How to grow giant Achatina at home. How to care for snails at home

Cats and dogs are no longer surprising; people want to have more exotic animals at home. But if not everyone can afford a tiger cub or a raccoon, then almost everyone can afford insects or mollusks. Lovers of domestic animals will like snails. In this article we will talk about them, write what snails eat and how to care for them.

Achatina - land snails

This is a giant gastropod that lives in large quantities in areas with a tropical climate: Africa, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka and is an active pest of agricultural land there.

Mollusks mercilessly destroy crops of green spaces and sugar cane, for which they are included in the list of the most dangerous species.

Currently, thanks to active control, their reproduction and spread has been practically stopped. But not everyone loves Achatina so much, in European countries and in Russia they are treated differently, not only are they not destroyed, these amazing animals are bred as pets.

And they are truly amazing, which is why they have taken root in our country. In appearance, the snail is similar to those familiar to us, but its size is amazing; the length of the shell of some individuals is more than 20 centimeters.

In addition, it has been proven that Achatina has long-term memory. They remember the location of food sources and return to them if necessary, and if you move it to another point within 30 meters, it will return back. For such an animal these are amazing abilities that arouse interest.

What do street snails eat?

So, you have decided to get yourself a snail as a pet. It’s not always easy to get Achatina; it’s easier to find ordinary ones on the street. Therefore, here we will write what those that are found in the grass in the forest or in other places feed on.

Usually this plant foods that grow in their habitat:

Tree bark (some species prefer rotten);
Horse sorrel;
Strawberry leaves and berries;
Nettle;
Dandelions;
Plantain;
Cabbage.

There are species that feed on insects and carrion. In general, they have no problems with food. Any plants with soft leaves and stems or fruits are suitable for food. This omnivorous nature is due to the speed of movement; you don’t have much choice, you just have to eat whatever comes your way.

What do snails eat at home?

At home you can feed her what we listed above. From food from your table you can give:

Spinach and celery;
Cabbage leaves;
Beans and peas;
Pumpkin;
Carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes;
Red pepper and zucchini;
Boiled potatoes;
Oatmeal.

From fruits take:

Pears;
Apples;
Plums;
Grapes and apricots;
Watermelons and melons.

Be sure to maintain the water regime, but with caution - the water should be boiled and in small quantities so that the animal does not drown. The best option is to spray the walls of the terrarium.

Stick to an evening feeding schedule as they are predominantly nocturnal creatures. In winter, you will have to feed it extremely rarely, only during the waking period. But sometimes, living at home, mollusks change their lifestyle and are as active in winter as in summer. Therefore, watch them and be guided by their behavior.

What should you not give them?

There are products that are contraindicated for feeding snails; they cannot be found in the natural environment, and they can be extremely dangerous for mollusks:

Any pickled, smoked and salted foods;
Sweet and butter products;
Pasta is too hard for them;
Raw potatoes (only boiled ones will do);
Anything that contains food additives and spices;
Ready-made food for cats and dogs;
Pork and lamb are too fatty.

Toddlers need calcium to strengthen their shells, but don't use school chalk or drugstore tablets. Uncooked eggshells, finely ground, cottage cheese and meat and bone meal work well.

Maintain animal hygiene, otherwise they will get sick. To do this, periodically give them a shower with a spray bottle, clean the house of mucus and change the soil. But you should not wash the snail under running tap water, it is too hard and contains chlorine. In addition, you may not be able to hold the baby and it will swim away.

What do Achatina snails eat?

If you do get a large snail, don’t worry about what to feed it - they are just as not picky.

Their favorite foods are:

Apples;
Lettuce leaves;
Cucumbers.

But don't limit them to just these foods; they need a variety of foods to stay healthy. So give them:

Almost any fruit;
Berries;
Boiled chicken or turkey;
Mushrooms;
Calcium products - cottage cheese, eggs, bone meal, fish scales.

