You may need this licence if you intend to keep a native amphibian as a pet. You may keep native amphibians as pets under a Companion, A1 and A2 class licences. The class of licence you will need depends on the number and species of amphibians you intend to keep.
For one amphibian, you will require a Companion Animal Keeper Licence that allows you to keep one native amphibian that has been bred by a licensed pet shop or breeder in captivity. For a list of what amphibians can be kept please see the attached document.
For more than one amphibian, you will require one of the following licences:
- Native Animal Keeper Licence (A1) Basic Amphibian - This licence allows you to keep more than one amphibian that has been bred in captivity as a pet. This licence allows you to add another class of animal in addition to an amphibian. For example, you may also keep a native frog and another kind of native animal as a pet. Amphibians covered by this licence have basic keeping requirements and are readily available from a licensed pet shop or breeder.
- Advanced (A2) Amphibian Licence - This licence allows you to keep amphibians that may be rare and are more difficult to keep than Companion or A1 class amphibians. These amphibians are not traded by pet shops and can only be obtained from specialist amphibian breeders.
This licence does not allow you to take frogs or tadpoles from the wild or to release unwanted ones.
The only non-native (exotic) amphibian that can be kept as a pet without a licence is the axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum. All other non-native frogs and amphibians cannot be kept as pets as they may become invasive and spread disease.
