Interesting! When you mail them, I assume you put no water in the bags? Just
damp paper towels and plants?

Yes. The same way I mail plants, really. They don't need to be underwater,
they just need to be damp.

Do you blow air into the bags as well? IE. Is
it a blown up bag, no water, snails, and padded with wet paper towels?

No. I don't want the snails bouncing around. It can crack their shells.
(Ditto plants. You don't want them bouncing around, so it's best to press all
the air out of the plastic bags.)

But I usually don't use plastic bags if I'm only mailing snails. If I'm
sending someone snails and plants, I'll put them all in one big plastic garbage
bag and seal it up, because there will be enough air in it for the snails. But
if I'm just sending snails, I don't put them in a plastic bag. I don't want
them to suffocate.

Instead, I wrap them with plant clippings in damp paper towels and put them in
an empty margarine container or something like that. I'll punch holes in the
lid for air, then pack it into a small box with dry newspaper for padding.
Tight enough so they can't bounce around. As long the paper towels are just
damp, not wet, it won't leak.

Even better are those plastic "clamshell" video or DVD boxes. When the local
grocery store stopped renting movies, they gave away all their plastic boxes,
and I grabbed a bunch. They are perfect for mailing a few snails. They are
strong enough to protect the snails, hold up to dampness, but not air-tight.
Put the snails in, wrapped in damp paper towels, then just put the box in a
padded envelope and mail.

Also, do
you stop feeding the snails at all a day or two before to clean their
intestines out some (like they do to ship fish?).

Nah, there's no need. Since they aren't in water, they can't poison themselves
like fish can. Heck, I feed them in transit...with the plant clippings.
Recepients report that when they open the package, they find the snails are
diligently scraping algae off the plants.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/