The haul-out area be at minimum the length and width of the longest animal within the enclosure.

Depth should be greater than the height of the animal, allowing full submersion.

Crocodiles grow, so ideally any enclosure should be built based not on current measurements, but on likely future measurements so the enclosures have longevity and do not require constant expansion.

Temperature

Crocodiles are tropical species, so to maintain appropriate animal health and wellbeing crocodile species require heated enclosures in Victoria – regardless of whether they are housed inside or outside. Temperature requirements vary across the enclosure:

• For the pond, the water temperature must be kept between 26°C–28°C.
  • This means a water heater must be installed and maintained within the pool or as part of the filtration system.
  • Any water heater or other equipment used to maintain the pool temperature and hygiene must be installed in such a way that it poses no risk of injury to any crocodile within the enclosure, meaning no crocodile should be able to bite or access the equipment, and the installation should protect any crocodile from electric shock or entanglement.
• For the haul-out area, a basking site between 30°C–33°C must be provided. Crocodiles are ectothermic, so the haul-out should provide micro-environments of varying temperature to allow any crocodile to appropriately thermoregulate.
  • While daily and seasonal variation in temperatures should be provided, one area of the haul-out must always maintain a temperature reading within this range. This may be achieved by a variety of heating equipment (for example, overhead lamps, heat pads, underfloor heating sources). Any equipment must be installed in a way that poses no risk of injury to any crocodile within the enclosure, including from burn, electric shock, or entanglement in wires or cords.

Housing for hatchlings

Initial housing for crocodile hatchlings up to and including 25 centimetres in length may occur in smaller enclosures of the dimensions 60 centimetres long, 30 centimetres wide, and 30 centimetres high.

These tanks should only be used for initial quarantine of hatchlings on acquisition, as with adequate nutrition and when housed in accordance with the required enclosure standards crocodiles will generally exceed 25 centimetres in length by eight weeks of age.

Crocodiles should be moved to permanent housing as soon as practicable on acquisition and must be moved prior to their length exceeding 25 centimetre snout to tail-tip.

Any enclosure for crocodile hatchlings up to and including 25 centimetre in length still requires the housed animal to have access to both a pond and haul-out, with a water temperature between 26°C–28°C and a basking site on the haul-out between 30°C–33°C.

Design enclosures for the long-term

It is recommended that any crocodile enclosure is constructed to account for the likely maximum size of the crocodile species – roughly three metres for freshwater and seven metres for saltwater crocodiles. This assumes that crocodile possession is intended to be maintained by the licence holder for the duration of the crocodile’s natural life, which can be 50 to 80 years.

If this is not the case, a succession plan that indicates when (either by date, circumstances, or crocodile size) and how the crocodile is proposed to be disposed of, and the proposed disposal method including any identified recipient.

Consider that where enclosures are not built to allow for maximum length of the contained species, new enclosures may need to be constructed to address animal growth rather than modification of existing enclosures to ensure housing conditions are not breached. That is, a crocodile must not be held in a temporary enclosure that does not meet these conditions while an existing enclosure is modified to account for animal growth, except in accordance with prior written permission from the Conservation Regulator.

Freshwater crocodile

Freshwater crocodiles rarely exceed 3 metres in length in captive conditions, with females generally having a smaller body size (less than 2.3 metres) than males.

This means that for an enclosure to adequately house a freshwater crocodile for the lifetime of the animal, the enclosure must have:

Saltwater crocodile

Saltwater crocodiles may exceed six metres in length in captivity with adequate husbandry and nutrition. In Victoria, it is safe to assume that male saltwater crocodiles will not exceed six metres in length during the natural life of the animal; while females generally will not exceed 3.5 metres in captive conditions.

This means that for an enclosure to adequately house a saltwater crocodile accounting for growth over the expected lifetime of the animal, the enclosure must have:

See Housing wildlife