Snail Question (1 Viewer)

[mickbe74]

Hi All,i wonder if anyone could help me,my 2 and a half year old daughter has become very interested in snails,she was previously very interested in fish so i bought her a tank and some goldfish which she soon forgot all about,they died(fin rot i think),she hasn't even noticed the tank hasn't got any fish in it,i like to pander to my daughters little whims and wonder if i could take a couple of snails out of the garden(there are plenty)and put them in her tank,would this be cruel,are there any dangers from wild snails to children(parasite's etc),i know i could buy some of these African giant snails from the pet shop but i'm pretty sure she will get bored of them and i'll be stuck with them and garden snails i can just let go.Sorry if this sound selfish but i like to encourage my childrens interest in wildlife but want to do the right thing,any advice would be appreciated,i have no knowledge of snails apart from they like the dark,damp and lettuce.
Thankyou
Michael

 

[Imaginos]

I think a couple of garden snails is a much better idea than the African Land Snails. Some soil in the bottom of the tank, a couple of slates to hide under and (important) a lid should be all you need. Lettuce & other kitchen scraps may suffice, they do like chicken feed as well.

Enjoy!

 

[Canet Kate]

I had a young 15 year old girl staying with me and she was quite happy for a snail to sit on her hand and treated it just like a pet - talking to it and taking a great interest. The snail seemed at ease an did not retreat into its shell but even started eating greenery that was offered to it. Maybe jut finding the odd garden snail and encouraging your little girls interest in it would be fine. Personally I had a different experience as a child when somebody threw snails at me and I was quite scared of them. I think it is wonderful to see the interest on a small child's face.