Newbie and help needed please

[slipandslide]

Hi All
Im a Teaching Assistant in a school and was told today that as the class topic is mini beasts that the class teacher had ordered two small african land snails (albino ones?) that were going to arrive at school tomorrow At the moment they have absolutely nothing to live in or eat etc etc (believe me Im NOT happy about this). So the last few hours have been a bit frantic trying to find out some information.

Ive been given the task of caring for this little creatures and making sure that they have everything they need. Which is where I need a bit of help please.

Im quite used to pets that are a bit different and have had a leopard gecko for five years now (which is why they gave the care of the snails to me apparently ) and have kept things like stick insects etc as well as the normal main stream pets. Im the sort of person that reads every thing I can get my hands on to ensure that all their nutrititional needs and their environment is the best it can be. Ive read every single page of the petsnails website so have a good idea of what I need to get asap. I will be keeping these snailies myself after they have had the spell in the classroom.

Can anyone point me to pictures of how they have their snail tank/vivarium set up please?

Is it essential that they have a water dish when they are tiny, I dont want them to drown.

What should be their staple diet, is it fruit and veg or dry things like the seeds Ive seen mentioned? Ive seen on the internet dry mixes of food, is this suitable?

Do they need other forms of calcium other than cuttlefish? My gecko has his crickets gutloaded with a calcium and multi vit supplement to avoid something called metabolic bone disease, is that any good to use as well?

Ive ordered a Exoterra Faunarium (Large one) to arrive in the next day or so, what would be a suitable container to keep them in until then? They will grow out of the large exoterra eventually, but I will sort that out when they need it.

The class they are going in is a very sensible yr 2 class, so they are all 6 and 7, Ive been with them since they started school, so I know that they wont do anything silly with the snails. I will also be taking the snails home every weekend.

Any other hints or tips that would be useful?

[crossless]

Hi. Here's some pictures of my snails and current set ups. petsnails.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=snailpictures&action=display&thread=8720

I use as calsium cuttlefish bone. You can order it online petshops and on ebay I think. I buy big amount at time about 10cuttles depenting of their size at the same time so I don't need to worry often do I have enough calsium for them. When only 2 to 4 cuttlebones are left I check online again and look some cheap nice cuttles and buy some again. I have always round some fishfood tablets or flakes just in case I forgot buy something nice for snails.

It's easier to remember what not to give to snails and what to give. So you can't give to snails salt, pasta, rice,noodles etc. onios, rhubarb, lemon, lime, pomelo, grapefruit, no human food like fruits/vegetables in sugar water or vinegar, I don't give to my snails avocado I read that it could cause heart attacks to animals. Onions have loads of oxalic acids which absorbs calsium to it self and citric acid can react really badly with calsium. I like to give my snails everything raw so no nutrients will be lost in cooking process. Hard vegetables I slice with peeler knife nice and thin. I have read that about 3 to 6 different type of vegetables, fruits, berries etc. would be fine every week. I try to give many as I can.

Well I shall quote myself from nother topic, what I have wrote what my snails like to eat.

Apr 2, 2010 23:31:51 GMT crossless said:

Here's our favorites not in correct order;
radish stems
sweet pepper
sweet potato
potato
basil
rose hip (baby food, I'm not able to pick up any from wild might be poisoned)
shrimps
peas and beans
salmon
courgette
leaves of cauliflower
fish food
drangon fruit red & yellow
rucola
eggplant
strawberry
papaya
kiwi
melon

Then something picked from wild:
coltsfoot leaves & flowers
mugwort
burdock
thistle
dandelion flowers & leaves
nettle
rosebay willowherb
clover..

Ok I give up I can't write more there's too much what they like. ;D
Maybe later more if you keep asking.

Then I bought these iguana pellets to give them time to time seem to like them. www.everythingforpets.com/t_rex_iguana_fruit_amp_flower_food_adult.pet/use.id.5.item_id.4800.dept.1298/ They are dry food so they need to be soaked first. About 2 times more water than you measure pellets. They are soaked in enough when soaked nice and mushy.

