Spider life substrate

[johnny]

Hello everyone.

Sorry if this is in the wrong section but I am worried because my son talked me into getting him a giant snail and I know want to take the best of care for the pet.  I have just purchased some spider life substrate to replace the old but this is kind of lumpy and the snail has climbed to the top of the tank.

Also, how thin does the carrot and cucumber have to be as I don't want the poor thing to choke.

I really hope I can watch this creature's shell grow into a thing of beauty and thanks to the team for letting me join.

Special regards

Johnny

[morningcoffee]

Hi Johnny, welcome to the forum!

What exactly is "spider life substrate"? Do you know what it's made from? Coir (coconut fibre) is a good substrate for snails, you can often find this in reptile sections of pet stores. It's sometimes called "EcoEarth". However snails like to climb, so it doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong with the substrate.

Also, snails cannot choke on food as they don't have windpipes or respiratory systems in any way similar to humans or mammals. Their mantle cavity inside their shell acts as a lung - if you look at the underside of the shell, you can see a hole in the mantle leading into the shell that may open and close. This is the breathing hole or pneumostome and this is where the snail gets air.
Sometimes snails seem to like having their food thinly cut, but you won't hurt the snail at all by just giving it a chunk of food. They can safely rasp away at it.

There is a lot of good info for beginners on the main PetSnails website here: www.petsnails.co.uk/care/intro.html

[Zorst]

Hi Johnny n welcome,

I agree with everything Morningcoffee says, but one thing you also need to make sure your snail has is a source of calcium that he can eat, cuttle fish bones from the pet shop are great. The snail will rasp away at it as n when it needs the calcium in its diet, its hard and all my snails bar one like it dry not wet, so you may find it easier to get 2 cuttle fish bones n alternate them if one becomes to wet. You can leave this wet one to dry somewhere.

Zorst

[johnny]

A specially formulated substrate designed to meet the needs of spiders and scorpions originating from humid habitats, including burrowing species. That's all it says along with telling you how much to use and when to change. Zorst I bought some cuttlefish bones so will try what you say.

Thanks

Johnny

[muddydragon]

Hi johnny, a quick google suggests spider earth is a mix of peat and vermiculite. Peat is quite acidic which can damage their shells, i personally wouldn't be too happy with vermiculite in with my snails as it can be quite sharp, i would recommend a less acidic and no doubt cheaper alternative - i mix coir and some limestone flour as a main substrate.

Although that spider earth sounds like it would make an excellent, if expensive, potting mix for certain plants.

[melissa1991]

yes coconut fiber works the best for tank liner

[johnny]

I got some coco fiber saturday it looks as if the snail is not happy with that. melissa1991 when you say that coconut fiber works best for tank liner do you still have to put some other substrate on top. The snail has been stuck up on the glass and roof most of the day so I cannot take the lid off. Im not sure whether to put some of the original stuff back in or just cover half with it and see what happens. Thanks everyone for your replies.

Johnny

[morningcoffee]

Jun 17, 2014 16:18:41 GMT johnny said:

I got some coco fiber saturday it looks as if the snail is not happy with that. melissa1991 when you say that coconut fiber works best for tank liner do you still have to put some other substrate on top. The snail has been stuck up on the glass and roof most of the day so I cannot take the lid off. Im not sure whether to put some of the original stuff back in or just cover half with it and see what happens. Thanks everyone for your replies.

Johnny

It's normal for snails to climb and sleep in high places. They do this naturally in the wild. It doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't like the substrate.

[johnny]

Thanks morningcoffee I am just waiting for him to move away so I can remove the lid to put some cucumber in and take out the old.

[johnny]

Hi all. Just to let you know my progress. Today it has been on the surface with its head in the spider substrate. I didnt realise I had to clean the shell and bath the snail regularly. Its been a month and I hope I have not done any damage. I have also not been putting its food cucumber on a separate dish but the soil as I only have the one dish( will sort that out tomorrow and also have a look for a translucent plastic container for a spare tank). Right now I have put the cucumber in the dish with water also and it is climbing into it now. It does always finish the cucumber but I want to try something to add with tomorrow so any recomendation would be apprecitated.

Thanks again

johnny

[muddydragon]

you don't need to clean the shell and bath the snail regularly. infact too much cleanliness is detrimental to snails.

Food does not need to go in a dish, some people prefer it is a dish as it makes cleaning up easier

Cucumber is't really a great food for snails long term - it's OK as an occasional treat. You can find a list of foods here: petsnails.proboards.com/thread/9416/feed-snails

[johnny]

Hi all. Just got a much larger plastic clear through box I have drilled about 30 holes. Will that be enough. At the moment I have only put one side of the lid down. Your thoughts please. Also muddydragon I checked that link and many seem to use cucumber also although I have tried sweet potatoes which are quite hard.

Many thanks again.

[muddydragon]

30 holes is more than enough for vetilation.

Yes many people do feed cucumber occasionally (i feed them some occasionally) it just should not be used as a staple food due to being highly watery and not containing everything the snails need. The radula of a snail is very tough sweet potato isn't to hard for them

[johnny]

Just a recap. My son's snail is five inches now if you measure it with a tape from end to end. But, I really feel for him her being in there alone. So, if I got another, would a specialist come and take all the eggs. Thanks again.

