Are Giant African Land Snails legal in the US?

USDA prohibits importing or owning the giant African Snail (GAS) because it poses a significant risk to U.S. agricultural and human health. To learn more about GAS and the damage it can cause by visit Giant African Snail.

Can I buy a giant African snail?

Is It Legal to Own a Pet Giant African Land Snail? Due to the risk of becoming a successful invasive species and being a serious agricultural pest, importation of giant African land snails into the United States is not permitted, and it is illegal to keep them as pets in the U.S.

Is it illegal to release Giant African Land Snails?

The scientific name for the most commonly kept commonly kept species is Achatina fulica. It is illegal and improper to release Giant African Land Snails into the wild. Feeding. Snails are peaceful vegetarians.

Can you keep Giant African Land Snails in the UK?

In some countries it is illegal to own Giant African Land Snails because of the invasive nature of this snail. There are currently no restrictions on owning these snails in the UK but it is illegal to release them (including eggs) into the wild.

Where can I buy Giant African snails?

Giant African land snails can be bought from pet shops that specialise in exotic pets, or sometimes bought directly from specialist breeders online. Because giant African land snails are relatively easy to breed in captivity, you should seek to source your potential future pets from snails bred within the UK rather than imported from the wild.

How large do African land snails get?

Common Name (s): Giant African Land Snail, East African Land Snail, West African Land Snail, Tiger Snail Adult Size: Achatina fulica grow to 3 or 4 inches long (shell length), and Achatina achatina can have a shell up to 11 inches long (the body inside would stretch to about 15 inches long)

What are giant African snails like on the environment?

Giant African Snails are highly invasive, adaptable creatures that constitute a significant threat to agricultural crops, natural resources and human health. Released into the environment, they’re known to consume more than 500 types of plants , including many common vegetables, fruits and ornamentals.

What do giant African snails eat?

The giant African snail is a macrophytophagous herbivore; it eats a wide range of plant material, fruit, and vegetables, paper, and cardboard. It sometimes eats sand, very small stones, bones from carcasses, and even concrete as calcium sources for its shell. In rare instances, the snails consume each other.