Yes it's fine to use it, and you are welcome to make changes. I have to admit it's a bit long too, I got carried away on it! I took into account some of the questions that had been put to me from new people. Probably needs changing a bit anyway, I wrote it a while ago. It has links to SuperSnails pages which I assume you like to change.
General Giant African Land Snail Care Sheet(
Mainly Achatina and Archachatina species )
Introduction.
This is a care sheet to cover the general care of Giant African Land Snails, mainly Achatina and Archachatina species, but much of the sheet applies to other species too.
For more specific care advice please refer to the individual species sections in this forum, these can be accessed through the species section of the forum
Snails are interesting and easy pets to keep once you get your set-up right, so this page will cover housing, cleaning/hygiene, humidity, heat and diet. The basics in care. Also covered are handling, breeding and communities of snails.
INITIAL SET-UPHOUSING:There are several options in housing, and each with their own benefits.
Glass Tanks and Vivariums: - These provide excellent visibility and transfer heat well from a heat mat. Although costly to buy new they can be purchased cheaply from free-ad papers such as AdMag, or you can pick them up for free from your local FreeCycle, a group run by Yahoo, though you may have to wait for one to turn up.
With vivariums some come with variable ventilation options.
They are of-course heavy to lift, making it more awkward to thoroughly wash out, but I find that regular wash-outs are not required, and scooping the soil out followed by a thorough wipe with warm water is good for a thorough clean.
Many aquarium tanks come with light fitted into the lids, which can be an added bonus to the looks of you set-up, but it’s important to ensure the snails cannot reach the light itself.
To make your own Vivarium here’s an excellent example, courtesy of Manxminx:
supersnails.proboards76.com/index.cgi?board=housing&action=display&thread=1191691642Plastic pet tanks: -
These are smaller than most glass tanks, but easier to lift.
On the down side they scratch easily and don’t transfer heat well from the heat mat.
Plastic storage tubs.It’s hard to find one with good visibility, but they are cheap, often large, lightweight, and easy to drill into should you need to. They are also stackable so very useful if you intend keeping many species.
When choosing a tank please be aware that the tiny babies will grow large, and although snails do not need to run around they are healthier and grow larger with plenty of room. You will also have the added bonus of having space to provide your snails with accessories.
ACCESSORIESThe main rules are that they should be free from chemicals, should not be sharp, and should be robust enough to not be bulldozed around the tank and tipped over by the snails.
HidesSnails appreciate a dark place to hide in when they want to sleep. The choice is endless, there’s plenty of wonderful decorative hides to be found in reptile and aquarium shops, but if you want a cheaper option half a plant pot is great.
Water DishSnails also benefit from having a water dish. Some will sit in their water for ages, others prefer to regularly dip their heads. Again reptile shops stock lovely ones catering for variable depths, and are aesthetically pleasing. A terracotta dish does the job just as well though.
Please bare in mind that providing water is not essential as they will get their moisture from the damp substrate, the humidity in the air, and the food they eat, so it may be wise to not have water with very small snails, in case they drown.
BranchesMany keepers provide branches for their snails, as snails generally like to climb, and it makes for a more natural environment for the snails. It’s worth taking precautions against pests when introducing branches into the tank. Branches can be sterilised at 100 degrees C in the oven.
Thick oak, elderberry and beech tree branches are good to use.
Many keepers furnish their set-ups with artificial and real plants.
(Links to examples of set-ups to follow)
SUBSTRATEThe main rule is it must be free from chemicals.
There is a variety of substrate, which can be used. One of the most popular is Coir, which comes in dehydrated blocks. This is economical in storage space and once water has been added it expands to make a sizeable amount.
One advantage of coir is that it is none-acidic, and therefore does not erode the shell.
Coir is made out of coconut fibres, but looks and feels like soil, making a natural and safe substrate to use.
Organic soil, found at most garden centres.
This is perhaps one of the most natural substrates I can think of.
One advantage is that it is likely to already have a good balance of helpful bacteria and enzymes, which the snails utilise, for digestion and possibly their immune system.
Coir matting.
Coir in a mat form. This has an advantage of being easy to lift out and wash. It will also discourage egg laying if eggs are not desired.
But snails often prefer to burrow to sleep, so this should be considered.
