sand as substrate for snails?

[Kevin]

Checking through shellers websites I noticed this, that the Austroborus lutescens shell in the link was found burried in sand in La Paloma, Uruguay, I also found before that Austroborus lutescens live in sand and grass, so would it be a good idea to give them sand in captivity? is sand bad for snails? at the moment I keep my ones on coir and leaf litter, they're doing ok, they havent laid any eggs though.

www.conchology.be/en/availableshells/shellsforsaledetails.php?uniquenumber=324793#f

[Moracai]

Is there any way to do the tank with sand on one side and soil the other and see which they prefer?

[gabi]

I keep my zebra on a mixture (half/half) of leaflitter and sand and it has a fourth of his tank a sand/limestone mixture as they are found in nature on the beaches under leaves of the trees growing there. He usually burrows in the area where the sand/leaflitter meets the sand/calcium mixture.

I am sure it would be worth a try to give the austroborus half of the tank with normal substrate and the other side just with sand. Then you will see, what he prefers.

Kind regards,

Gabi

[hic]

i have tried a half sand half coir mix before but half prefered the sand half prefered the coir so i didnt post because tests were inconclusive

[felix93]

I kept mine in sand, coir mixed with layers of live moss on top, they are doing pretty well and since laid me 2 batches of eggs. I have even managed to see them mate. Only unfortunately, the 1st batch of eggs did not hatch ( I did not remove any from thri tank, I have put the second batch of eggs in the incubator (it is a proper automatic one that adjust its temp and for reptile eggs.) I just could not work out how to hatch the eggs.

edit: the sand I use is those for the reptiles, not play sand.

[mandywith11]

is play sand ok?

[Kevin]

Ive given my Austroborus lutescens a substrate of aquarium sand mixed with coir, decaying leaves and rotting wood, they already seem more active than they were on their old substrate.