|
|
Post by jicme on Jul 28, 2009 15:22:33 GMT
I've just bought two Giant African Land Snail babies. They are about 1inch in size. I've got them in a large tank, with about 2-3 inches of pet shop soil, a cuttle fish bone, some fake plants, a 'Reptile' bowl with 1 cm of water in and some fresh lettuce, ect. I've put a Hygrometer in there too, which currently reads '83'. I have a heat mat, which I have celotaped to the side off the tank. The heat mat just simply heats up (when plugged in) is there anyway to control what heat it gets to, or does it have a limit?
Also, has anyone got any other suggestions on how to care for them? These are my first snails, plus they are babies.
I was also wondering, how do you pick them up? They are only 1inch big so...
Any help is kindly appreciated!
|
|
nicolasnail
Archachatina marginata
Snowy the margie queen
Posts: 23
|
Post by nicolasnail on Jul 28, 2009 17:30:23 GMT
I'm guessing you have fulica? Have you put anything on the back of the heat mat to stop the heat escaping and to keep it going into the tank? I usually use some poly foam with some bubble wrap on the back to keep it unsulated  . You could get a thermostat to control the heat if it gets too hot but they can be quite expensive. What size mat and tank have you got? As long as the snail are around 25c they should be happy, my fulica were more active and grew better than at 20 to 22c which is what's recommended. To pick them up if their on a tank wall just rub their foot gently and they should retract a bit and then just slide them back and forth (on their foot) till they loose grip, just make sure you don't use the shell as that can weaken the mantle. After you handle them a lot they sometimes don't retract so it's quite fun picking them up then as they just give you a grumpy look . Their very easy to care for and look after themselves, juse make sure they have fresh food every day and remove food when it becomes to spoiled (though sometimes they like rotting vegetation). Don't be to clean with the tank as they do need to develop bacteria to be able to digest food properly and some other stuff which I can't remember  . They usually love sweet potatoe, romaine lettuce, kale, cucumber and courgettes, also mine really like fish flakes. Also don't forget the cuttle fish, they need that thing to grow big and stwong . |
|
|
|
Post by jicme on Jul 28, 2009 20:12:10 GMT
Thanks so much ^_^
|
|
|
|
Post by dave1961 on Jul 29, 2009 10:20:00 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by mysteryshopper1 on Jul 29, 2009 10:46:27 GMT
If you overall room temperature is around 24 - 28c you need not worry about heat mat, and to be honest thermos etc are only needed for the fussier species like Archachatina marginata, Puylaerti and Achatina Achatina.
The Rh you have seems very reasonable for them as well, the easiest way to pick up is to very gently place your finger in front of them ( they usually love to wander onto hands etc / maybe its the warmth ) you can pick them up by the shell but be very careful by the opening where the new growth is ( as its very very soft ) and can easily be cracked / deformed by what seems by a gentle touch.
If you leave water in their bowl dont leave it too deep around 1cm would be ok and refill as it evaporates. As regards your heat mat , it is limited to its wattage its probably between 5watt and 10watt it should tell you somewhere on the mat, and to be honest if its on the side of the tank they will just move away if it gets too hot.
Feeding : Avoid food from the onion family as this may kill your snails, they will eat romaine Lettuce, Cucumber, Sweet potato ( and excellent food for them ) , white potato, dog biscuits ( soaked for at least half and hour ) , dog food ( check it is low in sodium ) and mny other foods but the ones mentioned are staples of their diet - many also use fish flakes. I would recommend you try limestone chunks / flour as a superior calcium ( and cheaper ) source than cuttlefish this can also be gently sprinkled through the soil as well as left at a regular spot for them.
Spray gently once/twice a day depending on the evaporation of liquids in your tank, if the soil is bone dry then its too dry - if you can see clearly that there is water under the soil its probably too wet. The snail will get most of his moisture from food but most people spray the tank gently to simulate moisture that would be found from dew in the wild.
A cheap way to keep heat in is to use a little clingfilm over some of the holes in the tank ( this will also raise humidity slightly so keep a close eye on it ).
Quite truthfully many people go over the top and think the temp must be exactly this or that, When in truth Achatina Fulica are found throughout Southern Africa and in coastal regions South Africa can become quite cold at night and only reach around 19c during the day, this is also true around the large dams in S.A. Hartebeespoort Dam for instance can regularly fall to 8 or 10c at night and max out at 15c during the day.As does Port elisabeth , Achatina are found in all these regions.
Hope this helps
Ade
|
|
|
|
Post by ddddyyyy on Aug 5, 2009 7:24:10 GMT
|
|
.
.
