To not want DS to have 'pet' snails?

[worriedwinfred]

DH brought home a tank from his brothers yesterday with 3 garden snails in.
DS has fallen in love with said tank and snails.
I think they are dirty, Will start to smell and are not a pet.
I'm being told I'm mean but AIBU to set them free and get rid?

theorchidwhisperer, love that!

Fuss over nothing.

For decades kids have been playing with, so handling with bare hands, and frequently making garden snails pets.

They are some of the best pets for children around 6 because if the child doesn't take care of them you can return them to the garden.

Dd2 has 2 "pet" snails (outdoors due to cats) she calls them Toby and Rosie (I have no idea how you know male/female but apparently Rosie is the smaller of the 2) She has made them a wee area in the garden and they seem quite content.
I don't mind them when they come in to visit but I really can't have slugs at all

We always have pet snails on the go. I usually keep them a couple of weeks and we then let them go! They love cucumber. We draw chalk race tracks in the garden for snail racing. I loved snails as a child and was always handling them with no ill effects. I don't think they carry diseases but they can cause lungworm in dogs but our dogs don't go near them. Great pet for my 4 year old...

Oh my god they are fucking HUGE!!! Had no idea you could get snails that big - they're not much smaller than my 🐰!

I'm 43 and have garden snails in a "snail house" - just for myself. I "wintered" them in soil with some cat food in a shed, and they all survived. I clean the box they live in, put fresh lettuce and cabbage leaves. Saw even a couple of them mating. I will release some of the snails somewhere in the woods and keep the number to 2-3. I felt a bit bad about keeping them in captivity but they seem to eat and shit and I tell myself that they are probably reasonably ok.