New to Snails -- a couple questions

[chicaacappella]

Hi all,

A month ago I received a flower delivery from California. I opened up the box -- and was surprised to see that a small snail had hitched a ride on one of the flowers! My husband and I decided to keep him rather than release him onto the cold streets of NYC; we were initially thinking it'd be a very short-term commitment and have since learned that snails can actually live for years! I've been scouring the internet ever since to try and figure out what he needs and how best to care for him so that he can be a healthy and happy snail.

His name is Corsnailius and he's about three times bigger now than we he arrived last month. (Not sure if that means I'm feeding him too often...) One snag I've run into though is that I can't figure out what type of snail he is! I've tried comparing him to pictures online, but I'm just not sure. If anyone has any idea, it would be super helpful to know! Here are some photos of him:



I've also read that it's possible for snails to reproduce on their own and I'm curious how common/likely that is? I'm a bit worried about suddenly having tons of snail babies pop up -- especially if they're tiny enough to crawl through the terrarium air vents and escape into my apartment!

Thanks for any insight you can provide I'm very glad that this forum exists!

Lor

[wolf]

Hi chicaacapella,
it should be Cornu aspersum (formerly: Helix aspersa), introduced from Europe.
Kind regards: wolf

[pasi9]

I agree with Wolf, he definitely looks like an aspersa to me. A baby one, which is possibly why comparing him to pictures hasn't worked for you. He'll look a little different as an adult.

You aren't feeding him too often. Snails are good at regulating what they eat, he'll only eat what he feels he needs. Are you giving him a calcium source too?

He's still young, but once he's matured it's really unlikely he'll reproduce on his own. It's very rare. If you're worried, why not put insect mesh over the vents?