How to grow a 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 anyone can afford insects or mollusks. Lovers of domestic animals liked 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 mollusk living in large numbers in areas with a tropical climate: Africa, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka and being an active pest of agricultural land there.

Shellfish ruthlessly destroy crops of green spaces and sugar cane, for which they are listed as the most dangerous species.

At present, thanks to the active struggle, their reproduction and distribution is practically stopped. But not everywhere Achatins are so disliked, 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 really 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 a 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 adopt a snail as a pet. It is not always easy to get Achatins, it is easier to find ordinary ones on the street. Therefore, here we will write what those who are found in the grass in the forest or in other places eat.

Usually this plant foods that grow in their habitat:

Tree bark (some species prefer rotten);
Horse sorrel;
Leaves and berries of strawberries;
Nettle;
Dandelions;
Plantain;
Cabbage.

There are species that feed on insects and carrion. In general, they have no problems with food. Any plants that have soft leaves and stems or fruits are suitable for food. Such omnivorousness is due to the speed of movement, you don’t really have to choose, you have to eat what comes across on the way.

What do snails eat at home?

At home, you can feed her with what we have 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;
Cereals.

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 these are predominantly nocturnal animals. In winter, you will have to feed extremely rarely, only during the wakefulness period. But sometimes, living at home, molluscs change their lifestyle and are active in winter just like in summer. Therefore, observe them and be guided by their behavior.

What can't be given to them?

There are products that are contraindicated for feeding snails, you will not find them in the natural environment, and they can be extremely dangerous for mollusks:

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

Babies need calcium to strengthen their shells, but don't use school chalk or pharmacy pills. Unboiled eggshells, finely grated, cottage cheese and meat and bone meal are well suited.

Observe the hygiene of animals, otherwise they will get sick. To do this, periodically give them a shower from a spray bottle, clean the house from mucus and change the soil. But washing the snail under tap water is not worth it, it is too hard, contains chlorine. In addition, you can not hold the baby and she will swim away.

What do Achatina snails eat?

If you still have a large snail, do not worry about what to feed it - they are not picky either.

Their favorite foods are:

Apples;
Lettuce leaves;
Cucumbers.

But do not limit them to only these foods, they need a variety of foods to maintain health. So let's 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 pets, try different products, except for those on the prohibited list above.

What to do if the snail's shell is broken?

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

So, proceed as follows:

Carefully remove sharp pieces with nail scissors;
If large fragments have fallen off, glue them back with a film from a raw egg, and fix with a band-aid on top;
Or gypsum carefully, but make sure that the gypsum does not get on the skin of the animal;
Transfer the victim to another container until recovery;
Increase calcium in your diet.

After 4-5 days, if the individual is not very old, a film forms on the crack, which eventually hardens and becomes part of the shell. From now on, be careful with your pets - try not to take it in your arms again, and lay soft moss on the bottom of the dwelling.

Shellfish breeders tell amazing stories about their pets, that they recognize them among strangers and even tame them a little. If you don’t believe it, 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 not and how to care for them.

Video: how the feeding process takes place

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

If you decide to have such an unusual pet as a snail, you should familiarize yourself with their features 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 exotics, African ones are much more attractive. But they also practice the cultivation of grape mollusks.

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

The natural habitat of Achatina is in East Africa, but representatives of this species can also be found in many European countries. African Achatinas have gained popularity as terrarium pets and are also bred for human consumption. In many countries with a warm climate, including Spain, they are serious pests of crops.

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

African snails can live at home, it is not 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 - adults can have a carapace length of 70 to 170 mm and a width of 30 to 80 mm.

Achatina care at home

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

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

They can become inactive for many reasons: lack of humidity, low temperatures, and diseases. Such an Achatina is closed in a shell with a limestone cap.

The average life expectancy of an animal is from 3 to 5 years, but there are individuals who live up to 9 years.

Food

How to care for snails at home? Their nutrition should be taken 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 her 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 dog and cat food (such additives are used once a week, not more often);
dry mix should consist of oatmeal, dry granular food for rodents, dry food in the form of flakes for fish, dry skimmed milk, wheat bran;
sometimes they eat baby biscuits and baby rice porridge.

