Post by copigeon on Oct 16, 2006 17:24:38 GMT
(Information provided by Andrew Stephenson - might be of interest and some help in providing more specific environmental control for this species to encourage breeding/healthier growth.)
Snails are collected from Northern Mountain Range, Trinidad.
Average daily temperatue is 26.7C.
In the wet season, July - December, temperatures are slightly higher but day temperatures around the year vary by only 2C.
There can be up to 10C temperature drop at nights but I recommend a variation of only around 5C maximum.
Humidity approaches 100% during nighttime and drops to 60% during dry season daytime and 75%, wet season daytime.
Rainfall is lowest, Feb - May and highest Jul - September.
Snails are not seen above ground during dry daytime or dry night. They either burrow or seek shelter and can stay hidden in times of extreme drought for weeks. Although direct sun will kill them they must be adapted for drought conditions because there are periods of extreme dryness in Trinidad that will last up to 2 months. During this time the snails do not emerge.
The area these snails are collected in is densely foliated. There is ground cover to waist height and interspaced clear areas. The clear areas are bare sandy soil which crack in the dry season. The snails never climb trees. I have never seen juveniles. I am unsure if they feed on any particular crop or whether they are attracted to ploughed fields due to ease of burying themselved in the turned soil. The locals assume they eat their crops but there is much more damage done due to leaf cutter ants than snails.
My suggestion is a bunch of long green grass and other meadow plants, tied in a bunch and placed in a buried waterdish so that the neck of the dish is level with the soil surface. I suggest a substrate of garden soil (I think peat is too acidic and tends to stick to their body is a little too dry) If there are up to a dozed commonly found ground level plants in this bunch there is a good chance that the snails will select some or even a few. The soil should be up to 6" deep to facilitate burrowing and this should be dampened from once end to provide a gradient of moisture. A heat mat should be placed in the centre allowing a selection of areas: Cool/dry, cool/damp, warm/dry, warm/damp. I think the ground temperature should be 25C.
I had some success on my return feeding the snails on rabbit food. This was just on a whim but they did show some interest.
I am not a snail expert but the above observations would appear to be logical and sensible deductions from field observations. I also note that their shells seem heavier and thicker than the African snails of similar size. I wonder if this could be an indication (I'm stretching out on a limb here) that they, on occasion, eat roots from below the surface and as a result engorge a high level of mineral through eating soil and grit. If this is so then they may be attracted to such foods as sweet potato or cassava or even ginger root. This might be silly but if diet is a problem these observations may point in a direction you can exploit.
Snails are collected from Northern Mountain Range, Trinidad.
Average daily temperatue is 26.7C.
In the wet season, July - December, temperatures are slightly higher but day temperatures around the year vary by only 2C.
There can be up to 10C temperature drop at nights but I recommend a variation of only around 5C maximum.
Humidity approaches 100% during nighttime and drops to 60% during dry season daytime and 75%, wet season daytime.
Rainfall is lowest, Feb - May and highest Jul - September.
Snails are not seen above ground during dry daytime or dry night. They either burrow or seek shelter and can stay hidden in times of extreme drought for weeks. Although direct sun will kill them they must be adapted for drought conditions because there are periods of extreme dryness in Trinidad that will last up to 2 months. During this time the snails do not emerge.
The area these snails are collected in is densely foliated. There is ground cover to waist height and interspaced clear areas. The clear areas are bare sandy soil which crack in the dry season. The snails never climb trees. I have never seen juveniles. I am unsure if they feed on any particular crop or whether they are attracted to ploughed fields due to ease of burying themselved in the turned soil. The locals assume they eat their crops but there is much more damage done due to leaf cutter ants than snails.
My suggestion is a bunch of long green grass and other meadow plants, tied in a bunch and placed in a buried waterdish so that the neck of the dish is level with the soil surface. I suggest a substrate of garden soil (I think peat is too acidic and tends to stick to their body is a little too dry) If there are up to a dozed commonly found ground level plants in this bunch there is a good chance that the snails will select some or even a few. The soil should be up to 6" deep to facilitate burrowing and this should be dampened from once end to provide a gradient of moisture. A heat mat should be placed in the centre allowing a selection of areas: Cool/dry, cool/damp, warm/dry, warm/damp. I think the ground temperature should be 25C.
I had some success on my return feeding the snails on rabbit food. This was just on a whim but they did show some interest.
I am not a snail expert but the above observations would appear to be logical and sensible deductions from field observations. I also note that their shells seem heavier and thicker than the African snails of similar size. I wonder if this could be an indication (I'm stretching out on a limb here) that they, on occasion, eat roots from below the surface and as a result engorge a high level of mineral through eating soil and grit. If this is so then they may be attracted to such foods as sweet potato or cassava or even ginger root. This might be silly but if diet is a problem these observations may point in a direction you can exploit.