Their diet is similar to the menu of any type of shellfish. Also, be guided by the preferences of your pets, try different products, except those on the prohibited list above.

What to do if a snail's shell breaks?

This is one of the common problems that breeders face - cracks or chips in the shell. They usually appear when a gastropod falls from the lid of the aquarium or the owner drops it on the floor. But it can be dealt with, the shell can be treated, unless of course it has completely fallen off, in which case the animal may die.

So, proceed as follows:

Carefully remove sharp pieces with nail scissors;
If large fragments fall off, glue them back using film from a raw egg, and secure on top with a band-aid;
Or plaster it carefully, but make sure that the plaster does not get on the animal’s skin;
Place the victim in another container until recovery;
Increase foods containing calcium in your diet.

After 4-5 days, if the individual is not very old, a film will form on the crack, which will harden over time and become part of the shell. From now on, be careful with your pets - try not to pick them up too much, and lay soft moss on the bottom of the house.

Clam breeders tell amazing stories about their pets, that they recognize them among strangers and even become a little tamed. If you don’t believe me, try it yourself - this is an extremely unpretentious animal that can be left for a long time and does not need to be walked. Moreover, now you know what snails eat and what they don’t and how to care for them.

Video: how the feeding process occurs

In this video, Daria Potapova will tell you what she feeds her pet snails:

If you decide to get such an unusual pet as a snail, you should familiarize yourself with their characteristics in more detail. First of all, you need to decide what type of snail you like. It is possible to breed both grape snails and African snails at home. From the point of view of aesthetics and exoticism, African ones are much more attractive. But they also practice the cultivation of grape shellfish.

It should be understood that they are grown not only for beauty, but there is also a whole business for breeding and selling shellfish. From one animal during reproduction we get about a hundred new individuals.

Achatina - giant African land snails

Achatina's natural habitat is in East Africa, but representatives of this species can also be found in many European countries. African Achatina have gained popularity as terrarium pets and are also bred for food. In many countries with warm climates, including Spain, they are serious pests of agricultural crops.

They live in places where it is warm enough, damp and there is constant access to food. They feel ideal in tropical climates.

African snails can live at home; it is not at all difficult for them to create an optimal local climate in a terrarium.

The size depends on the species - Achatina is the largest snail in the world, its shell grows up to 200 mm, and its weight can be 400-500 grams. At home, slugs also reach large sizes - adult individuals can have a carapace length from 70 to 170 mm and a width from 30 to 80 mm.

Caring for Achatina at home

These mollusks prefer warm, humid areas, especially areas around bodies of water. Terrarium
must maintain a temperature of 20-30°C and air humidity of about 80-95% (specific parameters depend on the subspecies). For more demanding species, a device for additional heating is required, for example, heating elements placed on the outside of the terrarium.

The activity of the mollusk depends on the ambient temperature, sunlight and humidity. During the cold season they are active around the clock. During the hot season, they are active mainly at night or during rain.

They can become inactive for many reasons: insufficient humidity, low temperature and disease. This Achatina is closed in the shell using a lid made of limestone.

The average lifespan of an animal is from 3 to 5 years, but there are individuals that live for 9 years.

Nutrition

How to care for snails at home? You should take their nutrition very seriously so that they receive all the elements necessary for their life. This phytophage feeds on various plant species. Achatina feels the taste of food and its diet should be varied.

What do snails eat at home?

They use fragments of various plants, as well as special additives:

beans;
pumpkin;
vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, celery and parsley, zucchini and zucchini;
fruits and berries: apples, pears, plums, bananas, blackberries, raspberries, grapes and strawberries;
watermelon, melon;
you can give her an additional boiled egg;
soaked food for dogs and cats (such additives are used once a week, not more often);
the dry mixture should consist of oatmeal, dry granulated food for rodents, dry food in the form of fish flakes, dry skim milk, wheat bran;
sometimes they eat baby cookies and baby rice porridge.

