Intro - New and Panicking

[bito88]

Hey Guys,
Been lurking round the forum for a few days so thought I should quickly introduce myself.
I got a GALS the other day and it is starting to worry me. 
When we got it in its little carry box it was happily moving around but since being introduced into its new habitat it has just burrowed in and hardly moved. 
I have read on the forum that this is normal for them to do for days at a time. 
I thought it may be burrowing to get warmer but elsewhere on the forum they say they burrow to get out of the heat?
I don't mind leaving it to do its thing but my worry is that the worst happens and it could of been prevented if I did something earlier. 

People have noted that some species are more fussy than others. I tried identifying it but it wouldn't come out for me to get good pictures!

If you have any advice it would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

[robandcath]

It looks like an albino tiger snail (achatina achatina) they like temperatures ad about 26-28℃ if it's burrowing all the time the temperature may not be getting hot enough for it x

[robandcath]

Also don't feed it iceburg lettuce and cucumber as they aren't good for snails, Rey using romaine/little gem lettuce, courgette, sweet potato ... All are good for snails x

[bito88]

Thanks robandcath.
I'll go get a heat mat and thermostat at lunch. Will also take on your advice for its diet.
I have read on the forum that it is difficult to heat a plastic enclosure with a heat mat. are there any tips?
Also I read that harder vegetables need to be cooked  a bit so it softens and the snails can eat them. will I have to par boil the sweet potato?

thanks,

[morningcoffee]

Welcome to the forum

robandcath is right, you should definitely use a heatmat for African snails unless you are in a warm/hot country. You can try drilling holes in the plastic before you put the heatmat on to increase the amount of heat getting in, and insulate the back of the heatmat thoroughly using things like polystyrene, bubble wrap or radiator reflector foil, but the best thing to do is just to get a glass tank that can be properly heated.

You don't need to cook vegetables. Raw veg are more nutritious. However, many snails like vegetables that have been sliced thinly. You can also cook and/or mash vegetables occasionally as a treat, but you shouldn't be doing it regularly.

Iceberg lettuce and cucumber are fine as occasional treats but shouldn't be fed regularly as they aren't as nutritious as other fruits and veg. You should aim for a varied diet so that your snail is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs - try sweet potato, corn on the cob, courgette, mushrooms, squash/pumpkin, carrot, broccoli, cabbage, apple, melon, mango, dark green leafy lettuce, etc. You can also offer nuts and seeds occasionally (as long as they are plain, unflavoured and unsalted) like peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc. Snails in the wild also like to eat lichens and algae, a good way to replicate this in captivity is using moistened spirulina powder or algae wafers/algae sticks that are sold as fish food.
An occasional source of protein is also important, about once a week try offering something like soaked fish flakes, soaked cat/dog kibble, plain unseasoned cooked or raw meat, boiled egg etc.
You shouldn't feed anything from the onion family, including leeks and garlic, as some people believe that these are harmful to snails.

Also, I can't quite tell from your photo if you have any soily substrate or just moss, but you should definitely have some soil-type substrate like coir (coco fibre) because snails need to ingest this to take in beneficial bacteria. For this reason, you should also change the substrate as infrequently as possible, and if you do need to do a substrate change you should always mix some of the old in with the new to maintain the soil flora.

[bito88]

Hey Morning Coffee,
Thanks for the detailed response.
I will have to make do with the plastic tank I have at the moment unfortunately and will try to upgrade to a glass one in the near future.
The food info was definitely useful. I found a few sites regarding feeding and they just seemed to list everything. So a bit more direction is nice.
At the moment there is Spider life substrate and live moss in its tank. The pet shop offered it at the time of purchase. I can't find much info on it though. Will it be ok or should I change it sooner rather than later?
I will definitely look into getting some coir either way.

thanks again

[morningcoffee]

I remember someone else was recommended to use SpiderLife by a pet shop a while ago as well - it's not really suitable for snails as it contains vermiculite and other things that aren't ideal for snails and slugs. Switching to coir would be a good idea - the reptile brands like Exo Terra Plantation Soil or Lucky Reptile Humus Block are good, but any type that doesn't have anything added is fine.
Some moss in the tank is fine, it helps keep humidity up and some snails seem to like sleeping in it, but should definitely be used alongside a soil-type substrate

In terms of food, you'll most likely find that there's things you put in that your snail won't eat, and things he really seems to love. Make sure you don't get suckered in to only providing his favourite foods all the time and not trying anything else as this can lead to a diet not being varied enough. Also snails tend not to eat daily, so a food going uneaten for a couple of days doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't like it. I normally put in a couple of foods at a time and leave them for several days before changing them out.

[starcrazy19]

I can't believe you were sold an albino tiger snail by a pet shop without even a heat mat! A couple years ago these guys were gold dust...

Anyways he looks gorgeous, should grow massive - he's not sealed over so thats a good sign, hopefully be just fine with a bit more heat and tiger-specific care. Don't forget to keep cuttlefish bone in the tank at all times for him, preferably as dry as possible. You'll get loads of good advice here and get him set up nicely in no time

If you have a plastic tank with one of those slotted lids, you might want to cover some of the ventilation to keep up the heat & humidity in the tank. Tigers like it hot, and humid, and LOVE to dig and sleep buried in the soil so try and give him some nice deep coir soil! Good luck

[bito88]

I didn't realise I was given such a specific snail. The reptile shop didn't even want him when they got him, he just came in with some other stuff they ordered.

So I have replaced the spider life with coir, stuck a heat mat to the side with some insulation and sealed off most of the vents on the lid (the habitat is one of those Exoterra faunariums) I tried drilling holes into the side but it just cracked and I stopped there for fear of completely wrecking it. There is carrot/tomato and cuttlefish in there too.  
Malfoy (the snail) did eventually have a little wander around after being put back in but then just burrowed itself in the moss again.
The tank is near a radiator some I'm hoping that will help raise the temperature as it is only at 20-25 degrees atm

Fingers crossed all will be ok, I will feel a lot better once he starts moving around more regularly. 

[etana]

Huh. They didn't tell you which snail it was, didn't say he needed heating and other Tiger-specific care, and they claim to be some responsible pet seller? I'm also thinking of whoever sent them the snail without that info... Argh. *shakes head*

I guess they also had no idea that they sold you a snail who's going to grow particularly big and handsome if all goes well!

Tiger snails are great, I have two. I really hope that after this weird start, you'll have lots of good snaily times ahead! Welcome to the forum, keep reading and asking questions, and post pictures as the snail grows!

[bito88]

Hey Snailers,
So quick update.
I was away from home for a few days and left the snail in the care of my mrs. When I got back last night it hadn't moved from its burrowed position and seemed that it started to 'seal over' (not sure if thats' the right terminology)
So I ran some warm water over him for a bit and he popped right out and started crawling round my hand.
I was super relieved. This is probably the first time its been really active since introducing it to the new faunarium.
It ate some food in its tank wandered for a bit and then burrowed again.
So I'm a lot less stressed and concerned about being a failed snail keeper. In fact another one should arrive today to keep Malfoy company.
Enjoy some bonding pictures.

[mangoandlemon]

He is beautiful!