All food must be fresh - without rot and mold, they must be thoroughly washed. Given the fact that fruits and vegetables are often sprayed with snail repellant during cultivation, it is best to peel them before serving them to your pet.

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

Achatina must be carefully looked after.

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

The lack of minerals causes characteristic behavior in snails associated with scraping and eating the upper layer of the shells of other animals. Subsequently, such a broken and weakened part may burst, and as a result, pathogenic microorganisms may penetrate through the cracks or internal organs protrude. In adults that lay eggs, the demand for minerals is even greater.

What foods are undesirable to give

Do not give Achatina parts of plants such as:

lettuce, spinach;
onion 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 keep snails at home - arranging a terrarium

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

The lid of the terrarium must be well fixed because, due to the fact that, due to the surprisingly large muscle strength, it can be moved by snails. In the terrarium, you should not use any elements made of copper, since this metal, in combination with mucus, reacts.

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 pet bed. 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 wet, but not flooded, for this purpose it is sprayed with water once a day, preferably boiled.

To increase the walking area, you can place decorative plant roots in the terrarium. You can also add a small tradescantia to enhance the look of your home. However, do not be surprised if the plant is soon eaten. As a decoration and a very dietary ingredient in the diet, you can buy potted weed in stores.

The terrarium cannot stand in direct sunlight. You do 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-power fluorescent lamp, separated from the rest of the terrarium so that Achatina could not get on its surface. An alternative would be lighting located outside the terrarium.

One or two house 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 at the same time. If you get two Achatina, then sooner or later they will both lay eggs. The number of eggs depends on the species - from tens to hundreds of pieces from one individual. The incubation period and breeding of young animals does not cause difficulties, but you must decide how you will then keep 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 climatic conditions. On the outside, they won't be able to survive the winter.
Their mucus contains allantoin, a bacteriostatic substance, on the basis of which preparations are made 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 simplest species in cultivation 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 were a rapidly renewing food source for soldiers.
This pet can bite or rather scratch. However, its bite is almost invisible.
In the United States and other countries where the climate is optimal for the reproduction in nature of this genus of mollusks, their breeding is illegal.
The animal grows throughout its life, but grows faster when young and if it has access to a large amount of food.
The average travel speed is 1 mm/s.

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

The Achatina snail belongs to the Archachatinidae mollusk family, which includes representatives of several genera. Achatina (Achatina) are similar to their relatives Archachatina, but they have a more pointed top of the shell. Achatina is a giant prolific, it can produce 100-600 eggs at a time, which are round in shape and have 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 tuberculated. The largest specimen had a weight of up to 600 grams, and a shell length of almost 40 cm.

The most common domestic Achatina is Achatina fulica. These African land mollusks are found in many tropical countries, and are harmful 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 tubercles are more pronounced in the fulica. 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 is needed 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 most free tank. To keep several pets at once, you will need a container of 20 liters 3 or more. 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 loves to sleep during the day, burrowing into a layer of soil. There is an opinion that flower soil with peat content will be useful. But land with a high content of peat creates life in an acidic environment, which is harmful to animals. The ground cover needs to 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 clams will get smeared in the mud and contaminate the glass. It is not necessary to use clay or fatty loam as a substrate, as well as pieces of wooden bark in a rotten form. The best solution is to pour loose sand on the bottom of the aquarium instead of earth with peat. Sometimes it is changed to the shell of hazelnuts, walnuts. 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 the cleaning of the terrarium - once every 3-12 months. But the more often you take care of your pet's home, the better. Waste products, despite the absence of a smell, will still begin to emit charm, 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 the day-night mode is enough. Domestic mollusks are active at night and sleep during the day. If you consider it necessary to install lighting in order to better see the animals, then the lighting fixtures should be outdoor.

Watch a video that tells how to keep Achatina snails.

