Guidelines for Listings and Offers
Animal Welfare and Species Conservation on suchen.expert
Protecting animals and preserving biodiversity are top priorities on suchen.expert.
Listings concerning animals or animal-related offers are therefore subject to particularly strict requirements.
These guidelines are binding within the platform and supplement statutory requirements, particularly the German Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG), the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG) and relevant EU regulations, such as the regulation on the protection of species.
Violations result in the immediate removal of the listing, suspension of the account and, where appropriate, referral to the competent authorities.
1. Legal Framework
1.1 German Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG)
- Section 11 TierSchG: a permit is required for commercial animal keeping, breeding and trading.
- Section 11b TierSchG: breeding animals with hereditary suffering or damage is prohibited.
1.2 Species Conservation Law
- Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG)
- Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 on the protection of species
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
2. Principle: Who May Offer Animals?
2.1 Permitted Providers
Animals may be offered exclusively by:
- officially recognised animal shelters,
- registered animal welfare organisations,
- providers holding a valid permit under Section 11 TierSchG,
in each case with complete contact details and verifiable authorisation.
Private or commercial listings without the appropriate permit are not permitted.
3. General Prohibitions
In particular, listings involving the following are prohibited:
- animals as gifts, prizes, items for exchange or promotional items,
- animals for fattening, slaughter or further processing,
- renting or lending animals,
- listings on behalf of third parties or without the right to dispose of the animals,
- unauthorised resale of animals,
- preserved animal specimens, hunting trophies, stuffed animals or parts thereof.
4. Procedures and Characteristics Contrary to Animal Welfare
It is not permitted to offer animals with:
- cropped ears or docked tails,
- severed vocal cords,
- removed claws or teeth,
- breeding-related characteristics causing suffering within the meaning of Section 11b TierSchG,
- hereditary suffering or functional impairments.
Exception: only animals from recognised animal welfare organisations with traceable documentation.
5. Age and Breeding Requirements (Extract)
Dogs
- Transfer only from 8 weeks of age.
- Breeding only:
- with female dogs from 16 months of age,
- up to a maximum age of 8 years,
- with a minimum weight of 2 kg for small breeds.
- Puppy listings must not use pictures of dogs with cropped ears or docked tails.
Cats
- Breeding only from 10 months of age.
- Certain breeds are regarded as breeding that causes suffering and are not permitted, except when offered by animal welfare organisations. These include:
- Manx, Cymric,
- Sphynx, Peterbald,
- Scottish Fold / Straight,
- Munchkin, Rex, Lykoi, LaPerm.
Birds
- Transfer:
- from 8 weeks of age,
- parrots from 12 weeks of age.
- Selling animals that cannot feed independently is prohibited.
- Hand-rearing is permitted only in medically justified exceptional cases.
6. Exotic, Wild and Protected Animals
Trading in the following is strictly prohibited:
- wild animals,
- exotic animal species,
- reptiles and primates,
- species protected under the BNatSchG or EU law,
- products or preserved specimens made from protected animals.
This also applies where a permit is claimed to exist.
7. Further Protection Requirements
- Animals must not be transferred to minors under 16 without parental consent.
- Listings must not contain references to aggression or fighting training.
- Trading in live animals as feed is prohibited.
8. Users’ Responsibility
Every provider bears full legal responsibility for:
- the permissibility of the offer,
- compliance with all animal welfare and species conservation requirements,
- the accuracy of the information provided.
suchen.expert does not act as an intermediary, supervisory body or licensing authority.
9. Consequences of Violations
In the event of violations, suchen.expert expressly reserves the right to:
- remove listings immediately,
- suspend or permanently close user accounts,
- forward content to the competent authorities.
10. Final Remarks
Protecting animals is a legal and ethical obligation. suchen.expert tolerates no violations of animal welfare, species conservation or statutory requirements.
We thank all users whose responsible conduct helps keep our platform safe, ethical and compliant with the law.
