Giant African Land Snails

Giant African land snails (GALS) are large, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs, belonging to the Family Achatinidae and Genus Achatina. The most commonly seen species is the East African land snail, Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica. The West African land snail (Banana Rasp snail or ‘Margie’), Archachatina (Calachatina) marginata, and the Tiger snail, or giant Ghana snail, Achatina achatina are also relatively common pets. The African land snail is considered to be a significant invasive species around the world, and it is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) to release captive animals into the wild in the UK. A. fulica and A. marginata require an environment with temperatures of 25–26 °C during the daytime and 21–23 °C at night, to maintain optimum growth. For clinical evaluation, this chapter includes history-taking and clinical examination.