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

As for accessories, you can put moss, samples of clay ceramics in a container with soil. It is possible to plant plants in the soil, then those that would not allow waterlogging of the substrate. It is better to choose species that are covered with small villi. Snails tend to eat plants, so you will need to repot them from time to time. The best option is fern or ivy.

Feeding. Reproduction of snails Achatina

Feeding should take place 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, apples. They also eat spinach, corn, zucchini, mangoes, avocados, bananas, melons at home. However, the snail can eat some of the listed products, and refuse some altogether. You can not give often oranges or grapes, watermelon with seeds. Some pets eat carrots and cabbage. A useful carbohydrate food for shellfish will be oatmeal flakes, bran.

The first years of a snail's life grow rapidly. To keep their shell strong, food supplements are needed. Calcium carbonate is favorable for strengthening and growth of the shell. Crushed egg shells or a piece of chalk should be present in the aquarium. Vitamin and mineral complexes for shellfish can be purchased at stores.

Do snails need water? Despite the constant moisture of the soil, a separate container of 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 in a tub of warm water. They love water and are not afraid of it.

In captivity, Achatina easily breeds from the age of 6 months. Some instances come to play later. Incubation lasts 1-2 months. If the soil thickness is low, then they will refuse to reproduce. For masonry, soil 7 cm deep is needed, where the snail could lay its eggs. Do not be surprised if your pet brings offspring throughout the year. From the age of one year, spermatozoa are formed in the mollusk, later - eggs. The African snail is a hermaphrodite, although two snails can also interbreed. If you have several pets, it is better to plant them in different aquariums.

See how Achatina breed.

It happens that a snail brings a "surprise": more than 100 eggs, which have practically nowhere to go. A compromise and humane solution is to give away the fry for nothing. There were 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, on the legislative basis, they are prohibited from being kept at home, and even more so from breeding.

Snail diseases

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

There are owners who often prefer to take snails in their hands, digging the ground for this 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, then it will gladly go into hands. It is not recommended to take the snail by the last spiral of the shell, the damaged part of the body. To properly take a mollusk, you should moisten its leg with water, and put 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, not afraid of human hands. If you are going on a trip, you can leave them alone for a few days. During a long host trip, snails can hibernate by hiding in the shell and clogging it. This time they will live at the expense of the resources of the body, but after waking up they will be very hungry. Wake up after a "shower" with warm water. Cryostasis (hibernation) also occurs when the snail is too cold or there is a lot of moisture in the aquarium, simulating the rainy season.

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

How to care for snails - building a house

Naturally, the Achatina do not need a real house, but you will have to take care of a good plastic container. The container is needed from transparent plastic and always with a lid. Poke a few holes in the lid with a hot nail. An alternative to a container can be a glass aquarium or terrarium, but also build a lid for it.

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

How to care for snails - prepare the substrate

Snails are very fond of burrowing into a moist loose environment, so the so-called substrate must be poured into the bottom of the container. Its layer should be at least 4 cm. Achatina spend the main part of the day in the substrate and lay their eggs there.

As a substrate you can use:

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

Keep the substrate constantly damp, but not wet. Treat it periodically with water from a small household spray bottle.

How to care for snails - provide lighting

Achatina mollusks are completely undemanding to light - they will feel great even in a dark corner of the room. But if you want to watch the measured life of snails, then put the container closer to the window, but not in the sun. If it seems to them a lot of light, then they themselves will adjust its amount - Achatina will simply burrow into the substrate.

How to care for snails - maintain the temperature

Unlike light, which is completely uninteresting to snails, they pay attention to temperature. Provide snails with an even average daily temperature of +20 to +28 degrees. At a lower temperature, the snails may fall asleep, and at a higher temperature, they may die.

How to care for snails - we give food

Achatina is completely undemanding to feed. They will eat any fresh vegetables and fruits, but if you accustom them to them. Put them cucumbers, apples, melons, scuppers, cabbage, apricots, tomatoes, zucchini and everything that appears on your table. Do not cut the food too small - just cut vegetables and fruits into slices or large pieces. Snails will climb bananas and lettuce and gnaw on whatever parts they like.

