Are grove snails in the US?

[jack]

For a long time I've been looking for grove snails or white-lipped snails or any cool-looking, small/medium land snail to keep as pets. I live in the US, in Kentucky.

I've looked through probably twenty five states as well as online and have not once noticed any snails for sell in petstores, reptile shows (even though other inverts are always for sale), on forums etc. I've even looked for snails to be shipped to me from as far away as California, with no luck

So I was wondering if anybody here has ever come across snails or even heard of snails being sold in the US?

I'm just beginning to wonder if I'm the only person in the US looking for snails and if I should just give up.

[coyote]

Don't give up! No, you're not the only person in the US who's looking for small snails. It's different here compared to other parts of the world where GALS are legal as pets; we don't have quite the same kind of established modes of networking for sharing information and acquiring snails. We're kind of on our own, which makes it more difficult but not impossible (but, of course, our choices are limited as well).

Most snails here are either invasive non-native species that are often classified as agricultural pests (and therefore not legal to possess) or are native species with difficult cultural requirements that make them a challenge to keep as pets. But as I said, it's not impossible, we just have more hurdles we have to get over than we would otherwise.

As far as grove snails specifically, I've not heard of any being available in the US. However, I have heard of populations of them being established in certain areas in the eastern US (Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee). You may have to travel to find some in the wild, which is probably the only place you will be able to get any, because I've not heard of any breeders selling that species in the US.

If you are interested in any milk snails (Otala lactea), I have some juveniles available.

[jack]

Yeah, it is frustrating. I knew about the african land snails being illegal, but I didn't realize that all the other species were so rare!

I am definitely interested in the milk snails! Can you ship them? I know that with mice (my main hobby) you have to ship via the airlines which costs hundreds of dollars...

I live in Kentucky. Do you know where in Kentucky the grove snails were found? If I can find any I'll gladly get them and share.

[jack]

BTW, how would I find out if grove snails were illegal in Kentucky? I've looked everywhere. I thought about asking somebody in Europe if they could ship me some, but I don't want to get them (or me!) in trouble for it!

[Dusk]

Usually there's a branch of government that deals with agriculture and agricultural pests... I'm not sure who it'd be for you, but if you can find out, they'll be the ones who can say which snails are illegal due to pest status in your area.

[jack]

Ok...I will keep looking...

I really appreciate this community!

[coyote]

I would recommend checking with your state department of agriculture's department that handles plant pests. Go to your state's website and find the agricultural department, and search for either plant pests or snails or cepaea and see what turns up. I don't know where exactly in Kentucky they were found, I just know that they were reported somewhere in the state.

I can send you some juvenile Otalas via priority mail ($4.95 for a Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box or $10.35 for a Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box, depending on how many you wanted).

[jack]

I am so excited! Yes, I want some. I have a 10 gallon tank with coir and rocks and terra cotta pot and sticks already ready! How many will live comfortably in a 10 gallon?

I have PayPal. If you could PM me your paypal address I can send the money, or if you want a check/money order I can do that too (I work for my college's post office).

I found this site: www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/permits/downloads/snail_matrix.pdf and they say that the USDA will consider permitting the import of Cepaea nemoralis to my state for "educational purposes."

I don't know what that means or how I'd go about asking for permission. I guess first I'd have to find somebody overseas willing to ship them to me? lol

I hate that responsible pet owners are prevented from having cool animals because some jerks let them loose. Grrr...

[fluffy]

Hello Jack,

I keep my fingers crossed for you to find your desired snails.

When you have them, you might want to replace the terracotta pot in your tank with a plastic pot,
so that your snails don't get hurt should they fall onto it when they drop from the lid.

Why don't you claim to do a scientific study on snails. Wouldn't that be "educational purpose" and you could import them? ;D

[coyote]

I think by "educational purposes" they mean that you give presentations to schoolkids or something like that. It's possible they may want you to have a teaching certificate as well, and they will probably ask you to submit an outline of what kind of presentation you would make. And they might also insist that the permit holder be part of the staff at a college or university, to make sure they possess certain credentials. They want to discourage casual pet owners from getting a permit; they want only serious people who will be dedicated to caring for the animal properly and teaching the appropriate message to kids (such as respect wildlife and the environment, not trying to keep wildlife as pets, why non-native species can be devastating to local habitats, etc.).

In the US, that is the only way laypeople can keep wildlife, is if they are first trained in how to care for the animals, then they go to schools and give presentations to the kids about the animal and how it fits into its environment and stuff like that. I've seen such programs presented at wildlife refuges and nature preserves as well.

When people think of wildlife, they think of deer and eagles and bears and maybe butterflies, majestic and pretty creatures. No one thinks about snails. I always ask the rangers at the nearby wildlife refuges and nature preserves about the snails I might find there, and no one knows a darned thing about it. Snails are something to ignore, even though every preserve is literally crawling with non-native species. I probably know more about their snails than they do! And that's a sad thing! (Sad not because I know something about snails but because they are the ones who are supposed to know more than the general public about their own fauna.)

So I think it would be really cool if someone were to give talks about snails and help people understand the role they play in the ecosystem and why non-native species can be a problem and other stuff.

Anyway, WRT your tank, I think it could probably hold up to 20 adults the size of Cepaea or Otala. I have 25 7-week-old Otalas available. If you know how many you'd like, PM me with the details or any questions.