All feed must be fresh - free from rot and mold, and must be thoroughly washed. Given the fact that fruits and vegetables are often sprayed with anti-snail agents when grown, it is best to peel them before serving them to your pet.

To make cleaning the terrarium easier, it is better to put food in a bowl. Some people also give their pets a cup of water.

Achatina must be looked after carefully.

They need a continuous supply of calcium; special preparations can be purchased at pet stores. You can give the so-called calcium phosphate, food chalk - everything we feed our pets with, sprinkle with this powder.

A lack of minerals causes snails to exhibit a characteristic behavior that involves scraping and eating the top layer of shells from other animals. Subsequently, such a damaged and weakened part may burst, and as a result, pathogenic microorganisms can penetrate through the cracks or internal organs may protrude. Adults that lay eggs have an even greater demand for minerals.

What foods are not advisable to give?

You should not give Achatina parts of plants such as:

lettuce, spinach;
onions and garlic;
radish;
chicory;
cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli - due to the oxalates they contain, which, by binding calcium, can disrupt the functioning of the body, which leads to slow growth and cracking of the shell;
citrus fruits (oranges, kiwi, grapefruit).

How to properly keep snails at home - setting up a terrarium

The terrarium should allow the slug to move freely and burrow into the substrate. Its height should not exceed 40 cm, since young land animals can crawl along the top of the terrarium and sometimes fall.

The terrarium lid must be well secured due to the fact that, thanks to the surprisingly strong muscle force, it can be moved by the snails. You should not use any elements made of copper in the terrarium, since this metal reacts with mucus.

The most important element of the terrarium is the substrate - acidic peat, which can be purchased at pet stores. It must be sterilized in the oven the day before placing the animal mat. The height of the substrate layer should correspond to the height of the shells of the largest snails, because it serves them for burrowing. On average, it is about 10-15 cm. The base should be constantly moist, but not flooded; for this purpose, it is sprayed with water, preferably boiled, once a day.

To increase the walking area, you can place decorative plant roots in the terrarium. You can also add a small tradescantia to improve the appearance of your home. However, don't be surprised if the plant is eaten soon. As a decoration and a very dietary ingredient in the diet, you can buy potted grass in stores.

The terrarium cannot be placed in direct sunlight. You will not need additional lighting; only diffused daylight will be enough. If, for aesthetic reasons, you decide to add light, then it should be a low-energy fluorescent lamp, separated from the rest of the terrarium, so that the Achatina cannot get on its surface. An alternative would be lighting located outside the terrarium.

One or two pet snails?

These animals have sexual dimorphism, that is, there is no difference between the sexes. This means that each individual is both a boy and a girl. If you get two Achatina, sooner or later they will both lay eggs. The number of eggs depends on the species - from tens to hundreds of eggs from one individual. The incubation period and breeding of young animals does not cause difficulties, but you must decide how you will then support such a number of pets.

Additional facts about Achatina:

Achatina should not be released into the wild; they need care. They are not resistant to diseases carried by snails in our climate. If they are free, they will not be able to survive the winter.
Their mucus contains allantoin, a bacteriostatic substance on the basis of which drugs are produced for those suffering from asthma and tuberculosis.
Mucus also contains collagen, elastin and glycolic acid, which provide tissue regeneration and accelerate wound healing.
These are edible shellfish.
The easiest species to cultivate is Achatina Fulica. They do well at home at room temperature, eat little and grow very quickly.
In some countries, the cultivation of Achatina is prohibited because they cause huge losses in crop production.
During World War II in the tropics, Achatina provided a rapidly renewing food source for soldiers.
This pet may bite or rather scratch. However, its bite is almost invisible.
In the USA and other countries where the climate is optimal for the reproduction of mollusks of this genus in nature, their cultivation is illegal.
An animal grows throughout its life, but grows faster when young and if it has access to plenty of food.
The average movement speed is 1 mm/s.

If you decide to get an unusual pet, go for it! Perhaps snail breeding will become your favorite hobby for many years.