HEATINGA range of between 18-30 °C (64-86 °F), preferably between 21-26 °C. This is comfortable room temperature, but unless your room is consistently within this range it is worth buying a heatmat. Reticulata and Tiger snails thrive at higher temperatures of up to 28-32°C.
Achatina and Archachatina snails cannot tolerate cold temperatures and will die if left to go near freezing.
Snails are cold-blooded, meaning they cannot generate their own body heat. They require the correct temperature to provide their bodies with energy to move and to digest food. Eggs are especially sensitive to heat variations and may die quickly if left to go cold.
The easiest way to provide extra heat is to use a heatmat. These do vary in cost, but I have found cheaper new ones on eBay, which are excellent. (Please be cautious if buying second-hand or used electrical equipment as you will not know it’s history, or may not detect any damage to it, thus can be a fire risk).
PositioningIt is wise to place your heatmat on the side of the tank, as snail burrow into soil and may therefore over-heat if the mat is on the bottom.
Placing your mat so there is a warm side and cooler side gives the snails to regulate their own temperature by moving to most comfortable part of the tank
With plastic tanks you may find that the heat hardly goes through, it may be necessary to drill homes in the side to let the heat in, or even to place your mat inside the tank.
A good way to gauge the heat level is by the behaviour of the snails. If they huddle near the heatmat is may be worth turning up the heat.
Likewise if they congregate on the opposite side it may be too high.
HUMIDITYThe substrate should be damp but not soggy. Heat and ventilation control humidity.
A good way to gauge the level of humidity is by the behaviour of the snails. If they burrow a lot it may not be humid enough. If they are active and thriving then you have probably got it right.
Humidity gauges can be purchased, a range of 80-90% rH (relative humidity) is generally good.
If your humidity is too low it may be worth covering some of the ventilation with bubble-wrap or cling-film
Likewise if water is pooling and dripping from the top it is worth adjusting the covering, or drilling holes in the lid.
CLEANING AND SNAIL HYGIENEThe most important rules are not to use chemicals, and to wash your hands, especially after handling wild-caught snails.Snails are extremely sensitive to chemicals, so chemical spray cleaners are out of the question.
If you must sterilise your tank then simply near-boiling water does for plastic. This is likely to break glass, so Milton baby bottle sterilising tablets may be used. These are also safe for fish. Though to be sure please rinse out thoroughly.
Generally speaking, a routine of: -
Daily removal of much of the old food and detritus (poo) (leave a bit in)
Every few days – wipe the sides of the tank with a damp cloth
When necessary change part or all of the soil if it is getting too dirty.
It is important to
not keep the snails fastidiously clean, as this will upset the balance of bacteria utilised by the snails to digest their food. This can make the snails ill.
You may wish to invest in a little eco-system. Common woodlice and springtails eat detritus and spoiled food, thus keeping the tank cleaner and helping to prevent the growth of mould and harmful bacteria, whilst still maintaining the good bacteria balance.
Tropical woodlice and springtails can be purchased.
HANDLING and HUMAN HYGIENEThere are precautions to be taken here.
DO NOT simply pull on the shell. If you do this may damage the snail’s body, even killing the snail.
DO slide your hand gently under its body, or if you can wait long enough encourage it to climb onto some food or other removable object, then pick up the object with the snail on.
DO NOT wear hand-cream. Snails are very sensitive to many chemicals.
DO NOT hold or squeeze the lip of the shell where the new growth is. This is often frail and is likely to break.
Bearing these rules in mind snails are easy to handle. Some species will retract when picked up, others are not at all shy and will immediately explore your hand.
After handling snails it is wise to wash your hands, although snail slime IS very good for your skin!
Wild caught snails may harbour a parasite caught from rat faeces. If
ingested by humans this can cause illness, and possibly even meningitis. The parasite uses the snail as a host during part of it’s life cycle. For it's next stage the parasite MUST find a mammalian host to survive, so after a few weeks (a few months being on the safe side) it is believed that the parasite will die.
DIETFresh fruit and vegetables plus a
calcium source e.g. cuttlefish are the staple of the snails diet.
Organic is best as the chemicals used to treat non-organic food is of course designed to kill pests such as snails.
Most snails will devour:
Corn on the cob,
Little Gem lettuce
Cucumber
Sweet Potato
Melon
Soggy goldfish flakes (once or twice per week)
Soggy algae wafers
*Apple
*Tomato
*Oranges
*These are highly acidic and therefore may not be suitable for every day.