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

How to care for snails - do not forget about water

Snails are very fond of water. 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 have a desire, then 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 - we feed them with microelements

In order for the shells of snails to be strong, 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 a container. The one sold in stores for writing on blackboards or drawing on asphalt is not suitable.

Even the smallest snail releases 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 house of snails, but also threaten to rot. Clean up waste products every day. Once a month, remove the snails from the container, wash it with hot water and soda, and then put in a fresh substrate. At the same time, you can bathe the snails.

Land snails are pretty, unpretentious and economical creatures, the breeding of which at home is a very popular activity in our time. This is explained by the fact that the content of the land snail does not require large financial costs and special care.

Types of land snails

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

Achatina reticulata- a very curious and mobile species of domestic snails. She is very interested in the environment 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 border of the legs is light. The shell is "painted" with dots or stripes. Unlike its relatives, the reticulum grows very quickly. The shell diameter reaches 20 cm. They are unpretentious in care, they eat everything. Them easy to feed 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 at rest. it 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 breeding.

Achatina immaculata. The coloring is very varied. 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. In laying - 15-200 eggs.

Achatina albopicta. It has some resemblance to the reticulum, but smaller (up to 16 cm). The tip of the shell is pink, the rim of the shell is white or yellowish. Unpretentious, but a little voracious. Can bring offspring up to 300 small individuals.

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

Achatina brown. It looks like a fulica, differs only in the shape of the shell: the fulica has a cone-shaped shell, without roundings, and the shell of the brown Achatina is semicircular. It is sociable in nature, unpretentious in content. Like other snails of the Achatina genus, it is very prolific.

Achatina vulgaris. Huge size snail, brindle colors. In nature, its shell reaches a length of 30 cm. Domestic Achatina ordinary 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. Dark colored legs. At home, they live up to 7 years. The character is calm, in his free time from eating he prefers to rest in his mink.

Another type of domestic snail that is popular with breeders is grape snails. From Achatina they are much smaller(5 cm long, 4.5 cm wide), their colors are very diverse.

It is necessary to purchase a special terrarium, on the roof of which there should be small ventilation holes so that the snail cannot get out of its home by itself. A layer of specially treated earth or coconut substrate is placed on the bottom, used as soil. The thickness of the layer depends on the size of the gastropod so that during the daytime sleep the snail can completely dig into the ground. Necessary keep the soil moist spraying it with water once a day. In no case do not allow waterlogging of the flooring!

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. Incandescent lamps can also be used as a heat source, after closing the pets from the light. In no case do not put the terrarium on the windowsill: the bright sun can interfere with the snail's daytime rest, and also heat up its dwelling greatly. Another danger is drafts. Snails can freeze slightly, because the temperature is below + 18-20 degrees - it is already cold for them.

A snail aquarium can be greened up by planting non-toxic plants, such as lettuce or cat grass. Sphagnum moss (sold in a flower shop), coconut shell, various snags from a pet store or from the forest (necessarily well processed) are used as decorations.

The bowl for food should be made of soft material (you can use polyethylene lids for jars). There should not be any glass, metal, ceramics in the terrarium! Snails do not need a 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 the use of chemicals, as they can cause severe burns. It is allowed to use ordinary soda, which then must be thoroughly washed off. General cleaning should be carried out every week. To wash the terrarium and the dishes in it, there should be a separate sponge.

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

Food of land snails

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

Approximate diet

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

Sepia. In the terrarium there should always be a piece of cuttlefish shell, which is gradually gnawed by snails.

Dry mixture consisting of: ground grain mixture and calcium (eggshell, river shell rock, fodder 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-crushed with a grater, soft - cut into small pieces.

Vegetable puree, prepared by you or bought in the store (children's, without salt!). Puree can be mixed with grain mixture and calcium, given in the form of porridge.

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

meat puree;
seafood;
daphnia;
food for fish.

In no case should you feed the gastropods with salty foods, since salt is a terrible poison for them!

Daily Care

Collect the leftovers of the meal 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.

Care must be taken when removing the snail from the wall: in no case pull it by the sink! You can remove it like this:

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

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