[morningcoffee]

Jul 15, 2014 18:23:02 GMT johnny said:

Just a recap. My son's snail is five inches now if you measure it with a tape from end to end. But, I really feel for him her being in there alone. So, if I got another, would a specialist come and take all the eggs. Thanks again.

You can simply remove the eggs yourself, put them in a container and put them in the freezer for 24 hours to prevent them hatching.

You can find some more info on this here: www.petsnails.co.uk/care/breeding.html#b_population

[johnny]

Went into homebase today and got some West+ Peat Free Multi-Purpose compost. Says its 100% sustainable helping to protect the environment. Have looked clearly and it does not include weed killer or pesticides. Hope this will be safe. Sorry to keep asking all these questions.

Many Thanks

[johnny]

Well hes been on this peat free compost for the last 12 hours so does that mean he likes it. Can he tell if its bad for him. I am really taking to him her. How can I get to know him more or what do you do. I mean do you sit him on your lap ( obviously on soil ) or do you let him slide along your are. Would like to know your views.

I really apreciate the advice you have given me.

Johnny

[etana]

It's good that it's pesticide/herbicide free, let's just hope it's not too acidic. Severely toxic stuff would give your snail a skin reaction (bloating, weird change in colour) and tickly texture makes him squirm and make various obviously distressed facial expressions, so if he just stays there calmly, that's a positive sign. Keep an eye on him though.

As for bonding with your snail, try this: Wash your hands, leave a hand wet, and when he's on a piece of food or small decoration, gently take it and the snail with it on your wet palm. Then watch as he explores your hand. He might try to rasp your skin, his radula will feel like a miniature cat's tongue, but it's harmless. You'll also feel his foot muscles, and realise how strong they are for their size.
When you're done, first a warning: don't lift him by his shell if he suctions up to something such as your hand, it'll hurt his mantle. Let him slime back onto something (might take patience, so make sure you don't start if you're in a hurry, lol.) and then put him back home. Then wash your hands again.

[johnny]

Thank You etana for the information. I will try that tomorrow when my son is over as it is him who wanted it.

Many thanks

Johnny

[etana]

Welcome.

Oh, and make sure that the snail can't fall onto anything hard from your hand. My small snails sometimes decide to roll over/jump down from heights and risk shell damage, plus one has become scared of my hand even though if was him who jumped. :/

Have fun getting to know your snail!

[johnny]

Hello everyone. Sorry I have not been around for a while. Things have been quite hard at the moment and just wanted to give you an update. My son who I got the snail for has not been over since August and If things go well I might see him here just b4 xmas if things go to plan. Finance is a bit hard at the moment and I have been doing my best so can I ask a few more questions please.

Is it normal for this time of the year for him to stay in his shell for a day or more. I hope its not too cold as I cannot afford to get a heat pad for him as sometimes I am with no leccy. Ive just woken him up as I put some Romaine lettuce in yesterday with some cucumber but its gone a bit dry so I just sprayed it with water. He has cuttlebone but I really do feel sorry for him in there on his own. We dont know enough about them to know if they feel lonely. I am going to see my son tomorrow and see if after xmas we can see if someone enthusiast wants him so he can have a better life. Please feel free to add anything to help me out please even if it is rebuke. Im on here all night sorthing other things out.

Thanks again.

[morningcoffee]

Dec 12, 2014 19:19:18 GMT johnny said:

Is it normal for this time of the year for him to stay in his shell for a day or more. I hope its not too cold as I cannot afford to get a heat pad for him as sometimes I am with no leccy.

Yes that's completely normal for any time of year, but without a heatmat it probably is cold for him, especially if you don't have good heating in your house.

Dec 12, 2014 19:19:18 GMT johnny said:

I am going to see my son tomorrow and see if after xmas we can see if someone enthusiast wants him so he can have a better life.

If you're willing to post him you could see if someone on the forum would be willing to take him. Other than that you could advertise locally or perhaps see if a local school would want him as a class pet (provide them with a good care sheet if so).

[starcrazy19]

He really should be fine by himself, sometimes you notice a difference in behaviour keeping them in pairs or groups but not enough to be worrying about it - they really are fine by themselves so long as they have food and such! And keeping more than one will mean you have to be on constant lookout for eggs and destroy them.

If he gets too cold, he will probably dig down and hibernate - he will seal over the entrance to his shell when this happens, so you should be able to tell. If you want to wake him back up, you can put him in a shallow dish of warm water. But some people do allow them to hibernate through the winter.

If you decide to re-home him, you could offer him to a school as MC says or a pet shop, some reptile re-homing centres will take them or post your rough location and see if anyone would want to pick him up from you. There are also a few giant african land snail facebook groups where people often take in snails who need new homes and have more UK traffic than this forum

[johnny]

Many thanks for the replies. I did feel one side of the tank quite high to see if he would burrow but he never. Hes out now eating which is good but next time I will leave him alone.

Thanks again, been very helpful.

[Deleted]

Have you still got your snail if so how is it doing