Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[Purplemaniacs]

We have got a Giant African Land Snail visiting school this week, I have got quite fond of Sammie and was wondering about getting one (don't tell OH)

 

Any thoughts good idea or a bad one?

 

Chrissie

[Egluntyne]

I'm sure someone on the forum keeps these. Was it Beckyboo?

[teacake]

oooh I had one years ago, when I worked at the university, we called him Tiger, and it was always fun convincing the professors that they had to give up the cucumber in their sandwiches to feed to him. often wondered what happened to Tiger when I left.... definitely get one.

[Lavenders_Blue]

If you get more than one you will need to be vigilant for eggs. They breed like mad and you will end up with hundreds of snailettes if you're not careful!

[Seagazer]

My cousin very kindly gave me some for my kids a few years back and it was the worst pet we ever had. I ended up with loads of them. I quickly rehomed them. Awful things.

 

Edited to add: apparently you are supposed to collect and freeze the eggs to kill them.

[Chucky Mama]

They can be a nightmare as they reproduce very quickly. I have heard very few positives about keeping them but masses of negatives. You can usually easily find someone desperately trying go offload some.

[Purplemaniacs]

Well Sammie has gone home tonight, I have enjoyed getting her out of her tank at school and letting the children see her close to.

 

I am very tempted but I would only have one, I do not fancy lots of babies

 

Thank you for all the information.

 

Chrissie

[Seagazer]

I believe they are hermaphrodite so will lay eggs even if a lone snail. Might be worth checking first.

[Purplemaniacs]

I believe they are hermaphrodite so will lay eggs even if a lone snail. Might be worth checking first.

I thought you still needed two, but I might be wrong?

 

Anyone know?

 

Chrissie

[sparkysmum]

We had a few and loved them, but at one time we had 184 babies. We gave them to a biologist friend of ours & didn't ask too many questions............. Great pets.

[kittyl]

Hi,our last giant snail died last year, he was about 6 & massive. We originally had 3 & found them quite fun at first, but the novelty did wear off once the kids had lost interest. The eggs were a pain but they stopped laying them eventually. I'm sure you need 2 snails to get eggs but it doesn't matter which 2, they're all boy/girls.

[Chucky Mama]

I believe that you need 2 for them to breed.

[Sam]

You still need 2 for them to breed.

 

I had 2 and hated them. Got rid of them within a few months. Maybe if there was the Snail type forum I would have gotten on better with them. Did a bit of research and thought they were okay. The bedding we used was compost I think and they made such a mess and they stank even though I cleaned them out once a week. They're horrible everything got covered in mud and they kept me awake!! I stupidly kept them in my room, and their shells kept hitting against the glass. Oh well... they're long gone now!

[bluekarin]

My ED has them. She started with 3 from the pet shop and they were normal garden snail size. Sadly one died last year and another we had to PTS as it fell off the roof of the fish tank and broke of the growing tip of its shell. ED wasn't too careful when cleaning and checking for eggs, so one ended up hatching and is a mutant with three antennae. She now has just two GALS, and I think because they are 2 years apart in age and maturity, they haven't mated and *touchwood* we have had no eggs. Oh, and they do like to lay eggs. Lots of them - about 100-200 each time! We scoop them up into a small bag and froze them. Then either threw them away or gave them to her friend to feed to their garden fish. I'm not hugely keen on them, but they are interesting to watch when they crawl up the glass wall or hearing them munch away at the lettuce and cucumber. ED only wanted them as she used to "keep" garden snails and make habitats for them, and whilst researching snails, she discovered GALS and fell in love with them.