| The Snail Pages please do not reproduce any of the material you find on this site without first requesting my permission. To ask me about reproducing the material found here please email me. Click here to find out how to care for Giant African Landsnails Click here for Achatina fulica Click here for Achatina immaculata Click here for the South African Pale Landsnail. Click here for Achatina albopicta Click here for Achatina iradeli Click here for Achatina smithii Click here for Achatina achatina (The Giant Ghana Tiger snail) --coming soon-- Achatina reticulata, Achatina panthera, Achatina marginata. *watch this space* Click here for some more info on Giant African Landsnails and some amusing snippets about my pet snails and their funny habits Click here for my research and notes on snail diseases and mutations. Click here for my individual snail profiles Click here to go to the British Snails page Click here to go to the Photo Gallery to see more pictures of my snails. **Scroll Down for more on the Giant African Landsnails** Return to the Main Contents |
My African snails are mostly Achatina Fulica, which are probably the easiest to keep, as they are the least fussy. Achatina Achatina and Achatina Marginata are the other two species most likely to be found kept as pets. Of these three species, fulica is the smallest, but can still measure up to a whopping 20 centimetres in a healthy fully grown adult. London Zoo tells me that Achatina achatina, believed to be one of the largest snails on earth, can grow up to 30 centimetres long! I also keep Achatina immaculata, Achatina smithii, Achatina iradeli, Achatina albopicta and an unidentified Pale South African snail which I believe could be closely related to Metachina kraussi, another true monster snail, growing at least as big as Achatina achatina, possibly bigger. My Pale snail is still juvenile, so identification is still difficult. I have another unidentified snail also. My latest addition is an adult Achatina achatina. He measures 15cm so far and is still growing fast. |
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| Why Snails? I've always had an interest in snails. They have such beautiful patterns on their shells for a start, each one seems to be a work of art in its own right. Also because they tend to move slowly, they seems to look at the world in a bemused, wondering sort of way which really appeals to me. They enjoy sitting on your hand or arm and surveying the world, and even like being stroked when they become tame enough. Giant African snails are also cool simply because they get so big. There is an element of the "freakish" about them that intrigues me. As pets they are relativley easy to keep: once the right conditions for them have been established it is simply a matter of feeding, misting with water, and occasionally cleaning out the tank. Of course you can make as much or as little of your snails as you wish, - while they are perfectly content to be handled and petted they are equally happy left to their own devices in the tank. Unlike cats and dogs snails never develop an emotional attachment to the owner (though I'm sure most owners will agree with me that the owner does however feel attached to the snail...) This means that when you are too busy or too tired to give them much attention you are certainly not neglecting them. They are perfect therefore for young professionals, students, busy parents and so on. They also make good childrens pets. Being able to retract into their shell means that they avoid getting damaged by eager little hands, and, under supervision, children will find snails a fascinating, rewarding and educational pet. They also have longer lifespans than mice and hamsters and therefore the child is able to enjoy his/her pet for longer. There are at least a hundred species of African Landsnail. This site can not possibly cover all of them. The most commonly kept African snails in this country are Achatina fulica, Achatina achatina and Achatina marginata. I hope one day to extend the site to cover all three of these species. Meanwhile on these pages you will find information on general snail care, some of my research into the diseases and ailments of snails, comprehensive details on Achatina fulicia (which is the snail you are most likely to find in a pet shop) and some information on some of my less common specimins. Please see the menu above for these pages. Please contact me with any queries, questions, comments or criticisms. From time to time I may have African snails up for rehoming. You will need to live within the U.K., and be willing to pay postage for fulicias, or postage plus a �1 handling and packing charge per snail for other species. I am restricted by the rules of Geocities and so cannot sell from the site, so please email to enquire if you are interested in obtaining a snail. It makes sense to get snails in this way as you will often find yourself paying upwards of �7 per snail in petshops. |
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