Hi I'm Linda K and very new to snails

[lk1]

Hi I'm Linda K.  I'm predominantly a dog person and I'm active in AKC Rally and Scent work with my German Shepherd Dog, Sputnik.

I love and respect all animals and when a family member started talking about getting a pet snail I jumped right in with her.  My snail is right next to my work at home desk so that I can interact and observe most of the day.  I'm very new to snails.  I have had a Helix Pomatia for a week. It is one of two that came by mail.  The other didn't make it. Her two are still snailing about at her house. I'm looking forward to advice, stories, pics, etc. from this group.

This morning I cleaned the tank for the first time and winged it.  I'm looking for a guide on setup, maintenance and cleaning.    If such a thing exists, a link would be appreciated!  I'm reading through the reference forums as well.

I live in Central Pennsylvania and would like to find reliable supply sources and live snails to acquire locally.  I've posted on the classifieds list.

Looking forward to talking with you.

Linda K

[morningcoffee]

Oct 18, 2020 16:15:01 GMT lk1 said:

Hi I'm Linda K.  I'm predominantly a dog person and I'm active in AKC Rally and Scent work with my German Shepherd Dog, Sputnik.

I love and respect all animals and when a family member started talking about getting a pet snail I jumped right in with her.  My snail is right next to my work at home desk so that I can interact and observe most of the day.  I'm very new to snails.  I have had a Helix Pomatia for a week. It is one of two that came by mail.  The other didn't make it. Her two are still snailing about at her house. I'm looking forward to advice, stories, pics, etc. from this group.

This morning I cleaned the tank for the first time and winged it.  I'm looking for a guide on setup, maintenance and cleaning.    If such a thing exists, a link would be appreciated!  I'm reading through the reference forums as well.

I live in Central Pennsylvania and would like to find reliable supply sources and live snails to acquire locally.  I've posted on the classifieds list.

Looking forward to talking with you.

Linda K

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Care is not too difficult. Helix pomatia don't need very high humidity and they don't like their environment to be constantly damp or wet. You can give their tank a gentle misting (you can use a basic spray bottle like you'd use for plants) reasonably infrequently compared to some snails - I usually give the tank a quick mist a couple of times a week. You don't need to spray like crazy or soak the environment as they don't like wet conditions.

Substrate should be at least a couple of inches deep, and kept slightly moist (but not wet). I recommend coco fibre / coir, this works well to maintain moisture. You can buy dry bricks of coir online, or at pet stores. If you buy them online or at a pet store the brands they may have are Exo Terra Plantation Soil, Zoo Med Eco Earth, or Komodo Tropical Terrain. All of these are fine. You simply need to soak the dry brick in plenty of water and within a few hours it will expand to make a nice loose soil-type substrate.
The substrate should not be changed too frequently as snails need to ingest the soil flora/good bacteria as part of their digestion cycle. You can keep the surface of the soil free of old food, poop etc and wipe down the tank walls and any ornaments every few days, but the substrate shouldn't be changed frequently unless it has got too wet or smells. When you do change it (I change mine about every 3 months) you should always mix in some of the old substrate to help keep the natural soil flora going.

The best diet for them is a varied mix of leaves, fruits and vegetables. It is also good for them to have a high protein source no more than once a week. I would recommend starting with dark lettuce (such as Romaine, little gem, round lettuce, Batavia etc) and dark leafy greens (kale etc) on a regular basis, and also including other things such as sweet potato, carrot, courgette, tomato, apple etc a couple of times a week. Things like cucumber or iceberg lettuce are fine occasionally but are not super high in nutrients so shouldn't be their main food.
Protein source can be something like a small amount of raw meat, cooked egg, soaked cat/dog biscuits (thoroughly soaked in water until mushy), or even raw unflavoured nuts like peanuts or cashews.

Snails must have a calcium source in the tank at all times. This should be provided for them to eat whenever they feel the need - do NOT add it to their food or try to force-feed them, as they are able to regulate their own intake and giving them too much can cause serious problems.
Many people use cuttlefish / cuttle bone for them, which is usually sold for birds and can be bought at pet shops or online. I personally use limestone flour (calcium carbonate), which I put into small dishes like an old jam jar lid, moisten, and just leave in the tank near their food. In my experience they seem to prefer this, and also cuttle can get rather stinky when it gets damp and they don't seem to like to eat it then. Limestone flour is usually sold for horses so can be bought cheaply in bags online (I get mine from Amazon usually but eBay has plenty too) or from an equestrian supply store if you happen to have any nearby.

Even though you only have one snail, it could have previously mated, so for a while you will also need to check regularly for eggs. It's not laying season for pomatia at the moment, but you never know. Snail eggs can be humanely destroyed by just putting them in a container or tupperware and placing them inside the freezer for at least 24 hours. You can then just throw them away or put them in a compost bin, as they will no longer be viable for hatching.

They may like a place to hide in the tank, many reptile brands sell nice hides or caves that look nice in the tank and are easily cleanable, or a chunk of cork bark, however you can very cheaply make your own by using something like the bottom half of a sturdy plastic bottle with a thin layer of coir spread over the top, or using a cheap plastic plant pot on its side.
Tank ornaments such as fake plants help make the tank look nice and snails seem to enjoy climbing or hiding behind them, again many reptile brands such as Exo Terra, Lucky Reptile, and Komodo make these or you can sometimes cheaply buy aquarium ornaments. Do make sure that there is nothing too heavy/solid in the tank like stone, as snails can damage their shells on these in a fall. Polyresin type ornaments are good.

Please also see this post for reference re: shipping snails in the mail in the US.
petsnails.proboards.com/thread/16277/shipping-snails-slugs-legal-info

Hope that is all helpful!

[lk1]

Thanks! That was very helpful. Mine doesn't like to be on the substrate at all. Week 1, I thought that it was too dry. Now I wonder if it is too wet. Felix (just named it), likes to hover above it by traveling along the glass walls and then across objects. I guess as long as he is making it work we are good. I'll work on trying diff. foods and protein snacks. I do have a cuttlefish bone there for him. Thanks again!