[crossless]

Ah I forgot to say that some suitable terrarium would for babies some plastic container that it's clear so you can see inside really nicely. If you buy container you need to make air holes on it that small that baby snails can't escape through air holes.

Snails need only one supply you don't need to change it. They get vitamins from food need to just offer as many different vegetables that you can so they grow healthy big snails. Snails are "smaller" and much simple than reptiles so they need calsium only for form shell to eggs when they come tomating age and grow nice big beautiful shell.

I avoid cucumber, salad and tomato they are like 90 to 95% water so snails need to eat them much more than other type of food to get full belly.

Small snails don't need water dish they get they water from food and daily water spray.

One more edit. I forgot to tell how is easiest to know when substrate is moist enough for snails. Easiest to see if peat/soil is damp enough if you take some to your hands squeeze it and if it holds it shape when you open your hand and don't drain water it's done. If some species needs really much humidity it wise to then moisture substrate till it hold it's shape while you had once squeezed and then some water comes out of it while you squeeze it.

[aerliss]

Hi slipandslide.

You pretty much can't go wrong with most fruit and veg. Just avoid anything that has a very strong, tangy or acidic taste (as crossless said; citrus, onion family, rhubarb). My boys don't even like under ripe apples.

They should do just fine on a fresh food diet and a cuttle bone in the tank, but some people like to supplement their diets (especially when dealing with pickier snails). My boys get a weekly dose of either calc+VitD3 (to help with calcium absorption and use, same as with reptiles) limestone flour or ground cuttle sprinkled on their food alongside solid cuttlebone in the tank. And then they get liquid calc in their water spray every other day. And they STILL rasp at the cuttle XD

Hemp, flax, sesame, sunflower seeds, lotus beans, algae wafers, fish food and all that are a good source of protein and other... stuff. Again, I offer these once a week, ground up with a bit of water or in mashed cucumber. Too often and you'll get fat, lazy snails

The more watery foods that crossless mentioned can be offered as treats. I offer them every day though. Sometimes they'll ignore everything over the cucumber and sometimes they'll ignore cucumber for days. Sometimes they'll eat the skin and leave the juicy insides, sometimes the other way around... *shrug*

As for temp housing; a plastic storage container should do fine for a few days (some people keep them in these all their lives, with a bit DIY they can make great vivs for snails) or a small seed propagator.

Oh! As this is part of a mini beasties learning exercise maybe you could purchase some little tank cleaners; tropical woodlice and tiger worms. They'll help clear up food scraps you might miss as well as eat the snail poop. I've got a second tank set up as a colony base for my woodlice and worms... might make a fun project?

[ter153]

hi slipandslide,
i give mine sweet potato which they enjoy,cucumber which they love,beansprouts occasionaly,also apple,pear bits of banana,tomato,i also give them soaked algae that they really enjoy maybe once a fortnight as a treat,have just started giving them dandilion leaves which they like,i give mine a bowl with a bit of water in as msome of my snails like a bath in it there are also limestone chips in there which are a good source of calcium,also gives the smaller snails something to climb on so they dont drown.i have half plant pots in my snail tank which the snails like to use to sleep in,i use organic compost as substrate,and spagnum moss theyll eat that too but it looks nice in there tank i have some artificial plants in there too,they cant eat them lol good luck with the snails and im sure the kids will love them

[crossless]

I have so many (adult) snails in one terrarium that I have noticed it it's much easier them to have water dispenser than water dish for big group of snails. I usually clean it when snails have been drinking all of it's water and it's nice decoration too. I think dispenser is wise start to use when snail is so big that it can't fit really on that part where water comes out of dispenser.

[coyote]

Hi slipandslide, welcome to the forum! There is some good advice here from the others. The only thing I have to add is in relation to a water dish in the tank. If you are concerned about small snails drowning in it, put some marbles in it first, then fill the rest with water. That way if a snail crawls into it, it will have the marbles to hold it up above the water but can still access it for a drink or for the moisture.

Good luck with your snails, and please feel free to ask any further questions!