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Post by melloola on Aug 11, 2012 21:11:00 GMT
Hi!!! I am a newcomer to the forum and to the idea of snails as pets. I've read the basics of how to look after them, but I could do with a little advice. I am looking for a land snail rather than one that lives in water. Please could anyone suggest some types of snail that are great to keep. I would like to know more smaller species. When I've done reseach myself I always seem to find all the giant varieties, hehe! I live in the UK.  |
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Post by pinkunicorn on Aug 11, 2012 21:23:10 GMT
Hi and welcome!
Since you're not in the US you have a wider selection to choose from. You could go for a garden snail or a grove snail, they're available from your backyard or nearby forest, or from a breeder. Buying from a breeder or adopting a snail that needs home is handy in the sense that the snail is used to captivity and handling, and often has been born in captivity. If you choose a species that lives in your area, regardless if it is captive born or from the wild, you can help the local population by releasing possible baby snails that are born from your snails' eggs, which cannot be done with exotic species. That's another point to consider, how will you want to handle the almost inevitable eggs and/or babies.
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Post by melloola on Aug 12, 2012 8:07:57 GMT
Thanks for the advice! I'm still unsure about the eggs. I don't want 100's of snails, but I'm not sure if it's cruel to dispose of them. It's quite a hard one for me. I think I'd like a more exotic species. It's something I will need to read up on more. It's just finding a species that isn't huge first, hehe!
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Post by shaydeesnail on Aug 12, 2012 17:10:31 GMT
Achatina iredaleiare fairly small, but they give live birth so there'd be no way to dispose of the eggs before they turned into little snails :/ I don't think that they are particularly prolific breeders though.
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Post by oscar101 on Aug 13, 2012 0:51:05 GMT
Achatina Iredalei usualy grow to around 4-5cm shell lengh as fully grown adults and shaydeesnail is very correct in thinking their not prolific breeders. Adverage clutch of babies for a single Iredalei is on adverage 10-25 babies, but thats just an adverage.
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Post by pinkunicorn on Aug 13, 2012 16:21:50 GMT
You could pick a slow breeder, that only makes a few eggs at a time. Those species are also easier to sell onwards. But don't sell to a pet shop unless you can be certain of the living conditions. Often they are kept badly, and you may get a better price by selling to a hobbyist directly anyway, avoiding the trade pricings.
But you don't need to worry about disposing the eggs in a humane way, if you remember to check for eggs a few times a week. If disposed by boiling or freezing as soon as laid you will not be hurting baby snails. They will just be fertilised cells and protein goo. You can see the development of the embryo by holding an egg against light. If you see a dark spot it means the developmenthas begun, a fully translucent egg means there is nobody yet inside. If frozen as soon as laid nobody will be hurt.
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