Light requirement for garden snails?

[snailnewb4]

I noticed some very old posts where this has been asked, but I'm wondering if over the years there are different lighting options.. and do they need them?

I have five garden snails in a habitat. During the warm months I've had them in a separate room that stays cooler than the rest of the place, but not a lot of light. There's a small window and no direct sunlight but only reflected off the wall the other side of the window. It's fairly dim except in the mornings.

Before the summer I had them out of there, where they got more light and I kept them out of direct sunlight.

Do they need any light for health purposes? They are supplemented for calcium.  Or would they like some light just to have a better delineation between daytime and night time?

LED lights that do not give off heat were not all that common back in the day, but I do have a usb led desk lamp that I could put in the room, if it's more interesting for them. I sometimes turn on the ceiling light, but it's a very high ceiling and difficult to replace the bulbs if I need to so I prefer not to use that lighting.

Thanks! 🙂

[phoenix1915]

I am hoping a seasoned snail keeper/member will respond to this because I have a similar situation! I have to keep a thin cheese cloth on the tops of my tanks to ensure proper humidity and the keep pests at bay. And the tanks are already in my fairly dim apartment. Wondering if I need some type of light fixture for the tanks!

[SuspiciousBagel]

Hi there, sorry for reaching this thread so late. Snails need a regular day/night routine- that is they need light in the day and it to be dark at night. However direct sunlight can lead to overheating so what snailnewb4 has done is perfect. A dim room is not ideal but as long as there is a consistent cycle and SOME light reaches the tank the snails will be ok. My snail for example gets less light in winter as i cover all but one side of their tank with insulation to keep them warm, but they do just fine.

Regarding specifically additional lighting, its not necessary and in some cases can be damaging, as if kept on overnight can disturb the aforementioned day/night routine snails live by and they may be less inclined to be active at night (they are nocturnal). If you want LEDs on the tank, remember to turn them off when it gets dark.

Hope this helps! Please ask if you have any more questions.

[Bogs]

Bagel is right, they need a day night cycle, and constant light isnt good. they can live in complete black but i think they prefer very dim light