The Achatina snail belongs to the mollusk family Archachatinidae, which includes representatives of several genera. Achatina are similar to their relatives Archachatina, but they have a more pointed crown of the shell. Achatina is a giant prolific, it can produce 100-600 eggs at a time, which have a round shape and a white shell.

African Achatina are one of the largest land mollusks on the planet. They have large shells with a yellow-brown tint and a dark pattern. The body is brown or dark, soft and tuberous. The largest specimen weighed up to 600 grams and had a shell length of almost 40 cm.

The most common domestic Achatina is Achatina fulica. These African land molluscs are found in many tropical countries and cause damage to fruit-bearing plants. Achatina are characterized by a variegated shell pattern, the color of which depends on the diet. The color of the soft part of the body is similar to Archachatina, but the fulica has more pronounced tubercles. Achatina fulica is more common in pet stores because they are easy to keep and eat a lot of things.

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What do you need to keep a snail?

The best “house” where Achatina snails will receive care is a glass aquarium or aquaterrarium. For one adult snail, choose the tank that is as free as possible. To keep several pets at once, you will need a container of 20 liters 3. The terrarium should have a lid with holes for air circulation. The holes should not be wide so that the animal does not escape.

Keeping a large snail at home is impossible without a soil substrate. Achatina likes to sleep during the day, burying itself in a layer of soil. There is an opinion that flower soil containing peat will be useful. But land with a high peat content creates life in an acidic environment, which is harmful to animals. The ground covering must be moistened once a day with water from a spray bottle, otherwise the snails themselves will begin to secrete a large amount of mucus.

As a result, the mollusks will become smeared in dirt and contaminate the glass. There is no need to use clay or fatty loams as a substrate, as well as pieces of rotten wooden bark. The optimal solution is to pour loose sand onto the bottom of the aquarium instead of soil with peat. Sometimes it is replaced with hazelnut and walnut shells. But the delicate skin of mollusks can be injured. A good option for bedding is coconut substrate.

Domestic snails must be kept in clean conditions. The soil should be cleaned once a week, and completely replaced with cleaning of the terrarium - once every 3-12 months. But the more often you take care of your pet’s home, the better. The waste products, despite the absence of odor, will still begin to emit rot, and the walls of the tank will be covered with the mucus of crawling snails.

In conditions of full lighting, snails feel comfortable. But they do not require artificial light sources. Alternating day-night mode is sufficient. Domestic mollusks are active at night and sleep during the day. If you consider it necessary to install lighting to better see animals, then the lighting fixtures should be external.

Watch a video that explains how to keep Achatina snails.

At home, the temperature should be constant. It is necessary that the air temperature is comfortable for tropical African snails. A temperature from 22 to 28 o C will be most optimal. It is not recommended to install the aquaterrarium near a room radiator, in places exposed to direct sunlight, so as not to create a temperature difference.

As for accessories, you can put moss and samples of clay ceramics in a container with soil. You can plant plants in the ground, then ones that would prevent the substrate from becoming waterlogged. It is better to choose species that are covered with small fibers. Snails tend to eat plants, so you will have to replant them from time to time. The best option is fern or ivy.

Feeding. Reproduction of Achatina snails

Feeding should occur once a day for young snails, and once every few days for mature ones. African snails eat plant foods. They love lettuce, dandelion, grapes, cucumbers, and apples. They also eat spinach, corn, zucchini, mango, avocado, bananas, and melon at home. However, the snail can eat some of the listed products, and refuse some altogether. You should not often give oranges or grapes, watermelon with seeds. Some pets eat carrots and cabbage. Healthy carbohydrate foods for shellfish would be oatmeal flakes and bran.

During the first years of life, snails grow quickly. To keep their shell strong, food supplements are necessary. Calcium carbonate is beneficial for strengthening and growing the shell. Crushed eggshells or a piece of chalk should be present in the aquarium. Vitamin and mineral complexes for shellfish can be purchased in stores.

