All ads posted in the Gumtree Animals section must comply with the Gumtree Animals Policy and this Animals Code of Practices set out below. Any ads found to be breaching applicable laws and reported to us for breaching these laws will be removed from Gumtree.

Advertising an animal on Gumtree

Docked tail pets are not allowed on Gumtree, this is a prohibited practice and Gumtree does not accept ads of this nature.

Age restrictions apply for certain types of pets advertised and animals must have reached a certain age before being advertised on Gumtree.

1. Dogs: must be at least 8 weeks old
2. Cats: must be at least 8 weeks old
3. Rabbits: must be at least 6 weeks old
4. Guinea Pigs: must be at least 4 weeks old
5. Mice and Rats: must be at least 4 weeks old (Note: sale of mice as pet food is prohibited)
6. Birds: must be self-sufficient

Permits for primates
Currently it's legal to keep/adopt/sell primates with a permit, please make sure when adopting/selling a primate that you have such a permit. Ads posted that don't mention such a permit will be removed from Gumtree. This applies to users posting ads that "want" to adopt a primate as well.

The following breeds of dog cannot be advertised on Gumtree:

1. Pit Bull Terriers
2. American Pit Bull Terriers
3. Dogo Argentino (Argentinian fighting dogs)
4. Fila Brasileiro (Brazilian fighting dogs)
5. Japanese Tosas
6. MiPerro de Presa Canario

Adopting/Buying a pet on Gumtree

1. Meet the poster of the ad before agreeing to anything. Since Gumtree is local to your community, this should be easy to arrange. Never buy a pet from someone who is unwilling to let you see how and where the animal is living!
2. If you are paying for a pet, never mail a cheque or use payment services like Bidpay, Western Union or Money Gram to pay for your pet. It is our belief that these forms of funds transfer are favoured by fraudsters. Be particularly wary of any seller who demands a deposit prior to seeing the pet. Meet the seller in person, and pay cash.
3. Visit your local SPCA or other reputable animal rescue organizations for tips on identifying responsible practices.
4. Know who you are sourcing the pet from and if it is a breeder, confirm with the relevant organizations that their license is recognised.
5. Check that no animals were used in excessive breeding programs, or programs which produce deformed or weak offspring.
6. If in doubt contact your local SPCA and let us know by contacting Customer Service.
7. For tips and advice when considering adopting or buying a pet, please see our Guide to Responsible Pet Ownership.