Dear Ross,
   Please be careful about moving live snails around the world. We have seen
too many instances of introduced snails wreaking havoc with local
ecosystems. If you do get an exotic snail for your friend please impress on
him and his daughter that they must NEVER release it (except maybe back
where it came from). If they become tired of the snail, they must kill it or
give it to someone else to care for. It sounds harsh, but if released, the
snail could ultimately do terrible damage.
   By the way, the US Fish and Wildlife folks are actually there to help
protect us! I know it is inconvenient when they ask us at the airport to
search our bags, or to see the proper paperwork. But they are really trying
to protect us from invading species that have the potential to do terrible
environmental and economic damage.
   Best wishes,   -Tim-

Timothy A. Pearce, Ph.D., Curator of Mollusks
Delaware Museum of Natural History
Box 3937, 4840 Kennett Pike        302-658-9111 x319
Wilmington, DE 19807-0937, USA    [log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: Ross Mayhew [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 1999 9:50 PM
Subject: Live USA Tree-Snails Wanted!!

I have received a request from a parent who wants to replace his
daughter's tree-snail, which died recently (and is missed!!).  They live
in Massachussets, so at this time of year, they can't just go out to the
garden!!  Can anyone help out in this matter (i would trade for them)?
They should be a "reasonable" size for a small child to enjoy.
-Ross of the Neglected Micros (and Micro postings!!)

P.S.: How does one ship tree-snails anyway?  How long could they live
without water?