Giant African Land Snails Review

Overall Rating

Very low maintenance pets
Ideal for responsible children to look after
Don't take up much space
Cheap to keep
No odour

Hermaphrodites - You could end up with hundreds if you don't remove the eggs!

Giant African Land Snails are ideal for children to look after, as they are so easy to keep. They are not noisy, do not smell and don't take up a lot of space. They can grow to about 20cm long and 15cm high, so bear that in mind if you buy baby snails!

Snails are Hermaphrodites, they carry both sexes, so they will breed readily. Unless you want hundreds of babies I suggest you remove the eggs and dispose of them before they hatch. They hatch between 14 - 21 days. They burrow under their peat to lay the eggs, so if you house them in a large clear container you can usually see them from the bottom.

A small plastic aquarium with air holes in the lid is ideal to keep your snails in. Just a layer of peat in the bottom, a couple of smooth stones and a piece of bark and you have an ideal home for them. The peat needs to be kept damp, so a light spraying with lukewarm water is necessary every day. They dislike anything sharp, so no twigs or sharp stones.

Cleaning the snails out is only necessary every couple of weeks or so, providing you remove old uneaten food daily. The snails can be rinsed under lukewarm water to keep their shells clean.

When handling the snails take care not to touch the outer lip of the shell, it is very delicate and can be easily broken. This is where they add new shell as they grow larger.

They are more active in the evening than they are during the day, and they can be woken up by spraying them with water; they like this. Do not try to pull them off the sides of the tank; a light spraying of water will release them for easier handling.

Feeding them is very easy, they need a piece of cuttlefish which they will rasp on. This provides calcium to help them make their shells. You can put in a shallow tray of water, but if you lightly spray them on alternate days they will drink the spray on the sides of the tank.

They love to eat lettuce, and it is very interesting to watch them gobble through a lettuce leaf. They also like cucumber, cabbage and carrot. Fruit you can feed are strawberry, apple, banana, peach and melon.

No extra heating is required for the snails. If you are comfortably warm in your house then they will be too. But needless to say, never put them on a window sill in direct sunlight or they will become overheated and die.

Most children will be fascinated by these snails, and as they are so easy to care for, minimum adult supervision is required.

Members' Comments onHelen of Troy's Review

• e4chin on 28th Nov 2006

  Where can I buy these Giant African Land snails?

• Helen of Troy on 29th Nov 2006

  Some pet shops sell Giant African Land Snails over here. They cost very little because they breed so easily! There must be somewhere there, ask in your aquatic or pet shop.

• e4chin on 30th Nov 2006

  I will ask around, and see if I can find them. Approximately how long do they live?
  
  What else can I feed Giant African Land Snails to make sure they get their calcium? I ask this because I don't think I can get cuttlefish anywhere. Can I feed them little frozen regular fish?

• Helen of Troy on 30th Nov 2006

  No e4, not frozen little fish! I honestly don't know of any alternatives to cuttlefish, but Budgies also have them so if you know anyone who has Budgies, they may know somewhere you can get cuttlefish. I don't know the life span of these snails. My son had one given to him when it was a fair size. He lived for about 18 months I think, then decided he didn't want to come out of his shell any more.

• e4chin on 1st Dec 2006

  What are Budgies?
  
  I guess that if i can't get the materials, let alone the Giant Africa snails themselves, I shouldn't have African snails, but I haven't given up yet! There is still hope if I find out what Budgies are!

• Helen of Troy on 1st Dec 2006

  e4! I despair! A Budgie is a little bird! They originate from Australia, but they are now bred all over the world. A teeny weeny little parakeet. I wrote a review on those too!

• e4chin on 4th Dec 2006

  I suppose I'll read that one too, but I don't think I can get the materials needed for sustaining a Giant snail. That's also assuming that I can even get the snail. So I don't think I'll have a Giant African snail any time. oh, well.

• Helen of Troy on 5th Dec 2006

  Don't give up looking e4. One day your snail will come.

• Helen of Troy on 7th Dec 2006

  I have now convinced myself we should get a couple more. I have tried in two pet shops so far, but I have drawn blanks. I will keep looking. I suppose snails are not much in demand?!

• e4chin on 9th Dec 2006

  People don't usually go for a pet snail. I don't quite know why, but I'll make sure that I keep an eye out in search of a Giant African Snail.
  
  Are they really from Africa? I don't think of Africa as having enough water for a creature like that, but who knows!?!

• taylor9991 on 14th Jan 2007

  I would also advise all owners to get rid of the eggs as soon as possible. My brothers friend failed to do so, and when they hatched it was like dropping water on a Mogwi - he was overrun with the little critters and his container was crammed full.

• Helen of Troy on 15th Jan 2007

  As I mentioned in my Giant African Land Snails review! The best way is to seal them in a plastic bag, freeze them overnight then put them in the bin.

• taylor9991 on 15th Jan 2007

  Giant African Land Snails also like banana, peach, plums, melon, pear, mango, sharon fruit, phylisalis, paw-paw, green beans, corn on the cob and tomatoes. They're supposed to like apples, and they will also eat raw meat like mince, and cat treats/dog biscuits, and brown bread goes down a treat too!

• Helen of Troy on 16th Jan 2007

  Can't say I ever gave my Giant African Land Snails brown bread! But I can't see a reason why not! Just never thought about it!

• e4chin on 17th Jan 2007

  I don't think it'll matter what I feed them, as I just can't seem to find them anywhere! But I am happily content with my Oscars.

• Helen of Troy on 17th Jan 2007

  Taylor 9991's brother may have a few spare!
  He's right; they over-run the tank if you don't remove the eggs they so readily lay! If you manage to get one snail, you could gain a few more as a bonus!

• e4chin on 19th Jan 2007

  Well, I'll take his spare snails if he'll pay the shipping!
  
  I know how crazy snails can be! I gave my friend 5 - 6 once, and within a week there were well over a hundred in his fish tank! They can multiply like no mammal can, because, like you said in your review, they are hermaphrodites.

• rebel 4 life on 10th Mar 2008

  Hey, my sister has a giant african land snail and is woundering if its ok. We found the egg 3 days ago and is sat in the middle of the tank. The mum/dad seems fine. We want to know if its unusual to have 1 egg and if its ok?
  
  many thanks
  
  

• theoneandonly2525 on 17th Oct 2009

  I found this review very helpful because...i really wat a pet uty dads allergic to cats, dgs, rabbits etc (anything with fur) and i thought snals would be really good fun to watch. Since i dont now much about how to keep nails came on this forum and found yours the most informative because is got probably all you need to know(pobably)
  Thanx

• kel21 on 12th Nov 2009

  i have just brought two snails about a week ago went to clen them out when i saw little white bugs crawling on there shells.how do i get rid of these and are they mites or what please help.