Do snails need water? Despite the constant moisture of the soil, a separate container with water should be in the aquarium. While the snail is small, the container should not be deep so that the pet does not drown. Water is useful for normalizing mucus production. Some snails allow you to pull yourself together and bathe them in a bath of warm water. They love water and are not afraid of it.

In captivity, Achatina easily reproduces from the age of 6 months. Some copies come to play later. Incubation lasts 1-2 months. If the soil thickness is low, they will refuse to reproduce. For laying, you need soil 7 cm deep, where the snail could lay eggs. Don't be surprised if your pet produces offspring throughout the year. From the age of one year, sperm are formed in the mollusk, and later - eggs. The African snail is a hermaphrodite, although two snails can also interbreed. If you have several pets, it is better to place them in different aquariums.

Look how Achatina reproduces.

It happens that a snail brings a “surprise”: more than 100 eggs, which have practically nowhere to put. A compromise and humane solution is to give the fry away for free. There have been cases of getting rid of masonry when the owner took it to nature or to the street in winter. But the opposite reaction can occur - in nature, Achatina are pests. In some countries, it is prohibited by law to keep them at home, much less breed them.

Snail diseases

If you have several snails, you may periodically notice how they scrape each other's shells, causing pits to form. This bad habit can be overcome if you lubricate the sink with a non-harmful, but “tasteless” product. In this case, consult your veterinarian so as not to risk it.

There are owners who often prefer to pick up snails by digging up the soil during the day. Firstly, at this time of day, pets prefer to sleep rather than get stressed. Secondly, you can damage the snail. The snail is active in the evening, and then it will happily go into your hands. It is not recommended to pick up the snail by the last spiral of the shell, the damaged part of the body. To correctly take a mollusk, you should moisten its leg with water, place your finger under it, and hold the shell with your other hand.

Keeping a giant Achatina at home is a great opportunity to please yourself. These animals are unpretentious and are not afraid of human hands. If you are going on a trip, they can be left alone for a few days. During a long trip of the owner, the snails can hibernate, hiding in the shell and clogging it. During this time they will live off the body's resources, but after waking up they will be very hungry. They wake up after a “shower” with warm water. Anabiosis (hibernation) also occurs when the snail is too cold or there is too much moisture in the aquarium, simulating the rainy season.

Domestic Achatina snails are bred either for the sake of observing exotic mollusks, or as a live cosmetic product. Their mucus, if the snail is placed on the face or hands, tightens and moisturizes the skin. In any case, in order for your pets to develop well and not get sick, they need to be properly cared for.

How to care for snails - building a house

Achatina naturally does not need a real house, but you will have to take care of a good plastic container. The container must be made of transparent plastic and must have a lid. Using a hot nail, make several holes in the lid. An alternative to a container can be a glass aquarium or terrarium, but also build a lid for it.

For a comfortable stay, one adult snail requires a house with a volume of at least 3 liters. If you are going to keep several Achatina, for example 3 pieces, then you will need a nine-liter container. Snails grow quite slowly, so at first a more modest house will be enough for them. When the snail reaches its maximum size (shell length will be 15-20 cm), then transplant it into a suitable container.

How to care for snails - preparing the substrate

Snails love to burrow into a moist, loose environment, so it is necessary to add a so-called substrate to the bottom of the container. Its layer should be at least 4 cm. Achatina spend the bulk of the day in the substrate and lay their eggs there.

As a substrate you can use:

coarse river sand;
coconut fiber;
chopped walnut membranes;
hazelnut shells crushed into large crumbs.

Make sure the substrate is constantly moist, but not wet. Periodically spray it with water from a small household sprayer.

How to care for snails - provide lighting

Achatina mollusks are not at all demanding of light - they will feel great even in a dark corner of the room. But if you want to observe the measured life of snails, then place the container closer to the window, but not in the sun. If they seem to have a lot of light, they will regulate the amount themselves - Achatina will simply burrow into the substrate.

