Features of keeping snails at home and caring for them

The care and maintenance of snails at home for an uninitiated person looks quite simple and straightforward. But in practice, worries with such a pet are no less than with other representatives of wildlife. How can a beginner properly keep small and large snails at home? What is the difference between terrestrial and aquatic species of beautiful decorative molluscs? What temperature, humidity, feeding regime should be observed?

In search of answers to all these questions, novice breeders often choose the trial and error method, are disappointed in their new pets. You can avoid these consequences if you study in advance all the subtleties of keeping snails of different species. An experienced owner maintains the health of the pets and the environment in their place of residence in optimal condition without unnecessary difficulties, and for this he gets real pleasure from interacting with domestic molluscs.

When creating a home for domestic snails, it is worth considering the peculiarities of their natural habitat. Land animals require a molluscum or terrarium with a volume of 10 liters or more per individual. For large exotic species, it is recommended to choose a container at the rate of 15-20 liters per snail.

Aquatic species need to be set up in a classic aquarium with plants or can be planted in a ready-made tank. For 1-2 individuals, a volume of 5 liters or more is needed.Snails are not very sensitive to acidity and hardness of water, but they react negatively to high levels of phosphates, nitrates and other signs of environmental degradation. Temperature regimes of keeping depend on what conditions are typical for the life of mollusks in nature.

The ventilation flaps should not be too large in diameter, otherwise small snails can get out through them.

A special substrate is laid at the bottom of the terrarium - peat, coconut or soil, with a layer thickness of 2 to 10 cm, decorations, plants, bowls and drinkers are immersed inside. A lid is placed on the surface of the container and fixed. A house for snails that are active mainly at night, additional lighting is not needed. For them, the regular change of day and night is much more important. Do not place them in areas of a room with bright artificial lighting.

The best living conditions for land snails imply the constant preservation of certain temperature and humidity indicators. Abrupt changes in the state of the environment are especially dangerous for mollusks. The best indicators are considered to be + 20-26 degrees Celsius. With a decrease in these indicators, tropical mollusks can hibernate.

Humidity is also important for captive snails. The atmosphere inside the terrarium should be around 80%. Based on the type of mollusk, these parameters can vary by 10% in both directions. The easiest way to control this data is with special thermometers and hygrometers. The moisture content of the soil should be optimal, because it is in this environment that snails spend most of the day.

Snails are fed every other day or daily, depending on the species and age. Young individuals are fed 2-3 times a day. Food should be as varied as possible and very moderate.

The diet of domestic snails usually consists of:

They are needed for the entry of calcium into the body, the formation of the shell. Ground eggshells, chalk can be used as top dressing, ready-made mixtures can be given.

It makes up the bulk of the diet, includes lettuce leaves, young shoots of vegetables. It is useful to give pets dandelion shoots, plantain, wheat germ and other cereals.

The juicy pulp of raspberry, strawberry, melon, watermelon, pear and banana is the best snail treat.

The pulp of pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, tomato is good.

Boiled egg white, meat, ready-made feed mixtures are given.

With a balanced diet, you don't have to worry about your pet's health.

The process of caring for snails at home will not seem difficult, even for novice breeders.

But this does not mean that you will have to monitor them less than other inhabitants of the terrarium. Among the general rules:

• periodic bathing in warm water;
• full cleaning and cleaning of the aquarium at least 1 time per week;
• regular bedding replacement;
• performing an extra cleaning if necessary.

From time to time, snails can hibernate.

You can wake up a snail by holding it under a stream of warm water for a while.

The shell of domesticated molluscs needs regular care and attention from the breeder.The larger the snail, the more careful the owner will have to be. If cracks, chips, and other damage are detected, it is necessary to increase the volume of mineral supplements, to increase the proportion of calcium in the diet. Similar measures are taken when signs of molting, shell delamination are detected. If there is a large crack or chip on the surface, the individual must be deposited separately, to exclude the risks of additional injury, and to carry out antiseptic treatment.

Snails love to swim, but it is very important to do it right. To receive water procedures, the mollusk is planted in the palm of your hand and placed under a thin stream of warm water.

During a properly organized bathing, the pet will relax, show itself in all its glory.

If safety measures or rules for keeping a house snail are violated, pets can get sick. Signs of poor health are shell stratification, refusal to eat, general lethargy of the mollusk, profuse mucus secretion. For in order to exclude possible problems, it is imperative to protect the snail from the neighborhood with larger or more aggressive species, poor ventilation, excessive contamination of the container. Snails also get sick with a sharp temperature drop, a too cramped aquarium, excessive dryness of the substrate. It is worth eliminating the sources of possible discomfort, and then the pets will feel better.

Many snails are viviparous - their babies are born after the eggs ripen in the mother's body. But there are also oviparous species, and their offspring require increased attention to themselves. These types of snails include Achatina (with the exception of some species) - one of the most popular land mollusks.

After that, it is not recommended to touch the eggs, unless they are scattered around the terrarium. If the masonry is made compactly, when cleaning in the soil, it will be possible to notice round elements, similar to vitamins, with a fragile outer shell. There are also false eggs - without a strong shell, with a translucent rather than matte shell color.

