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[ness]

Hi and welcome.
This is a seal of hardened slime which helps the snail to stay moist while it hibernates (in cold weather) or estivates (in warm weather).
May I ask where you live? Or more importantly what the temperature is like where you live? Also by Ground Snail do you mean a Helix aspersa (common brown garden snail found in the UK and in many other countries), or perhaps a Cepaea species (another common types of snail, small, usually with a stripe or several stripes on the shell, shell could be yellow, brown, orange, reddish)?

It's normal for these snails to hibernate at this time of the year and it sounds very much like this is what yours is doing. If you want it to become more active you could try keeping it in a warmer part of the house (but not hot) and giving the tank regular sprays with water, otherwise leave it alone to hibernate for a for a while, don't let it dry out too much and spray it well when the weather warms up, and offer a good meal.

Which ever you decide to do don't worry, the snail is doing what snails do!

[inky]

Is it alright if I copy some of this stuff? My friend really wants snails, and I'm not looking after my own, and he seems to like them.

[ness]

The information is on the forum for people to share knowledge, but not necessarily to literally copy-paste anywhere. I'm not sure on Paul's stance on the matter to be honest, but feel free to pass on knowledge of course....
Would it be easier to just give your friend a link to the forum?

Don't you have any snails at the moment?

[inky]

I do, but I'm not looking after them. My friend is interested in them, so what could I say?

[saki114]

Advice: DONT LOSE YER SNAILs ;D

[saki114]

geckonator, did u check this out
www.petsnails.co.uk/

[inky]

Yes, I did... I'm well prepared, I just don't have the time.

[pinkunicorn]

Better give them to a better home, then. They're living creatures who suffer if not given the right care, as I'm sure you know all too well.

[ilovegals7]

hi im going to get a GALS in the next couple of weeks ! so hyped ! i have never owned one before .i find them awsome but my friends arent so keen ! wonder why ?.......... any way i have gotten all the required iteams for a GALS but i am left fretting about the heat mat . i have been reading up on GALS for nearly a year now [and trying to obtain advise from any on who works with animals who dosent look at me like im crazy because ther ignorant to the coolness of snails ] anyway .AGAIN . i have looked everywere for tips on heat mats but cant find ANY . i have bought one but i am confused as to wether to stick it to the side of the tank or under . i also dont have a thermometer thingy [no tecnical words here!!!!] do i need one ? i am not shore what temperture the heat mat has to stay in order to not leave the snail dead or very dehidrated . can any one help?- thanks !!!!!!!

[morningcoffee]

May 3, 2012 18:40:01 GMT ilovegals7 said:

hi im going to get a GALS in the next couple of weeks ! so hyped ! i have never owned one before .i find them awsome but my friends arent so keen ! wonder why ?.......... any way i have gotten all the required iteams for a GALS but i am left fretting about the heat mat . i have been reading up on GALS for nearly a year now [and trying to obtain advise from any on who works with animals who dosent look at me like im crazy because ther ignorant to the coolness of snails ] anyway .AGAIN . i have looked everywere for tips on heat mats but cant find ANY . i have bought one but i am confused as to wether to stick it to the side of the tank or under . i also dont have a thermometer thingy [no tecnical words here!!!!] do i need one ? i am not shore what temperture the heat mat has to stay in order to not leave the snail dead or very dehidrated . can any one help?- thanks !!!!!!!

The heatmat should go on the outer side of the tank, never underneath. You should insulate the back of the heatmat with something to prevent heat from escaping, like a sheet of polystyrene or radiator insulation foil.

If this is your first time keeping African snails, I'd recommend a thermometer to keep an eye on the tank temperature. You don't need one but it's definitely a good idea for beginners until you get used to the regular temperature of the tank.

Temperature depends on the type of snail. If you're getting Achatina fulica, a tank temperature of around 23-24c is probably a good start. Humidity is also important - the tank should be misted lightly daily, but the substrate shouldn't be allowed to get too soggy or waterlogged.

If you haven't seen it already, the care guide available here is excellent for the basics of getting started: www.petsnails.co.uk/care/intro.html

Good luck!

[ilovegals7]

thank you very much ! i am going to get the thermometer sometime this week . also thanks for taking the time to add the link !

[scarral]

I read in this website:

www.ueber-die-schneck.de/haltung-pflege-krankheiten-mainmenu-26/haltungsberichte/haltung-achatina-fulica.html

that A. fulica require a humidity of between 75% and 80%. I bought a small ExoTerra hygrometer recently and placed it at the top left deep corner of my terrarium, and decided to only spray when humidity drops below 80%. I live in Vienna, Austria, and the summer is still around, but starting to say goodbye (this week we'll have about 25C average temperature). It turns out that I've only been spraying about 2 to 3 times per week. Is this ok? My 2 snails were born at the end of may.

[lescargot]

Hello I am a newbie on this forum. A baby snail came to our house with a lettuce 15 days ago. We were totally caught by surprise and we decided to keep him. I would like to know how to remove the snail correctly which has been sealed for 5 days now on the side wall of the tank. He was fine the first week but he doesn't eat and move now. I don't know what type he/she is. We spray the tank twice a day. I don't want to hurt him if he is alive. He is so little (the size of a finger nail) He is not eating and moving. His shell is so light, may break if I hold. I hope he is not dead:( The temperature is around 20-24C.