How to care for snails - maintaining the temperature

Unlike light, which snails are not interested in at all, they pay attention to temperature. Provide the snails with an even average daily temperature from +20 to +28 degrees. At a lower temperature, snails may fall asleep, and at a higher temperature, they may die.

How to care for snails - give food

Achatina is not at all picky about food. They will eat any fresh vegetables and fruits, as long as you teach them to eat them. Give them cucumbers, apples, melon, scupper, cabbage, apricots, tomatoes, zucchini and whatever else appears on your table. Don’t make the food too small – just cut the vegetables and fruits into slices or large pieces. Snails will climb bananas and lettuce leaves and gnaw off the parts they like.

Feed as much as they will eat in a day. Each individual snail can eat more or less - you will see this for yourself. The only thing to remember is that while your Achatina is small, they should receive food every day. Adults can go without food for even several weeks.

How to care for snails - don't forget about water

Snails love water very much. And not so much to drink as to bathe in it. Be sure to place a flat saucer at the bottom of the container and pour some water into it. Pour water only for adult snails, because small ones can simply drown in it.

If you wish, you can even wash large snails under running water. Help yourself with a soft sponge - wipe the sink with it.

How to care for snails - feed them with microelements

In order for snails to have strong shells, they must be provided with calcium and vitamins. You can purchase special nutritional supplements for Achatina at any pet store. Instead of store-bought preparations, you can put crushed eggshells and pieces of natural chalk in the container. The kind sold in stores for writing on chalkboards or drawing on asphalt is not suitable.

Even the smallest snail secretes a lot of waste products. You can see them both on the substrate and on the walls of the container. Long sausages not only do not decorate the snail's house, but also threaten to rot. Remove waste products every day. Once a month, remove the snails from the container, wash it with hot water and soda, and then add fresh substrate. At the same time, you can bathe the snails.

Land snails are cute, unpretentious and economical creatures to keep, breeding them at home is a very popular activity nowadays. This is explained by the fact that keeping a land snail does not require large financial costs or special care.

Types of land snails

The largest and most diverse domestic snails, the Achatina, are best suited as pets.

Achatina reticulata- a very curious and active species of domestic snails. She is very interested in her surroundings and in order to be aware of everything that is happening, she often raises her head. The color of the head and neck is brown or black, the edge of the leg is light. The shell is “painted” with dots or stripes. Unlike its relatives, reticulata grows very quickly. The diameter of the shell reaches 20 cm. They are unpretentious in care and eat everything. Their easy to train to eat by the hour. In captivity they can lay up to 300 eggs.

Achatina fulica- the laziest representative of the Achatina family, spends most of the time in a state of rest. This very large snail, the color of the shell can be black, red, brown, its size reaches 20 cm. At home it lives up to 6 years, actively reproducing.

Achatina immaculata. The coloring is very diverse. It is distinguished from other representatives of the Achatina genus by a pinkish or light purple rim along the shell and a characteristic pink stripe on the head and neck. There are 15-200 eggs in a clutch.

Achatina albopicta. It has some similarities with the reticulata, but is smaller in size (up to 16 cm). The tip of the shell is pink, the rim of the shell is white or yellowish. Unpretentious, but a little gluttonous. It can produce offspring of up to 300 small individuals.

Achatina iradeli. Due to its characteristic yellowish color, it is also called “lemon”. This is a very small snail, only 5-7 cm in size. It is unpretentious in keeping, like its relatives, but has a very interesting difference: this is the only Achatina that brings not eggs, but live young (20-25 individuals).

Achatina brown. It is similar to fulica, differs only in the shape of the shell: fulica has a cone-shaped shell, without curves, and the shell of brown Achatina is semicircular. She is sociable by nature and unpretentious in her content. Like other snails of the Achatina genus, it is very prolific.

