Call me crazy, but I love snails. I’ve kept various types of snails as pets throughout my life, and currently keep small groups of aquatic pink ramshorn snails as well as garden snails (Cornu aspersum). It’s generally pretty easy to find aquatic snails for sale within the aquarium hobby. Have you ever tried looking for pet land snails within the United States and wondered why they are nearly impossible to find? Is it even legal to keep land snails as pets in the US?
The Legal Status Of Pet Land Snails Within The US
Many people, myself included, think that snails can make interesting pets. In other countries, outside of the United States, snails seem to be more commonly kept as pets. They are even, so I am told, sometimes available to purchase at pet stores. Unless you’re looking for aquatic snails, which can often be found for sale in US pet stores, snails don’t seem as commonly available throughout the US. And that might be for a very good reason. Depending on what type of snails you’re talking about, the legality of pet snails can be somewhat of a gray area. In many instances, land snails are not necessarily illegal to keep. They are, however, commonly illegal to transport, which can make obtaining pet snails legally more of a challenge. Here is a list of some of the more commonly kept snail species and their current legal status within the US.
Aquatic Snails
Aquatic species of snails are the easiest to obtain within the United States since, as I mentioned above, they are often available for sale in pet stores. But that doesen’t mean that all aquatic snails are fair game. According the the USDA “aquatic snails in the family Ampullaridae ( e.g., Pomacea canaliculata, channeled apple snail), with one exception, may not be imported or moved interstate except for research purposes into an APHIS inspected containment facility.” However Pomacea diffusa (formerely bridgesii), more commonly known as “mystery snails” are legal to transport without a permit.
I have been unable to find a list of other species of permitted aquatic snails. I think it’s generally safe to say that aquatic snails common in the pet trade, such as ramshorn snails, nerite snails, pond (bladder) snails, assassin snails, trapdoor snails, trumpet snails (rabbit snails) are legal, since these species are commonly found for sale in aquarium/pet stores. If anyone has any evidence otherwise, please contact me and I will update this post!
When it comes to snails, using their common names can sometimes muddy the waters. For example ramshorn snails (Planorbis sp.) are a popular aquarium staple that are often found for sale in pet stores. Columbian ramshorn, sometimes called Columbian giant ramshorn (Marisa cornuarietis) are banned from being transported throughout the US.
This is a list of aquatic snail species that, as of the time of writing this post, I was able to find bans/regulations on. These species cannot be legally transported over state lines.
- Zebra apple snails (Asolene spixi)
- Columbian ramshorn snails (Marisa cornuarietis)
- Florida apple snails (Pomacea paludosa)
- Channeled apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata)
- Other species in the “apple” snail family including (Pomacea haustrum) and (Pomacea insularum)
Giant African Land Snails (GALS)
I know, I know, it sucks. GALS are awesome. However, giant African land snails are completely illegal within the United States. It is illegal to import them into the United States, as well as illegal to transport them within the US. The USDA considers this species to pose a significant risk to US agriculture as well as to human health.
The USDA takes the ban on this species seriously! Since 2011 they have allocated between $2 million and $3 million annually to eradicate this species from Florida, where invasive populations have been established.
Smaller Species of Land Snails
Ok, so giant African land snails are out. What’s a person to do if they want to keep a pet land snail? Are the more common, smaller species legal to keep as pets?
Well…it’s a bit of a gray area. Commonly kept, smaller species of land snails, such as garden snails (Cornu aspersum) are not explicitly illegal to keep as pets. They are, however, illegal to transport over state lines. Basically any type of snail that eats plants is considered to be an agricultural pest. Because of this, their movement throughout the country is strictly regulated. The USDA reports that a PPQ 526 plant pest permit is required to transport any types of mollusks (including snails) that consume plants or plant products.
The permits are not commonly given out, and are mostly done so for snails and slugs being transported for research or educational purposes only. Even when it comes to using snails for educational purposes, the species allowed (if any) may depend on what state you live in. Be sure to always check your local state regulations before adding a new species of exotic pet to your critter family. Sometimes individual states, or even areas within states, will ban species that are not otherwise banned federally.
If Land Snails Are Illegal to Transport, How Do People Keep Them as Pets?
Are there ways to obtain land snails (other than GALS) legally within the US? Well, they can’t be legally transported over state lines. If you’re really serious about keeping snails your best bet is to find a way to obtain them legally. Basically, you need to find land snails within your state. This can mean either finding them in the wild, or finding a seller or fellow enthusiast within your state who has available snails.
Please Keep Snails Responsibly
No matter how adorable you may think they are (cute little aliens!), snails have earned their classification as agricultural pests. They breed faster than rabbits. Really, the saying should be ‘breed like snails’ because rabbits have nothin’ on snails! They are destructive to crops, and can carry parasites that can impact humans. If you’re thinking of keeping snails as pets, it’s really important to think about what keeping them responsibly will mean.
Snails kept in captivity for any amount of time should never be released into the wild. Keeping snails as pets means regularly checking for and culling eggs, because babies born in captivity should never, under any circumstances, be released into the wild, even if the snail species you keep is native to your area.
If you move at any time after taking in snails, it’s illegal to bring your pet snails with you if you cross state lines. It’s illegal to ship snails anywhere outside of your state. I know people do it, but that doesn’t make it right. They’re risking fines and the snails they ship will be destroyed if they get caught. If you ever need to find new homes for your snails or their offspring, the only legal way to do it is to find someone within your state to take them.
Are Pet Snails “Worth It”?
Snails can make interesting pets. However, mostly do to their legal status within the US they should not be a pet you take in without putting a lot of through into your decision. Well, lets be honest, the decision to get a new pet should never be taken lightly. But snails especially come with some unique legal issues that can not only sometimes make them hard to obtain in the first place, but also potentially hard to rehome if you ever need to. You HAVE to be ready to take on the responsibility of owning snails, and that will mean doing things you might not enjoy such as regularly culling eggs. Your desire to keep snails is not more important than your state’s agriculture, or your local environment or laws. It bares repeating, snails in captivity for any amount of time should never be released into the wild!
If you really want to keep pet snails but are frustrated with the issues surrounding land snails, you can consider some of the perfectly legal aquatic snail species instead. It might mean learning new skills, such as how to cycle an aquarium. But, in my experience, keeping aquatic snails is just as rewarding as land snails. They are much easier to find for sale. Plus, a lot of the legal aquatic snail species tend to come in more interesting colors compared to your typical, plainly colored land snails.
Do you have pet snails? Are you here because you’re thinking of getting pet snails? Be sure to check back in, because I do have more snail posts planned for the future! You can click here to see a list of all my current snail content, including articles on both land and aquatic snails.
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