Snail as a pet

Recently, it has become popular to contain as pets snails. These creatures are unpretentious in care and do not require significant financial investments for their maintenance. But at the same time, watching their life and behavior is quite interesting.

Snail breeds

Most often, for home keeping, lovers of livestock give birth to Achatina. These are very large snails, which differ in a variety of species:

• The mobile species includes Achatina reticulata. She is keenly interested in the world around her and often raises her head for a better view. It has a black or brown body tint. At the same time, there is a light border on the leg. This snail grows too fast and reaches a shell size of 20 cm.

• But the Achatina fulica is one of the calmest breeds. Almost all the time this snail is in a state of rest. It also grows up to 20 cm, its shell can have different shades from red to black.

• Achatina Immakulata is distinguished by a variety of colors. She, unlike other Achatina, has a rim of a light purple hue on the shell, and a pink stripe runs on her head and neck.
• Similar to Achatina reticulata, but small in size Achatina albopicta. She grows up to 16 cm and has an excellent appetite. On the carapace, it has a white or yellow rim and a pinkish tip.
• Lemon Achatina iradeli is distinguished by its small size. She grows only up to 7 cm. In addition, she has one more difference - she is the only Achatina that brings live offspring, and does not lay eggs.

Snail care

Domestic snails are not picky about leaving, it is enough to feed and bathe them on time. In addition, it will be necessary to create favorable conditions for existence.

Snails are very fond of water treatments. To do this, it must be placed on the palm of your hand and placed under a weak stream of warm water. A snail should not be placed in a sink or bathtub, as there may be residues of chemicals harmful to it. Bathing should be done at least once a week.

The snail shell should be treated very carefully. After all, its damage is extremely dangerous for the health of the snail. If in a young snail the damage quickly heals, then in adults it is fraught with serious consequences. This snail almost always dies. If the shell is damaged, you can try to seal it with BF special medical glue. If the shell is severely damaged, the snail will die.

What to feed a snail

The diet of snails mostly includes greens, vegetables and fruits. Home snails are especially fond of cucumbers, they also like carrots, zucchini, apples and lettuce. The foods offered to snails as food need to be changed. Otherwise, she will get used to only one type of food and will not pay attention to others. This has a detrimental effect on the growth and well-being of the snail.

As a supplement to vegetables and fruits, it is imperative to include cereal mix, calcium and animal protein. Snail calcium is used as a building material for the shell. It is best given in the form of a powder or a piece of chalk. It should be left in a separate feeding container or added to juicy food.

It is strictly forbidden to give salty and sweet foods to snails. Spices, smoked and fried are also prohibited. Of the fruits, this list includes all citrus fruits, since they contain fruit acids that are destructive to the snail's shell.

It is best to offer food to snails in small portions every day. The best time for this is the evening hours, when the mollusks are most active. Use a small plate or rack to serve food; do not place snail food directly on the ground. To prevent food spoilage, after a few hours, its remains must be removed.

Serve food at room temperature. Hard vegetables are best mashed, while soft fruits can be cut into slices. Be sure to leave a container of water in the terrarium. Moreover, its level should not exceed 1 cm so that the snail does not drown in it.

Snail terrarium

To make the shellfish comfortable to live with you, choose the right terrarium... Expect that one mollusk should account for 10 liters of volume. Otherwise, the snails will start to waste away. For a snail house, terrariums made of glass, plexiglass or plastic are suitable. The last two materials allow you to prevent a sharp temperature drop, since they both cool and heat up slowly. And through ordinary glass more light penetrates and it is more pleasant to observe the snails in the glass terrarium.

Use peat or coconut substrate to fill your terrarium. This material is ideal for shellfish life. The thickness of the soil must be impressive. The pet must be able to dig into the ground completely. Be sure to equip the snail house with a sensor that measures humidity levels and a thermometer. Optimal conditions for domestic snails are temperatures within +27 degrees and humidity levels up to 90%.

From above, the terrarium is covered with a net, which is fixed with latches. Make sure that there are no gaps, otherwise curious snails will find a way to get out through them. The interior of the terrarium must be soft so that the mollusk does not break the shell when it falls. It is best to plant the plants inside the terrarium. A money tree, lettuce or wheat sprouted in the ground will look especially beautiful in it.

All containers used for feeding snails or as a drinker must be made of soft plastic and securely anchored in the ground. These measures are required to ensure that the shellfish do not mess up the aquarium or get hurt.