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Post by NoodleTheRetic on Jun 6, 2021 8:03:49 GMT
I bought my giant African snail (Achatina reticulata) last July so it is about a year old now, it’s only still about 8 cm long and is still very small. He is growing pretty slowly although I think he’s growing faster. I’ve fed him the right amount of food, however I’ve always had problems with the heating and unfortunately I can’t find any better heat mats online. does anyone think he’ll ever grow up to the full size or is there anything I can do to help him grow?
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snaileyhammy
Achatina tincta
Hi I am Hammy! I adore snails and slugs.
Posts: 550
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Post by snaileyhammy on Jun 6, 2021 18:52:15 GMT
Hello! I do not know much about gals, but here is my best guess  . Snails usually grow in spurts, but yours could be growing slower for a number of reasons. Lack of food or nutrition, not enough tank space, incorrect temperature/humidity, or he/she is a runt. First I would make sure your snail has enough space and has the correct humidity and temperature. Next make sure your snails is getting a balanced diet. I recommend giving your snail lots of nutritious fruits and veggies, (spread them out all over the tank) and add lots of calcium. Add some protein sources like, oats, lichen, bee pollen granules, meal worms, etc. After this I would give him/her a green tea bath and check him/her over to make sure your snail is not ill (check for mites, deep retraction, etc). It is possible that your snail is a runt, which is perfectly ok and runts can live a happy life if taken care of. If it happens to be your snail is a runt, I don’t recommend using him/her for breeding. I know this was a lot but I hope it helps! |
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snaileyhammy
Achatina tincta
Hi I am Hammy! I adore snails and slugs.
Posts: 550
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Post by snaileyhammy on Jun 6, 2021 19:46:58 GMT
You can get a small heater and sit it by the tank if needed.
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Post by NoodleTheRetic on Jun 10, 2021 17:49:10 GMT
Hello! I do not know much about gals, but here is my best guess . Snails usually grow in spurts, but yours could be growing slower for a number of reasons. Lack of food or nutrition, not enough tank space, incorrect temperature/humidity, or he/she is a runt. First I would make sure your snail has enough space and has the correct humidity and temperature. Next make sure your snails is getting a balanced diet. I recommend giving your snail lots of nutritious fruits and veggies, (spread them out all over the tank) and add lots of calcium. Add some protein sources like, oats, lichen, bee pollen granules, meal worms, etc. After this I would give him/her a green tea bath and check him/her over to make sure your snail is not ill (check for mites, deep retraction, etc). It is possible that your snail is a runt, which is perfectly ok and runts can live a happy life if taken care of. If it happens to be your snail is a runt, I don’t recommend using him/her for breeding. I know this was a lot but I hope it helps! Hi, thanks for replying! I feed my snail a variety of fruit and vegetables, there is always cuttlefish bone in his tank and I feed him protein once a week. He recently had to move into a temporary smaller tank as his large one broke but it’s still big enough. I’m pretty sure his growth is due to the temperature, at the time I bought him I didn’t realise the heat mat was not good enough and unfortunately during the pandemic there was a shortage of heat mats and I was unable to buy one, however I have found some for sale and I will order one soon. If you recommend anything else that would be helpful. |
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snaileyhammy
Achatina tincta
Hi I am Hammy! I adore snails and slugs.
Posts: 550
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Post by snaileyhammy on Jun 11, 2021 1:33:53 GMT
Ok awesome, and no problem! Maybe the temperature will help him.
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Post by NoodleTheRetic on Jun 15, 2021 18:20:08 GMT
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snaileyhammy
Achatina tincta
Hi I am Hammy! I adore snails and slugs.
Posts: 550
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Post by snaileyhammy on Jun 15, 2021 18:40:52 GMT
Interesting! He seems to have gotten bigger, but not a ton.
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Post by NoodleTheRetic on Jun 17, 2021 15:29:27 GMT
Yeah that’s true
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snaileyhammy
Achatina tincta
Hi I am Hammy! I adore snails and slugs.
Posts: 550
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Post by snaileyhammy on Jun 17, 2021 21:10:32 GMT
Once you try and change up his diet, temp, etc, see if anything has changed. Maybe measure him before and after. If nothing changes he could be a runt, it all depends though.
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Post by NoodleTheRetic on Jun 18, 2021 17:30:12 GMT
I did buy him from a website that I later found out commonly sells runts, however I have blocked up some of the air holes and the temp does seem to be increasing.
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snaileyhammy
Achatina tincta
Hi I am Hammy! I adore snails and slugs.
Posts: 550
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Post by snaileyhammy on Jun 18, 2021 20:33:39 GMT
Then there definitely is a possibility that they are a runt. Hopefully the extra nutrition, heating/humidity, helps.
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. Snails usually grow in spurts, but yours could be growing slower for a number of reasons. Lack of food or nutrition, not enough tank space, incorrect temperature/humidity, or he/she is a runt. First I would make sure your snail has enough space and has the correct humidity and temperature. Next make sure your snails is getting a balanced diet. I recommend giving your snail lots of nutritious fruits and veggies, (spread them out all over the tank) and add lots of calcium. Add some protein sources like, oats, lichen, bee pollen granules, meal worms, etc. After this I would give him/her a green tea bath and check him/her over to make sure your snail is not ill (check for mites, deep retraction, etc). It is possible that your snail is a runt, which is perfectly ok and runts can live a happy life if taken care of. If it happens to be your snail is a runt, I don’t recommend using him/her for breeding.