Confused=me!

[loly]

Okay today i am very confused. i have seen alot of different pictures
from different people, on different sites. one person used carpet in
their tank for their snails, others used kitchen roll, and commonly
soil or coir.
i was wondering which would be the cleanest, healthiest, mostly
cheapest, and most long-lasting. Also that doesn't involve mites.
The soil i use often has mites in because the bag of it is outside,
but i can't help that, Also everyones snails seem so clean (on
their shell) but i can never get mine like this. Especially my White
Jades because their shells are brittle because of their owner before
me. I am just asking for advice and maybe how to controll pests.
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Loly

[Dusk]

If the soil you use has mites in it *before* you use it, stop using it. Right away.

Coir can be pretty cheap but it's hard to wash and reuse. Sphagnum moss isn't cheap but it is easy to clean and reuse, so one lot will last you ages and ages. Whatever you use, put it in the freezer overnight before putting it in the tank, that should get rid of mites.

However, if they already have mites it's imperative you take steps to get rid of them as they'll infest any new substrate you use. Throw out any substrate with mites in it, clean the tank throughly, bathe the snails. When you've got them totally mite-free, that's the time to begin worrying about which substrate is best.

[loly]

thankyou!
today i am browsing for sphagnum moss, are any other mosses useful in the snails tank?

[Dusk]

I don't know of any other mosses that are useful for snails. You can try looking for it in garden and diy shops locally - it's sold for hanging baskets. It's amazingly useful stuff

[loly]

Thats cool, cause then my dad (who loves gardening) can use any left over, although, i'd prefer
to put it all in! there is quite a cheap shop around 3 miles from here, that sells all garden/diy/junk.
Lol. when you buy the moss do you have to do anything to it like microwave, boil or what?
thanyou dusk!

[Dusk]

I usually put the moss in the freezer for a day then either let it defrost on its own or pour boiling water over it then let it cool. I used to use it just as it came, then one day I found a slug when I opened a pack, quite happily sealed in and exploring the moss! I put the slug in the garden but if something as big as a slug can stow away in moss, smaller things like mites probably can do the same. You can also buy it in dry bricks from reptile shops, which you soak before use. The live packs are probably cheaper and easier to find, though, and as long as you clean the moss before use, it's no risk to your snails.

You can use it as the sole substrate or just put a clump in in addition to coir or other substrate. They like burrowing in it to sleep.

[Rachel]

if its live moss then soak it in warm water overnight and keep it conmpletely submerged, thats what i do anyway, otherwise it'll die, boilings fine with the dried stuff though.

[loly]

thankyou. that really helps.
i'm definatly going to go to the
local diy/shop thing to find some.
i'll upload images of the tank layout after
i have placed it in ! both great champions

[coyote]

I'm a big fan of coir. It's worked much better for me than soil or sphagnum moss, and while my snail thought it was strange when I switched to it, he's adjusted and seems to like it a lot. The tank used to get too dry, and the coir has solved that problem instantly.

[loly]

thats great. it think a mixture would go down well in that case
my snails don't like the soil, and they often travel on the sandy side
of the tank. Maybe coir and sphagnum moss will make them happier!
ty