Giant African snails rescued by RSPCA after being found abandoned in Firth Park, Sheffield

The RSPCA has issued advice on exotic pet ownership after giant snails originating from Sub-Saharan Africa were found abandoned in Sheffield.
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The eight giant African land snails, whose normal habitat is the tropical wetlands and forests of sub-Saharan Africa, were found abandoned in bushes in the Firth Park area of Sheffield by a member of the public.

These snails are allowed to be kept as indoor pets in the UK in a warm environment. However, in many countries they are considered an invasive species as they have a huge appetite for plants and cause widespread damage to crops.

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Giant African Land Snails under specialist care after being found in Sheffield by a member of the public.Giant African Land Snails under specialist care after being found in Sheffield by a member of the public.
Giant African Land Snails under specialist care after being found in Sheffield by a member of the public.
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After they were found by a member of the public, RSPCA inspector Ben Cottle-Shaw collected the African snails from the finder’s home and sent them to a specialist exotic animal centre.

The snails are said to be lucky to be alive as they require a humid living environment with a maintained temperature at over 20 degrees celsius.

Now in the care of specialist keepers in Ossett, they will be rehomed to new owners who are vetted to ensure they understand the snails’ very specific needs.

These giant African land snails can often grow to shell sizes of 18cm by 9cm, with some known to reach 30cm by 15cm. The snails found in Sheffield were smaller examples, with their shells being up to 5cm wide.

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Ben Cottle-Shaw, RSPCA inspector, said: “The lady who found the snails had them in a storage box. It was quite an unusual find. In fact, I’ve only ever fielded calls about them on three occasions previously and this is the first time I’ve come across them being abandoned.

"As with all pets, it’s really important that anyone thinking of taking on a giant snail is aware of what is involved in taking care of them before they bring one home.

“These African snails are hermaphrodites, meaning they are not sex specific and thus their potential to multiply can be problematic even in a controlled environment.

"They breed very easily and two snails can turn to 20 quite quickly,” said the inspector. “I collected them (on Sunday, March 13) and they were observed laying eggs at Reptilia, which they would have already been carrying.

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“As they are not sex specific you can have any two snails together and they breed.

“People can end up with lots of them. So they do need to do their research, using expert sources, before taking on ownership.

“They can be kept in a terrarium, a glass box with soil under humid conditions, and they can live for up to 10 years.

“Because they’re not native to the UK, it’s also illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release these snails, or their eggs, into the wild.”

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The RSPCA says that anyone taking ownership of exotic pets in the UK must undertake thorough research on the species’ needs such as living conditions.

The charity looking for anyone with information on who dumped the snails in Sheffield, and anyone with information is asked to contact the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018.

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