Risk of getting meningitis from snails.

[Deleted]

My archachatina marginata is wild caught from Africa and I was curious about the risk of getting the rat lungworm from my snail just from holding it.

[Symphony]

Pretty sure you'll be fine if you wash your hands well after handling them (and/or wear gloves). Not sure about rat lungworm, but most parasitic infections happen when eating badly cooked snail dishes. So, just don't eat your snail (and don't kiss them, I suppose?).

[Cashell]

Not absolutely mandatory, but wearing gloves for a quarantine period of 1-6 months would be a good idea if you are concerned about parasite transmissions. As posted above, the biggest risks come from eating wild snails, drinking fluids from them, putting them near sensitive parts like the anus, mouth, or eyes, or crawling over open wounds.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the replies! I do wash my hands several times after handling them and I make sure to never put them near my face, I decided it would be best to wear gloves when handling them anyway, more for the snail’s safety than mine as my Margie recently had babies and I know handling snails with bare hands can be harm them.