It is recommended to divide very large clutches, freeze some of the embryos. You cannot throw out the clutch without freezing, otherwise the snails can breed in the most unexpected places. Eggs are not recommended to be left without soil, they need high humidity and a constant temperature in the terrarium. It will be optimal to transfer the masonry to the "children's" aquarium - they just gently pry it off with a spoon along with the substrate and transfer it, and then cover it with a damp bedding.

They will crawl out of the ground after the egg shell is eaten.

Newborn snails require careful handling. Their shell is quite fragile and can crack easily. Feeding should be done in a standard way, offering the young the same food as the adults, but with additional mineral supplements to strengthen the shell.

Domestic snails are represented by a fairly wide variety of species, but this does not mean at all that any street mollusks are suitable for keeping in captivity. If you want to have a pet, you should give preference to the options known and proven. Almost all earthen species prefer to bury themselves in the ground in the daytime, and only come to the surface at night. To contain them correctly, you need to consider their compatibility and some other important points.

Domestic snails need to be kept according to their species. Some species can be housed together, but living together will lead to interspecies crossing.

In addition, when large molluscs are combined with smaller ones, attacks of cannibalism associated with lack of nutrition can occur. Experienced breeders recommend not mixing the species in the terrarium and separating the baby compartment in the ulitarium so that they are not eaten by adult relatives.

Among the popular land and ornamental mollusks for home keeping, these types can be noted.

These African snails are exotic guests in the Russian open spaces, but they are very popular and in demand due to their general unpretentiousness, contact and attractive appearance. Achatina is considered a species suitable for "training". They recognize the owner, are able to get used to a certain feeding schedule, love bathing, and willingly communicate with the owner.

Small (up to 5-6 cm) snails that easily take root in terrariums. In content, they are as unpretentious as possible, have a variety of shell colors.

Common earthen snails that cannot be bought at the pet store.

A distinctive feature of garden snails is longevity - they are able to reach the age of 15 years, but on average they live only up to 7-8 years.

Another African type of land snail, inferior to the Achatina in decorativeness. The shell of these snails is rounded rather than pointed. The subspecies of marginate is considered the largest; it grows up to 16 cm in length.

Woody Cuban snails, the keeping of which is recommended in an upright aquarium.

It is better to start such pets in flocks, with the obligatory placement of branches and snags inside the terrarium.

One of the smallest domestic snails, reaching no more than 3-5 cm in length when kept in captivity. The colony is capable of settling even in a miniature aquarium. Molluscs are unpretentious, and it is quite interesting to watch them. The only inconvenience can be the uncontrolled reproduction of snails.

Land South American snails are gigantic in size - the shell length reaches 11 cm. Young snails are dimly colored, in brown tones, have a large body in comparison with the shell. They are not very fertile in captivity, which compares favorably with Achatina, they prefer to sleep for 2-3 days in the ground, it is not recommended to wake them up during this period.

Recommendations for the care of land snails have practically no major differences. They are equipped with a litter with thick, loose soil. In addition, the owner will have to:

• ensure that food trays are changed regularly;
• carry out wet cleaning of the walls of the house several times a week;
• periodically bathe your pet.

Freshwater molluscs suitable for home keeping - aquarium snails can be purchased on purpose or accidentally entered the aquarium by transferring with plants or soil.

But with uncontrolled breeding, the snails themselves can become a serious problem in the aquarium.

Among the species suitable for aquarium maintenance, one can single out the following.

A large mollusc found naturally in rivers in the United States. It stands out for its large size, quite popular among aquarists.

A snail capable of living in salt water. It is considered one of the best algae glass cleaners.

A predatory snail capable of providing natural regulation of shellfish abundance in an aquarium. It is started in order to destroy an overly actively breeding population of smaller species.

A type of snail with a brightly colored shell, combining black and yellow stripes of horn-like growths on the shell.

A snail with a beautiful rounded shell. Marise is peaceful, she can be settled together with different types of fish. But it is difficult for her to create optimal conditions of detention.

A snail with a luxurious conical shell. Requires salt water in the aquarium, preferably in an aquarium without fish, but only with shellfish of the same species. Otherwise, the mollusk will sit in the ground most of the time.

Unusual molluscs native to Indonesia with a bright body color, the shade of which depends on the type of soil.

Joint keeping with fish and shrimps is not recommended due to the aggressiveness of the shellfish.

A popular snail among aquarists, it is distinguished by a livable character. In the aquatic environment, it acts as an orderly, destroying harmful green algae. The brightly colored striped shell has a black background and green-yellow stripes of varying widths. The mollusk is sensitive to water quality, gets along well with calm aquarium fish, needs additional feeding.

But with an increased number of snails, their conditions of detention may worsen. The optimal population density is no more than 1-2 mollusks per 5 liters of water.

By observing the recommendations for care and maintenance, you can create optimal conditions for both water and land snails for life at home. It is always worth considering the individual characteristics of the species, paying sufficient attention to the health of the pets. Then the observation of shellfish will only bring positive emotions.

How to keep snails at home, see below.