They may also enjoy courgette, blueberries, and many more. Trial and error is usually required, as a suprising percetange of snails can be fussy eaters, even varying from sibling to sibling!
In addition one of the best sources of calcium for your snails is cuttlefish. They prefer this when dry and fresh, so placing it on a dry dish will help it to last longer (unless the snails shuffle it around the tank!)
Other sources of calcium include liquid calcium purchased in bottles from pet suppliers, and eggshells.
In addition
ground up seeds such as hemp, pumpkinseeds, sunflower seeds, Seeds need to be soaked first.
Some people give raw eggs and raw meat to their snails. Species such as Immaculata may especially benefit from this.
Also plain, soggy dog biscuits such as Boneos make a nice treat.
Foods to avoid: -Starchy and wheat-based food such as pasta, rice white bread etc. This can cause bloating and death.
Millet can also cause this.
Possibly celery?
Onions
Rhubarb
Lemon
Grapefruit
and avocado (possibly)
I will add to this list as information becomes available….. PESTS AND DISEASEDiseases are rarely a problem with most snails, though Fulica seem prone to sudden illness, stunted growth, sudden death or slow decline whilst relatively young. The jury is out on the cause though it may well have more to go with inbreeding than actual disease, or perhaps genetic weakness have made them more vulnerable.
The
main pest to affect snails are
little white mites. These are blood suckers and at best irritate the snails, at worst kill the small ones / babies.
The best defence/treatment is to : -
Keep looking out for them, inspect your snails regularly
Quarantine new snails for a couple of weeks to allow for pests including mites to show up
If found bathe snails, change the soil, wash the tanks and ornaments and introduce a colony of
Hypoaspis Miles predatory mites, easily purchased on-line from sites such as
www.defenders.co.uk. These are sold as Sciarid Fly control. Sciarid flies may live in your snails soil but will not harm them. However they are likely to eat any seedlings you are trying to grow indoors! (grrr).
Signs of IllnessThe snail
regularly retracts into it's shell, sometimes quite far in. - possible causes include disease, old age, mites, cold and/or dry conditions
The snail is
slow to wake up and possibly has to be encouraged by bathing it in warm water - see above.
The snail is
losing weight - Not eating enough due to illness / disease / poor conditions - see above and the sections on housing, heat, humidiy and snail hygiene.
Spends
most of it's time burrowing - many snails like to burrow during the day and come out at night. - if it disappears for longer periods then it may be too cold, dry, or ill. See above.
Mantle tear - part of the body has come away from it's shell. - sometimes the snail can heal itself, it is worth keeping it in a cleaner container, with damp kitchen towel instead of soil to prevent dirt from getting into the wound. Have it's food right next to it so that it does not have to strain itself crawling. Spray regularly as it is more likely to dry out. Severe tears and mantle collapse may result in death due to suffocation.
Shell cracks and breakages - same treatment as above mantle tear.
White bubble followed by stringy 'thing' coming out of mouth -
gut expulsion - This is fatal. The best option is to euthanise the snail quickly. Forunately this is relatively rare, but the cause is yet unknown (to the best of my knowledge)
BREEDINGSnails breeding is an encouraging sign that you are keeping them right.
Most snails are hermaphrodites; they have both male and female sexual organs.
A few types can even self-fertilise with viable eggs.
Snails’ sexual organs are located just behind the head on the right hand side. In adult snails this organ will often be slightly visible as a white or cream bulge. When mating they can extend this out by a surprisingly long way!
Snails will often circle and climb around each other a while before mating, but then again they do this anyway! They will position their heads and extend their organs into one another’s and an exchange of sperm will take place. The time this takes varies from species to species. Pomatia get very tactile before mating.
Snails, once mated, can with-hold sperm within their bodies, keeping it viable for many months before using it to produce eggs, and will often wait until conditions are right.
Once fertilised and ready the snail may then continue to hold the eggs inside for an extended period, even until the day before they start to hatch!.
Typically though the snails mate, a few weeks later (varying from species to species) they will burrow into soil and cock their heads to the right, dropping the eggs out of the sexual opening one by one in a pile.
This is not always the case. I have one daft Marginata who sits on the ceiling dropping it’s eggs onto whatever is below it!
