Helix aspersa

[morningcoffee]

Hi all,


I've recently picked up a few local helix aspersa and brought them inside to a tank. I live in central London, so I think they're probably doing far better with me than they would be out in the small pile of leaves I found them in! I know that I must be careful because they're wild-caught, so please don't worry, they are isolated from my GALS and C.marginella, and I'm being very careful with hygeine and such with all the tanks.
So far they're all doing well - eating plenty of food and eating their calcium too. But I'm not 100% sure on the conditions I should be keeping them in, or if there's anything important I should know. At the moment they are being kept at room temperature on coir and sphagnum moss, sprayed with water once a day, with various hiding places and things to climb on.
What sort of humidity and dampness is best for them? Should I be spraying the tank more or less regularly? Is there anything that I should or shouldn't be feeding them?

If anyone's got any information about helix aspersa, either from experience with keeping them or just in general, I'd be really grateful if you could share it with me!

[Snail Lover.]

Well i must admit i dont know much about them but i would just keep the humidity 70-95 and the heat 15-25, im sure it will be ok, because outside isnt very warm so they should be ok. What i do know is they can suvive temperatures at -5. sorry i couldnt be of anymore help.

[Rachel]

room temp or just above, some humidity and plenty of places to hide are in order here. HA are pretty tolerant of conditions, and tend to be all right as long as the tank is not dry.

[coyote]

It sounds like you're doing all the right things. If anything, I'd lower the temp a bit if possible, because wild aspersas do best between 10º and 18ºC (50º to 64.4º F). I put my aspersa tank in the coolest place in the house (which changes from season to season). They like really high humidity too, 80% or above. They can tolerate warmer and drier conditions, but they will estivate more and stay sealed up until it cools off and gets damper.

If yours are eating well, then they are probably happy and comfortable.

[pingu5040]

My 3 aspersas were nocturnal when I caught them, but currently they are adjusting to my room's climate and are coming out more often in daytime. To "train" aspersas for daytime, I put mine in warm baths under light. By mixing an unfavorable condition with a desirable one, they soon caught on.

[malti]

Helix aspersa is common around these islands too (but maybe there are some little differences?). Here they thrive in winter and rarely come out in summer. Mine live at room temperature, but wild ones survive in temp down to 5 or abit less. Keep them moist and should be most comfortable at 20+ C

[aspersagirl]

They like to climb very much. You should have stiks in the tank or something else what they can climb on.