Hello! My name is Jessica! I want to raise gastropods!

[jessicasnow1991]

Hi, hi! My name is Jessica Snow (yes, real name lol) and I am 29 years old from Kentucky!

I got into slugs and snails a bit before Christmas time in 2020 and already have learned so much from them and about them. 

I am currently caring for a little terrarium of common garden gastropods - slugs and snails, and they seem to be living happily together so far, sharing food, climbing on each other, they seem happy.

Some of the slugs have laid eggs, and I'm watching them carefully, keeping them lightly moistened and doing my best not to disturb them when I clean their terrarium! 

I feed them veggie scraps, mainly baby carrot, and they seem to just looooove that -- now that I have tiny snails, I'll be adding a small pile of dried eggshells for them to nibble.

So... I'm doing research and I very much want to buy at least ONE Florida Tree Snail (as seen here) but kiiiind of need a bit of help starting.  I've researched what to feed them, what kind of environment to prepare for them, and also what conditions to keep them in and so far, all of it is so very doable! All I need to know now is... should I get only one or is it better to get two? If I get two, I'll have to watch for eggs... and I don't really want to breed the snails or anything, so I wanna prevent eggs for now. Is there a smart/humane way of... (oof... sad... ) disposing.... of the eggs? Orrr... maybe freezing to sell them orrr something safe if I *must* get two?

From research, Orthalicus Reses Tree Snails can thrive alone or with others... so the ideal for me right now, and what's within my budget and ability to care, is to get just one for now. Preferably as a small baby or small adult.

Problem THERE is... where do I buy them? I live in Kentucky, so I doubt I can just go find one... but I'd love more help on how to safely obtain this snail when the time comes aaaand maybe the best type of food and an ideal feeding schedule so I can help my future shellbaby grow big and strong and happy!   

So... here's what I need from this lovely community:

• Where do I legally and safely obtain ONE of my desired snail?
• What foods are BEST for this guy (for when they're small and for when they're larger)?
• What brads/kinds of cuttlebones/foods are best for their calcium (shell upkeep)?

Also, feel free to leave name suggestions! I'll play a cute little game where it's implied that he'll kind of pick it himself.

Lol thanks for having me, approving me, and hope I learn a lot here!

[morningcoffee]

Hi,

I strongly recommend sticking to snails & slugs that are native to your local area - not only is it illegal to transport live snails over state lines, but Orthalicus reses is an endangered and protected species that should absolutely NOT be kept by hobbyists and very, very definitely should never be collected from the wild.

Tropical tree snail requirements in captivity can also sound easy to achieve on paper, but in practice they can be extremely difficult to successfully keep in captivity and even very experienced snail keepers have struggled with keeping them alive.

[snaileyhammy]

Hello! Welcome, glad to have you here!

Yeah, tree snails aren’t really a good option. Stick with native snails and slugs like morning coffee said. I’d love to see your snail and slugs sometime!