sage
Achatina fulica
Posts: 3
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Post by sage on Aug 27, 2020 2:27:35 GMT
My baby fulica are not really growing.. I feed them various things from garden eggs, cucumber to even chicken feed(although they usually do not seem interested in it) please what is best for baby fulica.. I also have cement blocks in their space for calcium
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Post by morningcoffee on Aug 27, 2020 9:28:21 GMT
My baby fulica are not really growing.. I feed them various things from garden eggs, cucumber to even chicken feed(although they usually do not seem interested in it) please what is best for baby fulica.. I also have cement blocks in their space for calcium I've never heard of snails having cement blocks for calcium and not sure if this is a good source of it. I'd replace this with small dishes of moistened limestone flour (calcium carbonate) which you can buy easily and cheaply online, Amazon and eBay are good sources. You could also try cuttlefish bone. Best diet is a mix of mostly leafy, vegetables and fruits with a source of protein no more than once a week. My African snails were usually fed on leafy lettuce (especially darker varieties such as butter lettuce, Batavia, Romaine, little gem etc), dark greens such as kale, sweet potato, courgette/zucchini, carrot, tomato, peppers, apple etc. For protein I used to give them soaked cat/dog biscuits about once every 10 days, however you can also try soaked fish flakes, cooked egg, raw meat, or uncooked unflavoured nuts like peanuts or cashews. I would also ensure that their conditions are species-appropriate in terms of temperature and humidity. They need a heatmat on the side of their tank (never underneath) to provide gentle warmth, unless you live in a hot country. Fulica also don't like their environment to be too wet - you shouldn't need to spray the tank too often, even once a day may be too much unless it's a very light misting. A good way to check if the substrate is too wet is too take a handful of it and squeeze - if more than a drop or two of water comes out, it's too wet. If no water comes out, it's too dry. You should also be sure that you're not cleaning the tank too regularly or too thoroughly as this can upset the natural balance of soil flora/bacteria which the snails need for their digestion. You should not fully replace the substrate unless there are serious problems like mites. You can occasionally remove some of the substrate and mix in fresh substrate if it's getting old or smelly, but you should always mix it with some of the old to help keep the natural soil flora intact. It's OK to wipe down the tank walls and ornaments to clean off slime, and remove old food and snail poop, on a fairly regular basis however.
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sage
Achatina fulica
Posts: 3
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Post by sage on Sept 2, 2020 0:05:14 GMT
Thank you very much.. I live in Nigeria.. I think it's hot enough here cuz I havent used a heat mat since they hatched
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avalon
Achatina fulica
Posts: 2
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Post by avalon on Sept 29, 2020 16:44:37 GMT
Hi there!
What size container are you keeping your babies in?
Preferably you should keep your baby in a very small container (Tupperware works) inside the larger tank that it was laid in to incubate it. The smaller container allows the babies to focus all of their energy on eating rather than moving around. Fill the container to the brim with leafy greens and other treats. Refill as needed, if in one day all of the food is gone put more in. Keep a cuttlebone inside the tank and no other decorations. Don't clean the tank often, try to only skim the top of the substrate and add more substrate. Make sure you are keeping the snail at a regulated temperature and humidity level. Minimized handling as that can stress it out and prevent it from eating and developing the way that it should.
If you do all of this and the baby still isn't growing properly then its merely a runt and you have to consider your stance on culling rather quickly. As well, if all of the hatchling seem to be the same way- perhaps cull all future eggs produced by your snails.
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