Mystery snails banned?!

[goldenchld24]

Hi, I just went to get a mystery snail from my LFS and they said the mystery snail was banned everywhere for a period of time because it was accidentally shipped to the U.S with an illegal snail? LOL Anyone else heard of this? (I'm in CO by the way)

 

[Native American]

Sometimes desireable snails (like the mystery snails) are shipped with hitch-hikers like certain species of apple snails. Some of these can cause economic damage if released into the wild (or into a farming area) by a careless aquarist. This happens more often than we'd like to think possible.

Sounds like some U.S. irrigation-intensive crops are taking a beating (or an eating) from some species of apple snail, and lo and behold, the latest new restriction on our hobby.

v/r, N-A

 

[Toirtis]

Nah, its just that Florida, where 99% of the mystery snails are produced, decided to require all out of state exporters of snails to have new permits, which took several weeks to get into place....during which no snails could be shipped out. Permits are now in place, and the snails can be shipped.

As far as 'bad' apple snails go, P. caniculata, the 'salton sea snail', which is a voracious herbivore is actually a pest other places (such as South American and Asia) where it has been introduced and is doing terrible damage to rice crops in particular.

 

[onepawnup]

Ive been trying to buy some for a few weeks and was finally told they were banned as well
Im in texas

 

[Candycat21]

Yea, I work at petsmart and as of now we still cannot order any mystery snails because of the banning/import/export issues. It's been about a month and a half now since we've had them, so hopefully we'll see some here in a few weeks.

 

[Chickieepooh2u]

Ah well.... I didn't much care for them anyhow, they kept "mowing" down all my plants.

 

[Toirtis]

Ah well.... I didn't much care for them anyhow, they kept "mowing" down all my plants.

Then they were not proper 'mystery' snails, which are Pomacea bridgesii, which do not eat healthy plants....several other Pomacea species will, however.

Never fear....the first of the snail shipments went out about two weeks ago...I suspect that just now they are attempting to keep up with increased demand, which likely means that many orders are not able to be filled just yet.

 

[Candycat21]

Yea you're right about the shipments...for petsmart, we most likely won't be seeing the mystery snails for another 2 months or so is what we've been told :hang: