LARGE apple snails

Lonna

Lonna

AC Members
Jan 1, 2007
24
0
0
Williamsport, Pa
HI ALL!!! Quick question........A long time ago I purchased some very large apple snails for my pond. (not the mystery snails) Sadly I thought they were similiar to the trap doors and left them outside over winter here in PA.
Here is the ????? I have been looking to purchase a couple and have found they are no longer allowed on e-bay. Or to sell across borders???? Why?
Is it still possible to purchase them from someone in my state that are raising them? If so, does anyone have some they would be interested in selling? I had a blast watching the little guys when I had them. They make great additions to the pond. They are so bright and so much bigger... making the snails easier to see in the pond.
THANKS for your time! :hi:
Lonna
 
Yes they are still available for purchase within your home state, however they are illegal to ship because they are VORACIOUS plant eaters and you may have a tough time getting someone to sell them to one for an outside pond (fear or them getting into public waterways) I would suggest contacting MsJinkzd she is in Pa. and may have some of what you are looking for.
 
Thanks petluvr........ My pond is a liner in the middle of my yard. ;o) I have a twenty gal tank to put a few into when fall arrives. Thank you again for the input!
 
wait apple snails or illegal to sell!! out side of your state!!!!!! i didnt know this!!! i have 3 of them in my 10 gallon i was thinking about selling them am i not aloud to ship them out to people then!?
 
smartdog126 said:
wait apple snails or illegal to sell!! out side of your state!!!!!! i didnt know this!!! i have 3 of them in my 10 gallon i was thinking about selling them am i not aloud to ship them out to people then!?
Click to expand...
No the "mystery" apple snails or pomacea diffusa/bridgesii are not illegal to ship, haustrums and canas, yes.
 
The USDA has recently been reviewing their regulations and has begun a major crackdown on breeders and hobbyists selling snails for interstate movement. You may notice that while just a year or two back, canas and haustrums were common on aquabid and ebay, it is impossible to find them now. A few well-known breeders have been fined and had snails confiscated as a result of the crackdown, too.

As it stands now, P. bridgesii/diffusa is fine for interstate shipment and no longer needs a permit, since they are not live plant-eaters. However, the larger species such as P. paludosa, P. haustrum and P. canaliculata are banned for interstate movement - shipping or driving, it doesn't matter. If you are caught moving or shipping snails over state borders you are also subject to fines and snail confiscation. The USDA is trying to prevent the spread of aquatic pest species, especially with the recent problems with New Zealand mudsnails, quagga mussels, etc. Canas and their plant-eating relatives are known to go after rice crops and other aquatic or semi-aquatic crops and can devastate farms.

If you own any of these species, it is still legal to pass them on to other hobbyists within your state.
 
I completely understand the reasoning behind it. Thank you for explaining.......I mean it does make sense. But it seems like a similar story to the water hyacinth. I live in the center of PA. The hyacinths die off here every year when the frost comes. The poor snails do the same thing. Trust me, I know. Hence the reason I am searching for them again. lol I wonder if they do damage (to support this ban) over our summer season??? Maybe it is just easier to ban them from all states instead of just a few Southern states where they survive the winters. Thanks again for all of the info. Anyone in PA have a couple they want to sell? :o)
 
You're right, Lonna, that most snails do die over the winter. However, in the deeper ponds some snails will survive and with such a high rate of growth and reproduction, even one pair of snails can produce enough of a population to devastate crops. For example, my canas regularly produce 5 clutches a week when I provide ample food and the tank temperature stays high. Clutches hatch in 10-14 days, and the young can grow to breeding size within only a few months! So in states with long summers like California or the warmer Southern states, just one pair of canas could be devastating. This is the scenario the USDA is trying to prevent with their ban.

It is similar to the hyacinth story. Unfortunately, as with hyacinths, it seems that with better knowledge of the different species, the USDA and hobbyists might not be at odds. Haustrums, for example, could be devastating except they do not begin reproducing until around 2 years of age, much later than most Pomacea species. Clutches seem to have a low fertility rate, and my snails, at least, lay only a clutch or two per month. So haustrums might be less of a risk to farmers. The problem is that all these snails are difficult to tell apart as youngsters and the USDA does not have the resources to train staff or conduct investigations. It is easier for them to ban all snails, then lift the ban only for the least risky species.
 
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