[snaildreams]

Hi all I'm new to the boards and relatively new to snails too. I have kept a GALS before but sadly it died. I have now many years later purchased another one which is albino. I'm hoping for lots of snail chat and some new snaily friends

[niniel]

Hi I have my snail third day and it didn't eat anything today and I am afraid I'm doing something wrong and it will be sick and die... I think it could be sad because it is alone, but I don't wanna baby snails and I don't know with which species it will not breed. It's Archachatina marginata, 6 months old, shell is about 7cm (+- 3 inch) long. Can someone help me?

[ignaciod]

Hello , i'm Ignacio , i'm From Spain , and i want start to breeding african snails, anyone can help me? i want eggs or babys,prefer white form. Regards IgnacioD

[phoenixrisen]

Hello there fellow snail lovers!
I have enjoyed snails in the wild all my life. I would like to have one at home. What is the largest species I can have legality in the US? I was so disappointed when I found out I could not have GALS!

[tangowhiskeygirl]

I'm finding it hard to tell just how much calcium you should provide. The woman who sold us our snail said that she hasn't given the snails calcium for a while because they ate too much and eventually died from it. We give the snail a small piece of cuttlefish bone, and since it hadn't gotten any in a while we didn't think it was strange that it crawl on to it first thing. However, it's still very obsessed with the cuttlefish bone, like a little addict. the article says 12% of the feeding mix should be calcium, but most days the snail ignores most of the food, to go and hug the cuttlefish bone instead.

Should we take away the cuttlefish bone a bit? to keep it from overdoing it?

[Deleted]

Nov 25, 2014 12:17:45 GMT tangowhiskeygirl said:

I'm finding it hard to tell just how much calcium you should provide. The woman who sold us our snail said that she hasn't given the snails calcium for a while because they ate too much and eventually died from it. We give the snail a small piece of cuttlefish bone, and since it hadn't gotten any in a while we didn't think it was strange that it crawl on to it first thing. However, it's still very obsessed with the cuttlefish bone, like a little addict. the article says 12% of the feeding mix should be calcium, but most days the snail ignores most of the food, to go and hug the cuttlefish bone instead.

Should we take away the cuttlefish bone a bit? to keep it from overdoing it?

I'm sure snails know how much calcium is too much. If they feel like they need more, they will eat more cuttlefish bone. I don't think you should worry about that. I sprinkle some calcium and magnesium powder in the bottom of the tank and they eat how much they need. The only way for them to overdose is if you put the calcium everywhere (dirt, water, food etc.)

Another thing.. Maybe the snails that died were getting a lot of calcium in all aspects of their tank so it was overwhelming and killed them. Since they haven't had calcium in a while, don't be surprised if they stick to the cuttlefish bone for a long time. Hope this helped but you can asked others as well!

[tangowhiskeygirl]

I'm sure snails know how much calcium is too much. If they feel like they need more, they will eat more cuttlefish bone. I don't think you should worry too much. I sprinkle some calcium and magnesium powder in the bottom of the tank and they eat how much they need. The only way for them to overdose is if you put the calcium everywhere (dirt, water, food etc.)

Thanks! I would have thought so too! Hopefully the supposed calcium overdose that the breeder mentioned was something else. I'll keep giving them their beloved bones

[etana]

Missjuniper is right. I don't think either that it was calcium overdose that they died from in the previous home, if cuttlebone was the only calcium source in the tank. Forcing them to eat calcium by adding it to all to their food would be bad for their health, but if the food doesn't get treated that way and there's only a permanent calcium source such as a cuttlebone that the snails can rasp at when they feel like it, they definitely know how much they need. Thus it's safe (and recommended, really) to always keep one in the tank.

As for why a snail may be obsessed with it, first of all snails like to carry calcium reserves in case there appears a need for emergency repair of the shell, and if the snail hadn't had calcium for a long time, he's probably preparing to not find it again for a while, and is making sure he has his reserves in good shape.

Another interesting reason is this: One of my snails detoxed his little body by eating only cuttlebone for several days after I found him in a hole with water and a cigarette butt in it. He'd eat it, sleep on it, poop bright white, eat some more of it. Eventually he took vegetables back into his diet, and now, months later, he's still alive and well. Not saying your snail needs detoxing, but I think it's a good example of how clever they can be.

[tangowhiskeygirl]

Thanks etana! That would make sense since the breeder took away their calcium after the supposed overdose. We haven't had the snail for very long, so it might have eaten something that needed to get out of its system before we got it. It's eating a lot more vegetables now, so we're not worried about it any more

[Deleted]

Thank you this helped lots!

[sarahtisch]

Thank you so much! This is beyond helpful =]

[Romulus]

Hello all
New here and needing advice.
Had my first two snails for two weeks. I picked them from the communal garden and believe they're common Helix Aspersa.
They seem to be young judging by their size, happy in the little environment I created for them and all good so far.
One of them seems determined to hybernate, which is fine, even though it's early September, very mild and humid. London area.
My question is: when they do hibernate, how do I look after them?
Do I put some food down anyway? Do I spray their habitat daily?

Thank you.

R