The snail will often crawl away afterwards, though it may sit there for a while resting. Snails do not guard their eggs, but may just sit there out of tiredness. It is common for a snail to rest for a few days after laying.
Some snails will lay more readily than others. Fulica are regular layers, Reticaltas and Tigers are harder to breed.
Clutch and egg sizes also vary greatly.
To encourage fussy seasonal snails to lay eggs you can reduce food and slightly reduce the temperature for a week, then increase. They can be tricked into thinking it’s the breeding season!
Provide plenty of substrate and do not over-crowd the tank. Wipe away the slime from the sides as too much slime can create the illusion to a snail that it’s over-crowded.
Some species will readily breed in communal tanks, such as Marginatas, and Fulica, while others, such as Reticulatas prefer to be only with their own kind before they will breed.
Snail species cannot interbred, though subspecies of the same snail can, e.g. similar sized Marginata sub-species may interbred, Fulica sub-species such as Rodatzi and Hamilli etc.
To hatch the eggs: -Check for eggs regularly. It is worth scooping them gently up and putting them in a slightly ventilated tub covered with damp soil, and placing this in a permanently warm place, such as within the tank, or in the airing cupboard.
Eggs will be killed off by extremes of temperature and lack of moisture. Moving them and disturbing them a lot may also result in damage to the embryo, so once moved to a safe spot try to leave them alone.
That said please check for hatchlings regularly, as they may hatch the day after being laid, or may take up to 8 or more weeks, depending on species and length of time held within the parent.
The HatchlingsThese will be a miniature of the adult, and will be independent from day one. They will eat part of their eggs at first, This is very important for them, hatchlings allowed to eat their egg shells are usually stronger and healthier than those who are not.
After that they will take the same food as their parents, including the cuttlefish/calcium.
Many keepers prefer to keep their young/little snails separate to the adults to reduce the risk of being accidentally damaged by the larger heavier snails. From experience, and that of others, I have found that keeping the hatchlings in a small tub for the first few weeks is generally beneficial for them, as they never wander far from food. I have found their growth and survival rate to be better with this method.
Unwanted Eggs.Must be destroyed before disposal. It is illegal and irresponsible to allow foreign creatures into a wild environment. Many cases of creatures surviving, breeding and causing an irreversible and devastating effect on the wildlife and environment have been reported. This is true of snails too.
Also it is more humane to destroy eggs whilst they are still undeveloped.
Therefore it is strongly advised to use a method such as freezing to ‘deal’ with unwanted eggs. Place the eggs in a food-bag and freeze for a few hours, then dispose.
Wanted or not?
Please consider how much room you have for the new snails, or whether you can re-home them. Some species will practically command a waiting list of eager new owners, others are hard to even give away..
There are questions raised as to whether or not inbreeding has damaged the genes of snails. There is some debate over this, but it's something that many people wish to consider when choosing a mate for their snail.
Iredalei give birth to live young. They hold the eggs inside until they hatch, then the snails are born.
If keeping more than one of these together you are therefore very likely to wake up to 20 or so new additions to your snail family on a fairly regular basis.
COMMUNAL TANKS and SNAIL COMMUNITIESMost snail species live well together, provided they all like a similar environment. Many people have kept Fulica, Tigers, Marginatas, and Reticulatas together in various combinations successfully.
However, Tigers and Reticulatas prefer a higher heat and humidity, and Reticulatas and possibly Tigers are less likely to breed in a communal tank, again this is from observation from various keepers, and not necessarily a complete fact..
Immaculata should NOT be kept with other species. There have been several incidences of Immaculata Panthera rasping at the shells and bodies of other snails, causing damage and sometimes death.
Megalobulimus and Limicolaria species appear to suffer stress reactions to living with other species of snail, becoming increasing less active and frothing, a defence reaction. Sometimes a Limicolaria will die through being kept with other species.
Snails appear to thrive with other snails (an Escargotoire!). Many actively choose to interact, sliming and mouthing each other, following each other around and resting in huddles.
However there's no proof at this time that snails 'suffer' when kept on their own.
Adding a new snail.... snails are not territorial, there is no 'pecking order' or hierachy, so new snails will not be intimidated by others in the tank. The only precautions are whether the new snail, or existing snails are suitable for cummunal tanks (if they are not of the same species), and the health of the new snail. Many people choose a period of quarantene to make sure the new snail is pest/disease-free.
Created by Ness/AlienSnail
