Snail Care - A basic guide
Temperatures
I know certain species are said to 'prefer' to be permanently kept at 28* and over, but in the wild most land snails bury themselves
in the daytime to escape the heat, coming out in the evenings & early mornings when it is a few degrees cooler.
Personally I like to use the average climate in the country of origin for each species as a guideline and then go from there,
most species (but not all) will tolerate a slight variance in temperature as long as the humidity levels are right for them.
So maybe spray water a little more or a little less often until the snails are all active, happy and feeding.
Of course, everyone has different views & to make things easier for your new pets to adapt to their new home with you,
PLEASE check with the breeder you are buying snails from regarding the temperature & humidity they are used to.
in the daytime to escape the heat, coming out in the evenings & early mornings when it is a few degrees cooler.
Personally I like to use the average climate in the country of origin for each species as a guideline and then go from there,
most species (but not all) will tolerate a slight variance in temperature as long as the humidity levels are right for them.
So maybe spray water a little more or a little less often until the snails are all active, happy and feeding.
Of course, everyone has different views & to make things easier for your new pets to adapt to their new home with you,
PLEASE check with the breeder you are buying snails from regarding the temperature & humidity they are used to.
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We have moved the tanks & tubs around a bit over the years and have found some of the snails a suitable spot in the house that agrees with them - I can't fit them all in my snail rooms - and most of them are quite active in the daytime
as well as at night, some of them are placed near a radiator instead of using a heat mat in the winter, which works fine
for some of the more hardy species as our house room temp is kept at roughly 18*C
* Please be aware that certain species will need more or less humidity and ventilation than others *
We have moved the tanks & tubs around a bit over the years and have found some of the snails a suitable spot in the house that agrees with them - I can't fit them all in my snail rooms - and most of them are quite active in the daytime
as well as at night, some of them are placed near a radiator instead of using a heat mat in the winter, which works fine
for some of the more hardy species as our house room temp is kept at roughly 18*C
* Please be aware that certain species will need more or less humidity and ventilation than others *
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Substrate
We prefer to use natural woodland compost and leaf litter as a base
as well as home-grown sphagnum moss & added leaves from oak, beech and fruit trees.
Most of our snails enjoy eating the various bits & pieces that they find, this helps to create a natural as possible habitat.
Even our smaller species tubs have a nice pile of tasty leaves to nibble at & hide in.
Certain species will need it mixed with sand, limestone or volcanic rock dust so please research your chosen species first!
as well as home-grown sphagnum moss & added leaves from oak, beech and fruit trees.
Most of our snails enjoy eating the various bits & pieces that they find, this helps to create a natural as possible habitat.
Even our smaller species tubs have a nice pile of tasty leaves to nibble at & hide in.
Certain species will need it mixed with sand, limestone or volcanic rock dust so please research your chosen species first!
Plants
Some snails enjoy having live plants to nibble, and it also helps to keep the humidity levels up,
you can grow various weeds & herbs all year round
either in a greenhouse or on a windowsill, ready to just plant in a tank when needed.
If you don't have the space or the patience to grow your own plants, some supermarkets
sell rooted lettuce & potted herbs pretty cheap, just remember to give them a good wash before using.
you can grow various weeds & herbs all year round
either in a greenhouse or on a windowsill, ready to just plant in a tank when needed.
If you don't have the space or the patience to grow your own plants, some supermarkets
sell rooted lettuce & potted herbs pretty cheap, just remember to give them a good wash before using.
Water
Some snails enjoy a bath now & again, some larger species may like a plastic cat food bowl as the sides
are slighting sloping to avoid tipping, which also makes it easier for them to get in it.
Smaller species can make regular use of a milk bottle lid or just a leaf for a drinking place.
Not all snails will want a water supply if they are kept damp & some will just tip it up & turn the substrate into a bog
- If this happens stop putting water in for them, just continue to spray the moss & leaf litter instead.
Our Megalobulimus love their tortoise dish and being fairly flat & heavy they can't tip it over!
are slighting sloping to avoid tipping, which also makes it easier for them to get in it.
Smaller species can make regular use of a milk bottle lid or just a leaf for a drinking place.
Not all snails will want a water supply if they are kept damp & some will just tip it up & turn the substrate into a bog
- If this happens stop putting water in for them, just continue to spray the moss & leaf litter instead.
Our Megalobulimus love their tortoise dish and being fairly flat & heavy they can't tip it over!
Feeding
Most snails eat a variety of fruit, vegetables, plants & herbs - however, like us, they have their favourites
and you will need to observe their feeding habits to make a list of your own.
Please be aware that their feeding preferences will change from time to time throughout the year
depending on varying nutritional needs such as growth or reproduction.
This is a basic list to get you started:
Aubergine, Apple
Beetroot, Banana, Basil
Cabbage, Carrot, Chard, Courgette, Cucumber
Dandelion, Dock Leaves
Romaine Lettuce
Marrow, Mango, Melon, Mushrooms
Nettles
Papaya, Parsnips, Peach, Pears, Pepper, Plum, Pumpkin
Raspberries
Strawberries, Squash, Sweetcorn, Sweet Potato, Swede
Turnip
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Beetroot, Banana, Basil
Cabbage, Carrot, Chard, Courgette, Cucumber
Dandelion, Dock Leaves
Romaine Lettuce
Marrow, Mango, Melon, Mushrooms
Nettles
Papaya, Parsnips, Peach, Pears, Pepper, Plum, Pumpkin
Raspberries
Strawberries, Squash, Sweetcorn, Sweet Potato, Swede
Turnip
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A tin of creamed corn put through the blender with some other veg goes down well sometimes... |
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* Do NOT feed onions, garlic, rice or pasta to a snail.
* Most snails will also appreciate food that has been pre-soaked first
such as dog / cat biscuit, fish food flakes & seeded ryvita.
* All snails need permanent access to calcium for shell growth,
this is usually provided in the form of cuttlefish.
Some species of snail need certain minerals in their diet to remain healthy
and some species are omnivorous / carnivorous
SO
Please research your chosen species THOROUGHLY before buying as
different snails have different requirements.
and some species are omnivorous / carnivorous
SO
Please research your chosen species THOROUGHLY before buying as
different snails have different requirements.
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Most snails really enjoy having Lichen covered branches
in the tanks for eating & for exploration. The bigger the snail - the thicker the branch. |
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Please Note...
Many thanks to Nell Vladimirovna Kornetova for this picture & information.
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Keeping all the eggs from your breeding pair of adult snails can sometimes be disastrous. Giant African land snails are known to be breeding machines - producing hundreds of young at a time and being ready for reproduction as often as every 2-3 months (sometimes more frequent) The best thing to do is to freeze the eggs as soon as they are laid. As cruel as this may seem, freezing is in fact the most humane way of maintaining population size. Freezing the eggs once they are laid halts their development into snails. The cells literally "stop dividing" - no pain is caused in this process. Keeping 20-30 snails and raising them to adulthood is a lot of hard work. So even if you are planning on hatching the entire clutch and selling the majority on, its useful to know that in the wild more than 60% of the young don't make it to adulthood. For this reason, adults produce hundreds of young, in hope that few of them will trickle through and survive to breeding age. Predators & disease naturally control the population size. In captivity there is no threat from predators and very little threat of disease. For this reason, snails thrive and can literally flood you with young. |
