Purplemaniacs Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I'm sure someone on the forum keeps these. Was it Beckyboo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacake Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I believe they are hermaphrodite so will lay eggs even if a lone snail. Might be worth checking first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkysmum Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittyl Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 I believe that you need 2 for them to breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
