We believe that if you take care of your snail properly, both of you will be happy and healthy. First, lets start with the basics.
1. Feeding. Feeding is one of the most tricky things about caring for snails. We often get confused about nutrition, which kinds of food is most nutritious, and calcium, how to give your snail cacium.
Nutrition is an important part of food as we all know, It's to keep our body in order, and that rule is for snails too. They do need nutrition to survive. And the most effective food to give plenty of nutrition is all kinds from the Florette bag of lettuce. That bag contains crunchy ice-berg lettuce, red ( purple ) lettuce and lambs lettuce. Every lettuce leaf packed in those bags are filled with nutrition.
Calcium is a very important part in life, especially for snails, so that's where Limestone Flour comes in. It can be found in most reptile stores or horse stores. Or Reptavite, which can be given in moderation, say twice a week. These can help your snail grow and can be sprinkled over substrate to help keep the body healthy.
2. Hygiene. It is very important to be hygienic after handling the snails. And it is recommended to wash your hands before handling with some lukewarm water. Definitely NO SOAP! It is a chemical to snails!
Snails can be dirty animals if not kept properly. Mites and flies can invest over your snails body and cause a rash. Well, flies can as they tend to bite the snails skin in hope to find food. Mites simply crawl over the body, but they don't give rashes. To get rid of flies or mites, bathe snails for 10-20 minutes each day in lukewarm water.
Giant African Land Snails can carry a diesese called salmonella ( same as tortoises ) which can give you a really sore stomach as I have read, so NEVER kiss or lick ( not that you'd want to lick a snail!! ) a snail, especially on the body. A small kiss on the shell if clean is ok but NEVER EVER on the body!
3. Substrate. It is very important to use the right substrate or you could end up with an unhappy snail with several illnesses, eg. skin rash, mites etc etc.
Paper- lots of people use this as they think it is good because almost all snails enjoy eating it, but there is no humidity in paper and certainly snails cannot burrow in paper!
Garden soil- It is very good for burrowing, but not very good for humidity as it dries out very quickly, if you use this, please put spagnum moss in for extra humidity!
Compost- All the same points as Garden soil, but Compost, as a result, lasts longer and is more dry.
Bare Tank - No Substrate- This is not recommended as this means NO humidity and NO burrowing and the snail, if it falls from the lid of the tank, the shell will get a life-threatening crack or break.
4. Tank Decorations. What you use as a decoration in your tank may be dangerous or life threatening . . ... .. . .. .. . ..
Remember to always check your decoration has NO sharp edges, NO pesticides or anything and NO SOAP if it has been washed.
Rocks are a NO as if the snail falls and cracks its shell badly, It might spell the end of it's life, I'm sorry to say, though a small dent or crack can be healed if the snail is well fed and supplied with plenty of cuttlefish bone.
5. Cuttlefish bone. As you may know, snails can eat Cuttlefish for lots of calcium too, as I forgot to mention.
Finding Cuttlefish bone is very easy, almost every petstore is guaranteed to have it as budgerigars and canaries trim their beak on it. Or you can maybe find some on the beach, by the shore, in mid-water or a rockpool.
Cuttlefish is a must-have for your snail and it is important if you don't use it the snails can die if they don't use a calcium powder.
Happy Caring!!
1. Feeding. Feeding is one of the most tricky things about caring for snails. We often get confused about nutrition, which kinds of food is most nutritious, and calcium, how to give your snail cacium.
Nutrition is an important part of food as we all know, It's to keep our body in order, and that rule is for snails too. They do need nutrition to survive. And the most effective food to give plenty of nutrition is all kinds from the Florette bag of lettuce. That bag contains crunchy ice-berg lettuce, red ( purple ) lettuce and lambs lettuce. Every lettuce leaf packed in those bags are filled with nutrition.
Calcium is a very important part in life, especially for snails, so that's where Limestone Flour comes in. It can be found in most reptile stores or horse stores. Or Reptavite, which can be given in moderation, say twice a week. These can help your snail grow and can be sprinkled over substrate to help keep the body healthy.
2. Hygiene. It is very important to be hygienic after handling the snails. And it is recommended to wash your hands before handling with some lukewarm water. Definitely NO SOAP! It is a chemical to snails!
Snails can be dirty animals if not kept properly. Mites and flies can invest over your snails body and cause a rash. Well, flies can as they tend to bite the snails skin in hope to find food. Mites simply crawl over the body, but they don't give rashes. To get rid of flies or mites, bathe snails for 10-20 minutes each day in lukewarm water.
Giant African Land Snails can carry a diesese called salmonella ( same as tortoises ) which can give you a really sore stomach as I have read, so NEVER kiss or lick ( not that you'd want to lick a snail!! ) a snail, especially on the body. A small kiss on the shell if clean is ok but NEVER EVER on the body!
3. Substrate. It is very important to use the right substrate or you could end up with an unhappy snail with several illnesses, eg. skin rash, mites etc etc.
Paper- lots of people use this as they think it is good because almost all snails enjoy eating it, but there is no humidity in paper and certainly snails cannot burrow in paper!
Garden soil- It is very good for burrowing, but not very good for humidity as it dries out very quickly, if you use this, please put spagnum moss in for extra humidity!
Compost- All the same points as Garden soil, but Compost, as a result, lasts longer and is more dry.
Bare Tank - No Substrate- This is not recommended as this means NO humidity and NO burrowing and the snail, if it falls from the lid of the tank, the shell will get a life-threatening crack or break.
4. Tank Decorations. What you use as a decoration in your tank may be dangerous or life threatening . . ... .. . .. .. . ..
Remember to always check your decoration has NO sharp edges, NO pesticides or anything and NO SOAP if it has been washed.
Rocks are a NO as if the snail falls and cracks its shell badly, It might spell the end of it's life, I'm sorry to say, though a small dent or crack can be healed if the snail is well fed and supplied with plenty of cuttlefish bone.
5. Cuttlefish bone. As you may know, snails can eat Cuttlefish for lots of calcium too, as I forgot to mention.
Finding Cuttlefish bone is very easy, almost every petstore is guaranteed to have it as budgerigars and canaries trim their beak on it. Or you can maybe find some on the beach, by the shore, in mid-water or a rockpool.
Cuttlefish is a must-have for your snail and it is important if you don't use it the snails can die if they don't use a calcium powder.
Happy Caring!!