Achatina vulgare. Huge size snail, tiger-colored. In nature, its shell reaches a length of 30 cm. The domestic Achatina vulgaris has a more modest size (up to 22 cm). The color is orange or light yellow, the stripes on the shell are black or brown. Legs dark in color. They live at home for up to 7 years. The character is calm; in his free time from eating, he prefers to relax in his hole.

Another type of domestic snail that is popular among breeders is grape snails. They are from Achatina are much smaller in size(5 cm long, 4.5 cm wide), their colors are very diverse.

It is necessary to purchase a special terrarium, the roof of which should have small ventilation holes so that the snail cannot get out of its home on its own. A layer of specially treated earth or coconut substrate is placed at the bottom, used as soil. The thickness of the layer depends on the size of the gastropod, so that during daytime sleep the snail can completely bury itself in the ground. Necessary constantly maintain soil moisture, spraying it with water once a day. Under no circumstances should the flooring be over-wetted!

The volume of the terrarium must be at least 10 liters per individual. The temperature inside must be maintained at 25-27 degrees (depending on the type of snail). For heating, it is better to use external heat sources (thermal cords or thermal mats), since heaters located inside the terrarium can cause severe burns to its inhabitants. You can also use incandescent lamps as a heat source, after protecting your pets from the light. No way do not place the terrarium on the windowsill: The bright sun can interfere with the snail's daytime rest and will also greatly heat up its home. Another danger is drafts. Snails can freeze, because the temperature is below +18-20 degrees - it’s already cold for them.

You can green up your snail aquarium by adding non-toxic plants, such as lettuce or cat grass. For decoration, use sphagnum moss (sold in a flower shop), coconut shells, various driftwood from a pet store or from the forest (necessarily well processed).

The food bowl should be made of soft material (you can use plastic lids for jars). There should be no glass, metal or ceramics in the terrarium! Snails do not need light, so you can turn it on only if you want to watch your pets.

Once a day, the walls of the terrarium must be wiped with a damp cloth, without using chemicals, as they can cause severe burns. It is allowed to use ordinary soda, which must then be thoroughly rinsed off. General cleaning should be done every week. There should be a separate sponge for washing the terrarium and the dishes in it.

Land snails love to take a bath. To do this, you can place them in a shallow bowl of water or put them under a stream of warm water (not hot!). While swimming clean the sink thoroughly remove adhering dirt with a soft brush.

Feeding land snails

As a rule, snails are fed once a day - in the evening. Plant foods form the basis of their diet. They eat various greens, vegetables, and fruits with great pleasure.

Approximate diet

Lettuce leaves can be placed directly on the ground and used at the same time as a plate for vegetables, fruits and the food itself.

Sepia. There should always be a piece of cuttlefish shell in the terrarium, which the snails gradually gnaw on.

A dry mixture consisting of: ground grain mixture and calcium (egg shells, river shell rock, feed chalk, etc.). All this is necessary for the proper development and strength of the shell.

Fruits and vegetables:

carrots, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumbers;
bananas (or their skins), avocados, mangoes, apples, pears.

Hard fruits and vegetables pre-ground with a grater, soft - cut into small pieces.

Vegetable puree, prepared by yourself or bought in a store (baby puree, no salt!). The puree can be mixed with grain mixture and calcium, and given in the form of porridge.

Several times a week, snails need to be offered food high in protein:

meat puree;
seafood;
daphnia;
fish food

Under no circumstances should gastropods be fed salty foods, as salt is a terrible poison for them!

Daily care

Collect food leftovers to prevent them from rotting and, as a result, the appearance of midges and mold.

Collect feces not only on the surface of the soil, but also inside.

Spray the soil (as needed), the walls of the terrarium and the snails themselves.

You should be careful when removing the snail from the wall: under no circumstances pull it by the shell! You can remove it like this:

spray the wall with water;
snail and your hand, carefully place your finger under the pet’s head;
gently lift and peel off.

Land snails are sweet, good-natured and very cute creatures. Having settled at your home, They are sure to become family favorites for many years.