Can I get my goldfish through customs?

I had the same problems getting Ted the Evil Goldfish into the VI. There do not seem to be any airline rules regarding this, so I just brought him in a small bottle with 3 oz of water and had the bottle in a quart baggie as approved by TSA.
It worked for me and Ted is happy in STT.

3 oz. of water, huh?! I knew that was the limit, but hadn't thought about shoving one in a bottle that size. Not a terrible idea, as I could buy a proper bottle on the other side of security.

My concern would be customs going INTO the states, although I could probably just hope they don't search my purse.

Did Ted get X-rayed?

you can already have a larger bottle or container with you when you go through customs. Just put the goldfish in a small container long enough to get past security.

When you travel with a dog or cat, you have to have a certificate of health. May be the same with a goldfish? I would call customs, or better yet go in person and ask. They won't let you take an apple off the island. A live fish might cause a real brew-ha-ha. Don't take our word for this kind of thing. Go to the official source or you might be very disappointed when you have to surrender your fish.
Good luck.

I would simply reiterate Juanita's advice:

go to the Dept of Agriculture/TSA/the airline ANYONE who might be a stakeholder and thus might ruin your trip home with "Goldie" (sorry, don't know your fish's name) if you don't satisfy their rules and regs!!!

"you can already have a larger bottle or container with you when you go through customs. Just put the goldfish in a small container long enough to get past security."

Ah, I should've clarified I meant enough water, not the bottle itself. I wouldn't trust airport water for my baby, even with the drops.

Regarding the rest, will of course contact the appropriate authorities but am glad someone had experience and personal knowledge on the subject. Something to consider regarding that certificate of health! Perhaps a local vet will have issued one for a fish before!

Take care all,

Let

Awesome question, and answers. I've been wanting to bring some fish into the VI for the longest but hadn't figured out the carry-on liquids problem. In a similar regard, does anyone know of a pond (not pawn--someone gave me a long lecture on the evils of pawn shops when I asked recently!) shop where I might get waterlilies, outdoor pumps, etc.?

Islandlola

you can also handle the 3.4 oz. water situation by having multiple bottles of that size within your ziplock and then transfer goldfish and all the water into a larger container. It's logistically a pain in the backside, but still do-able.

They do let you take dead fish and lobster along with you on the plane and they allow other live pets, so I'd expect they'd OK you taking your goldfish as long as you can cope with the silly liquid restrictions.

I have really enjoyed this thread - sort of put me in a good mood!

By the way, Ted the Evil Goldfish, is 14 years old and completely silver. Old age does that to you.
My son won him at a church festival when he was seven years old. Ted has traveled throughout the US, gone to college and has now retired here in St Thomas.

I have the white comet that lives with us currently, who I met on island. Years ago, maybe 5, I purchased an orange comet for 12 cents in DC, and that goldfish traveled far and wide with me, before I let grandma babysit when I went off to Alaska. Grandma treats it with beta food for tricks and fawns over it generally. When I saw it last, it was huge, with crazy gorgeous fluffy fins, and still a playful thing. I like to think that twelve cents never bought so much happiness.

Let

I work for Customs here in St Thomas (Information Technology, not an agent) and I ran this by one of our Agriculture specialists. He advised that Customs would not have a problem with a goldfish. He did recommend that the 3 oz bottle have markings on it to verify the quantity.

-j

Love the insider's perspective, thank you!

You know, you gotta love this board for the variety of information available...

And, if he doesn't make the trip, you can always flush him. Can't do that with a dog or cat!!

Well, you can, you just might have to use the plunger afterwards...