i dont know if anyone has heard this, but a couple months back we heard little tidbits at work, but the other day we got an official letter saying that the USDA has banned the sale of all snails because of damage to rice crops, but the common aquarium snail, the mystery snail, does not do damage to the crops, but the ban is inclusive of these types of snails too, its going to take 2-3 months to get the ban of the mystery snails lifted.

I've not heard of this. The pond and aquarium stores are still selling snails. Do they even know? The snails only do damage if some Nincompoop releases them but I guess they're easy to find (the people, not snails). Many of the snails sold are native snails so you wouldn't think they would be included in a ban. The trapdoor snails are from Japan but they don't even eat rice! I would think some apple/mystery snails would but it's too hard to tell the species apart.

i think they can finish selling their supplies, but wont be able to recieve any more snails. thats the only bad thing about banning something.... they ban everything and have to spend time fixing it, instead of getting it right first.

Can you find the information on the ban of the USDA site? I have slow dial-up at home. I tried some searches but couldn't find it. I found that Giant African snails are banned but not information on others. I'm sure there must be a press release in there somewhere. Thanks.

http://www.ekkwill.com/usaqsnailban.html

APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Department of
> Agriculture) has visited the major Florida Fish farms and advised them
> that they could no longer ship ANY aquatic live snails across state lines
> for at least the next 8 weeks or until permits are issued ( if they ever
> are). Now violation of this requirement could mean a $10,000 fine and up
> to 5 years in prison for EACH occurrence! Of course the primary snail for
> water gardening is the trapdoor snail...it is for now illegal to ship
> state to state! Also part two looks like it could effect anyone who ships
> plants that are not APHIS inspected.
> > Here is the Summary from the US Federal Register: ( Vol. 71, no 65, 7 CFR
> Part 330 pages 16973 - 16975)
> > SUMMARY: This document gives notice that we intend to begin consistently
> and routinely requiring that a permit must accompany all aquatic snails
> that are imported into the United States or that are moving interstate. We
> also intend to consistently require that shipments of aquatic snails, as
> with all other plant pests imported under permit, be subject to inspection
> and to begin routinely and consistently inspecting shipments of aquatic
> supplies or plants that may contain aquatic snails. This action is
> necessary in order to prevent the importation or interstate movement of
> certain species of aquatic snails which, if released into the environment,
> can become destructive agricultural pests.


i am going to see if i can find something on the usda's website and i will try and get the info from work as well.

Thanks. I hardly think trapdoor snails are a menace to society or agriculture! I can barely keep mine alive since raccoons love to eat them.

As far as apple snails go, they would only be a problem in warm states in the south. They die over winter in most of the US anyway so they can't become pests for more than one season. It reminds me of the ban on African pygmy hedgehogs in PA. They say you can't have them there because they're an invasive species that might harm native wildlife. They seem to forget that they cannot survive the winter in PA since, like the apple snails, they're tropical! My little girl hedgehog has to have a heating pad.