Achatina reticulata albino: keeping and caring for a snail at home

Achatina reticulata albino differs from its congeners in its milky-white body and brownish-coffee color of the shell and is one of the favorite species of snail owners. The land animal is distinguished by a friendly character, in addition, it is unpretentious in keeping.

The albino snail is an albino, similar to other mollusks of the Achatina family, except for the white head and body.

Its distinctive external features:

• cone-shaped shell with 8 curls in adults;
• apex pointed, usually light yellow;
• the color of the shell is soft coffee with a dark brown pattern in the form of stripes and spots;
• columella is light or colorless;
• As they grow older, the Achatina's leg turns yellow, and the ninth curl appears on the shell, however, this is typical for all reticulates.

The features of albinos are:

• slow growth of the mollusk;
• the small size of the shell in comparison with the dimensions of other large snails - 15 cm;
• albinos do not hibernate, so they can be combined with other varieties;
• low sensitivity of the shell, so you can pick up the animal without problems.

For a comfortable stay, an albino Achatina needs a spacious horizontal terrarium, for one individual - at least 15 liters.It is undesirable to install solid decorative elements in this dwelling, since during the growth of the snails are extremely vulnerable, they can seriously injure themselves and die, falling even from an insignificant height.

Some owners prefer to use special padding or foam mats for their pets.covered with interlining. This helps to simplify the maintenance of the snail, eliminates the appearance of parasites and ensures the frequency in the aquarium. But it is still recommended to supplement them with leaf litter or moss.

To protect young snails, peat with low acidity, moss, fallen leaves, wood chips or coconut flakes must be placed on the bottom of the container. Moss is also spread along the walls. The substrate layer should be approximately 10–12 cm. The temperature at which snails grow and develop well is 24-28 degrees. This is not surprising, since Africa is their homeland.

It is also worth considering humidifying the air. For growing reticulates, the optimal parameters are 65–80%, for adult snails, lower values ​​are provided - 60–65%.

Albinos are unpretentious and not picky about food, so they eat everything that a person offers them. Often, overeating leads to swelling or death of the mollusk, so portions of food should be strictly dosed.

Fruits and vegetables that are allowed to give to Achatina:

• leaf salad;
• zucchini;
• tomatoes;
• carrot;
• zucchini;
• greens;
• White cabbage;
• spinach;
• pumpkin;
• cucumbers;
• from fruits: bananas, sweet apples and peaches.

An indispensable component of any food for Achatina reticulata is calcium. It can be given along with crushed grains, sprinkled on vegetable and fruit dishes.

For the animal to grow faster, the snail needs vegetable protein from 2 weeks, starting from one month of age - animal proteins in the form of 1/3 tsp. daphnia or 1-2 pieces of gammarus crustacean. However, proteins are not given to the mollusk every day, but 2-3 times a week.

By 4–5 months, the reticulates grow noticeably, practically reaching their adult size, and by 6–7 months they become capable of reproduction. Achatina are hermaphrodites, so you should not be surprised when, after mating, small oval yellow eggs are laid by both individuals. There can be up to 300 of them in the masonry.

Incubation takes about 30 days if temperature (26-28 degrees) and high humidity (70-80%) favor it. Small mollusks are born from eggs in 15–20 days.

The tiny Achatina that have been born can be fed with lettuce and cabbage leaves, after sprinkling them with crushed eggshells, as well as vegetables and crushed cereal grains, add lime to food. But after 30 days, grown albinos are able to consume and perfectly digest the food that their parents eat.

It is already allowed to pick up adult animals; earlier it was dangerous to do this because of the fragility of the shell. It has been proven that albino snails sense the approach of the owner by smell, they like the touch of his hands. For many, this is an indisputable manifestation of warm friendly feelings.

In the next video you can watch the snails of Achatina reticulata albino.