It’s a good time to take a look at Canada’s pet sector – particularly as it pertains to exotic pets.
Canada is a pet-loving country. Over 60% of Canadians owned a dog or a cat in 2024, resulting more than 8.3 million dogs and 8.9 million cats in Canadian households. The benefits of pet ownership are well-documented; companion animals can help alleviate stress and depression in adults, and children who form strong bonds with pets can develop good empathy and concern for others.
While cats and dogs are Canada’s most popular pets, reptiles have been gaining in popularity. Roughly 271,000 reptiles were owned as pets in Canada in 2020, up from 267,000 in 2016. Fish are also popular in Canada, found in 7% of households; birds can be found in 4% of Canadian homes, rabbits and hamsters in 3%, and other types of pets (including lizards, guinea pigs, frogs, snakes, ferrets, gerbils, turtles, and horses) live in 1% of Canadian households. However, these numbers may be higher than indicated, as some people may fear being caught without a license and refrain from reporting their pet.
Among Canada’s 1.4 million wild animal pet population, the most common are wild cats (186,000), followed by snakes (164,000), turtles and tortoises (129,000), wild dogs (126,000), amphibians (90,000), arachnids (50,000), and alligators or crocodiles (14,000).
Regulations may vary according to location (and may change), but some exotic animals can legally be kept as pets in Canada. These may include capybaras, Fennec foxes, hedgehogs, muntjac deer, sugar gliders, and wallabies. Animals that are illegal to own as pets include monkeys, raccoons, and some reptiles (snakes larger than three metres or lizards larger than two metres).
With more than half of the country owning at least one pet, it’s no surprise that the pet industry is a vital part of Canada’s economy. Figures indicate that there are 4,835 pet stores in Canada, employing over 32,600 people, with revenue expected to reach $4.6 billion this year. The demand for pets spiked during the pandemic and has remained high ever since (revenue reached 18.7% in 2022 when quarantine measures were lifted).
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