Giant Snails

[cathyuhu]

Hi all,

bit of an odd one but sure someone will know.....does anyone know where we stand with having giant land snails in the classroom (in a tank obviously, not roaming free!) I remember hearing that they carried salmonella so children shouldnt handle them...Any thoughts ??

Catherine xx

[hali]

ohh sorry dont know but surley if they are in a tqnk it dosnt matter if you keep kiddies away from them.....

[Guest]

i hadn't heard that - we ahve them in our nursery & i know of at least 2 other schools locally which have them (in rec & nursery) too. The chdn don't handle them but do enjoy feeding (or should i say throwing the cucumber into the tank & then watching the snails eat!. !!! Will be interested to see what the response to that question is like - we recently had ofsted in & the inspector commented on the snails but in a positive way!

[Inge]

we hads nails brought in when the zoo visited they allowed the children to hold them on thier hands and touch them under supervision, only requirement was that they then provided hand gel for all children to apply after holding those lovely creatures! ( snails not my thing, give me spiders any day)

 

Inge

 

should read had snails (nails?)

 

Inge

[narnia]

I'd agree with that..........one of my daughters has kept them foryears without problems and has brought them into the group for the children to see and handle.The children always scrub their hands afterwards, so there shouldn't be any risk to their health.

[cathyuhu]

Thanks for your replies, if its good enough for the OI's (ofsted inspectors!) its good enough for me . . A tank full will soon be setting up home in my classroom !

Catherine xxx

[Guest]

I think the risk would be the same as looking at snails in the garden, as already said washing hands after touching should be enough. We too have been offered snails to hold at The London Butterfly House.

[Rea]

Be careful Catherine, they are both sexes (dont know the official word) so you have to look out for eggs. I've been told they look like small cauliflower florets but cant confirm this. Scoop out the soil and change it every so often.

I also had a visit from the zoo people who were happy to let the children handle them with hands being washed afterwards.

[Guest]

They can lay about 200 eggs at a time about once a month when the weather is warm enough, so that's excellent advice, Rea! There's a company that used to take the eggs if you posted them. I think it was called Small Life Supplies or something like that.

 

They hibernate if not kept warm enough & can die, so if you haven't got ideal conditions you might need to think about something like a heat mat over the winter.

[cathyuhu]

hermaphrodite i think thats the term(not sure thats the spelling tho !) .....well anyone wanting any in a few weeks you'll know who to ask...thanks for the advice!

Catherine xxx

[Beau]

You might find this leaflet of interest.

[Guest]

We have giant land snails in our Reception classroom, they are great and the kids love them. They are unlikely to have salmonella if you get them from a good supplier. The children just need to wash their hands carefully if they handle them, just to be on the safe side. The eggs need to go into the freezer for a few days to prevent them from hatching as you have to be very careful you don't release any in to the environment. They are excellent predators and eat anything, breeding very fast, so extremely important that you don't bin the eggs without freezing first. Evidently they are banned in North america because they have become such a menace in the wild, eating everyone's gardens!! We love ours though!!!!!!!

Kellsa

[cathyuhu]

Thanks for all the info, hope my children will enjoy them as much as yours do Kellsa!

Catherine xxx