Giant African Land Snails - a good pet?

[strawberrypenguin]

Does anyone have Giant AfricanLand Snails? Thinking of possibly getting 6yo DS a pet (cage and a book on how to look after for Christmas with actual pet once he knows how to look after them)
I’d like a pet he can do most of the looking after himself with some help from us.
Do Giant African Land Snails make a good pet? I’d only get 1 as I don’t want them to breed!

[2014newme]

They don't do anything so are not very rewarding. Boring after 10 minutes

[strawberrypenguin]

I was wondering about that! I think DS might like the fact he has his ‘own’ pet though. So hopefully that would make it a bit more interesting!

[Alittlepotofrosie]

Id get something more lively. Giant millipedes? Very easy to look after and you can handle them.

[Dottie39]

I might be very wrong but I'm sure I read somewhere that they carry the meningitis virus...

[strawberrypenguin]

Very unlikely if they are captive bread that they would have the virus that could cause meningitis (and you’d need to eat them to contract the virus if they did which I don’t plan on doing!)
If they’re going to be boring I might have to have a re-think. Rats are on my list too but I’m worried about them being too noisy (cage would be in DS room)

[KnockMeDown]

I think that 6 is too young to take on the ownership and responsibility for any pet, so you should get something that you will be prepared to look after. If DS helps great, but if he loses interest the pet will be yours / family pet.

[2014newme]

Rata stink

[Floralnomad]

Rats are great but not for a childs bedroom . We had snails and they were pretty boring . Also only having one doesn't guarantee no eggs / babies as they can self fertilise .

[RatRolyPoly]

They are SO NOISY.

Honestly you wouldn't think it but they will keep you up ALL NIGHT, no jokes. My caps are completely justified.

Because they're kept in a tank you get the constant "thunk thunk thunk" of their shells hitting the tank walls every time they're on the move!

Giant stick insects?

Rats are amazing, best pets ever, but way more of a commitment than snails or stick insects.

[Alittlepotofrosie]

Rats are quite noisy and i wouldn't get them for a 6 yo. Maybe an 8 or 9yo.

[strawberrypenguin]

Yeah I’ve had rats before I know how noisy they can be! That’s why I was considering a quieter option. Not sure about stick insects they’re a bit spidery looking for me!

[strawberrypenguin]

No worries about that knock I fully expect to be involved but I’d like him to be able to take a bit of responsibility himself too. I’ve always had various pets and would never get anything I wasn’t prepared to look after - hence the no stick insects!

[noitsachicken]

Snails live for a long time as well!, 10 years +

Stick insects are a good option, interesting, easy to look after and handle, don't live for that long.

[Reppin]

Most boring pet in the world and they live foreeeeeever.

[Henrythehoover]

Snails are boring and you end up having to dispose of the eggs constantly as they need to be destroyed unless you want 100s of the things. They also smell gross.

[RatRolyPoly]

Seriously, in my experience snails are just as noisy as rats!

[strawberrypenguin]

Hmm maybe not Snails then. Thought I’d found a good option there but it seems not!

If anyone’s got any other ideas I’m willing to be persuaded!

[ApocalypseNowt]

We've got snails and we love them!

They are not noisy in the slightest (well mine aren't). DD1 loves them and still likes feeding them and cleaning their tank (we've had them approx 18 months).

I love watching their slow movements. They have cute bunny faces and I find them very zen.

DD also likes picking them up. They will rasp your hand like a cat sometimes. All her friends think they are fab too and like to have a hold.

Snails are a great pet. Low cost, low maintenance and a welcome addition to any household.

[strawberrypenguin]

That’s good to know Apocalypse that’s the sort of thing I was hoping would happen if he got them. I need to look at a few other options too I’m not convinced either way yet!

[MeganChips]

I don't have any because I don't want any pets at all but I have considered these, I love them!

Apparently they eat your leg hair if you let them crawl on your legs. I have no idea if that's actually true.

[Alittlepotofrosie]

Some sort of lizard? Leopard geckos? Really easy to look after once you've got the set up. If you don't mind live food that is. I dont think id like crickets in my house.

[tigerdriverII]

Nothing compares to cats

[PamDooveOrangeJoof]

They eat your leg hair if you let them crawl on your legs? 🤢
Wtf?!
This thread has made me very grateful for our lovely cats.

[WhatKatyDidnt]

Snails?! Rats?! What???

[strawberrypenguin]

Are they alittlepot that’s interesting. We’ve never had reptiles before but I wouldn’t mind feeding crickets to them. I’ll have an investigate!

We already have a lovely cat