Species Research


​Some of our species are either new to the hobby or just extremely difficult to keep,
either way, there is a lot of information needed on certain snail species
to ensure that they can be available to everyone that enjoys keeping snails.

From tropical rainforests to dry sandy deserts, it can take time to get the correct heat & humidity for each species
and to find a nutritious substitute for the original feed that they had in the wild.

​That however is not the end of our work.
​
Each snail needs to be happy & healthy to be able to breed & continue it's species
- sometimes it can take months or even years for a WC snail to adapt & be ready to breed, then, once we have
our very first special clutch of eggs we have to ensure the correct conditions for them to hatch
and be able to successfully raise the babies to adulthood.

Unfortunately we are not always successful and some snails will die before they adapt, this is part of life
- they also die in the wild too, due to predators, natural events and last but certainly not least...  humans & 'progress'

With continued research & study more of the 'difficult to keep' snails will be able to survive happily in captivity
which could one day make a difference in the survival or the extinction of a species.

Please Note
I do not class my research as 'complete' until I have been able to breed, hatch & raise a clutch of babies to adulthood.

​We do most of our research in stages:

Stage 1 - Successful adaptation to a new environment, with no losses in a 12 month period.
Stage 2 - Egg laying & hatching.
Stage 3 - Raising at least 1 clutch of babies successfully to adult. 
​

Megalobulimus Oblongus (Strophocheilidae)
​drinking & feeding

Snail Hutches
Some of our WC breeding groups that would naturally hibernate, are kept in outdoor snail hutches all year round (made by my husband)
this gives them as natural an environment as possible to help them adapt to captivity.
All babies from these, are then raised in tubs in our cold room (fully insulated but not heated) to prepare them for their new homes.

Please see our 'snail care' page for a general guide to keeping most species of land snail -
it covers the essentials such as housing, feeding & heating but over the years we have been experimenting with different
food plants - after losing a few snails when fed on supermarket bought lettuce & greens, we decided to find some alternative
green leafy stuff that we could grow ourselves to ensure that there are no chemicals used.

We have found that most of our snails really enjoy wild horseradish leaves!

Depending on species, our snails mainly feed on wild horseradish leaves, lettuce, sweet potato & nettles
​along ​with slices of mushroom, aubergine, courgette, mango, cucumber, apple, squash, sweetcorn etc.
depending on individual requirements.
​

Most snail species enjoy Lichen - ​try placing sticks, branches & rocks in for them

All adult snail sizes given on our website are for approximate shell length only.
It will vary slightly for each individual snail, depending on diet, habitat &
whether or not they are Wild Caught or Captive Bred.
You are probably aware about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will came into force on 25th May 2018.
We would like to inform you that we do NOT keep any of your personal data on our own computer system as you check out only with Paypal.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Prohibits the release into the wild, of any species not native to Great Britain.
The damage to our countryside, that non native species can do to the plant & animal life could be extensive
because of the amount of eggs laid & food consumed by snails.
Most of our own African & tropical species would not survive here in the wild due to our winter temperatures
but if you ever have unwanted baby snails or eggs, please freeze & crush them properly BEFORE disposal.