What not to do (care for Achatina snails). How to care for land snails Sleep and rest regimen

Good afternoon. Today we'll talk about what not to do
When all the eggs have hatched.

Scientists have proven that snail peeling is a useless procedure. In addition, through the mucus secreted by the snail, you can bring all sorts of unpleasant “byaki” onto your skin. And for the snail itself, this is the strongest stress, due to which growth can stop, scars appear on the shell, care for the coil. So don't torture the poor animals.

The soil in the terrarium should be on the entire bottom area, in such a layer that the snail can burrow into it.

Sawdust must not be used as soil. Also, any parts are not suitable for decoration. coniferous trees. It is also forbidden to use sand, earth as a soil.

Sawdust does not hold moisture. All snails pass the soil through themselves, that is, they eat it, I think there is no need to explain what will happen sooner or later when the sawdust clogs her stomach. Sawdust is potential splinters. What is in the photo is the consequences, the same can be with the internal organs.

Incorrect ventilation. Such ventilation will not retain moisture and will not allow you to create the desired microclimate.

Round containers are not suitable for snails. It is not possible to create proper ventilation, insufficient bottom area, in a small one there is also deformation of the shell.

Too big bowls, occupy the entire area of ​​the bottom, there is no room for the snails to move. If the snail falls off the lid of the container it may damage the sink.

Overpopulation of the terrarium leads to the fact that the snails stop growing, begin to stress, gnaw themselves and their neighbors, go beyond the coil, which leads to further death.

Snails should not be washed under running tap water. The water contains chlorine, which spoils the shell, over time an ugly coating forms on it. With such bathing, a temperature drop can occur and the snail can get a thermal burn. Yes, and snails do not like to swim, when bathing they stretch out, completely crawling out of the shell, which creates a deceptive impression that they like it. In nature, this behavior is explained by the fact that when it's raining, the snail, stretching out, tries to grab onto something higher from the ground, so as not to choke and drown. Snails do not require bathing. It is enough for them that you spray the terrarium and them. If the snail gets dirty in soil or food, it can be sprayed with a spray bottle or washed in boiled lukewarm water.

Snails should not crawl on sinks or tubs, as cleaning agents may remain on them, causing a chemical burn to the snail.

Stones are strictly prohibited in the terrarium, falling from the lid, the snail will break the shell on them, and crawling over them will scratch it. A bathing suit is also not needed in a terrarium, small snails can drown in it, and large ones turning it over will create a swamp.

In the next post I will write how to properly care for, what to feed, what soil to use.

Snails make friendly and undemanding pets. They require a moist environment and a diet of minerals and healthy vegetables. Snails like the company of relatives, so consider purchasing more than one snail. If you provide snails with a comfortable home and take good care of them, they can live for many years. This article provides information on caring for land snails.

Steps

Home preparation

Choose an aquarium for snails. Snails need to live in a humid and safe environment, and the easiest way to meet their needs is to house them in a glass or plastic container. The container you choose should be well ventilated and protected from shoots. In order for the snails to be comfortable, it must be large enough and also mobile enough to be easily cleaned frequently. Consider these factors when choosing a container:

• Snails need a lot of space to move around. In most cases, an aquarium will suffice for small or medium-sized fish. If you have more than one snail, or if you have African snails that are larger, consider purchasing a larger aquarium.
• Snails can lift 10 to 50 times their own weight. This means that the container must have a securely closing lid, not just a cardboard box on top.
• Snails need good ventilation. Do not choose a tightly closed container without air access. If you are using a plastic food container, poke many small holes in the lid.
• Snails need light. Never choose a light-tight container. Find a clear plastic or glass container instead.
• Snails can eat through cardboard. Do not use containers made of materials that snails can easily eat through.

1. Fill the bottom of the aquarium with substrate. Recreating the type of soil in which snails live in vivo, is critical to maintaining their healthy and happy existence. Make sure the substrate is sterile and not contaminated with pesticides. Digging up garden soil will not work, as it may contain certain substances that can harm snails. Here are a few different substrate options:

   • Loam. It is a loose substrate that retains moisture well and also has good drainage. If you want to place plants in your aquarium, make sure you choose a loam that will support the growth of your chosen plants.
   • Humus. It is also called compost. This is a nutrient substrate that serves as food for both snails and plants.
   • Peat. Snails love to live in peat, but it can also serve as a home for pests. If you're worried about bugs in your tank, don't use peat.
   • Potted soil. Cheap, but pretty decent. The main thing is to buy soil without fertilizers and pesticides.
   • coconut fibre. It is a cheap substrate and a popular choice for snail aquariums. The fiber retains moisture well, but is prone to infestation by mites and insects.

2. Add decor to your aquarium. Snails love to climb, explore, and hide, so keep them happy by placing interesting objects in your aquarium that they can climb on. Avoid using hard objects made of ceramic or heavy stones, as snails can slip and fall on them, damaging the sink. Choose one of the following options:

   Create the right microclimate. In addition to a well-ventilated aquarium, snails require a warm, moist environment. They do best at 21-23°C, but also do well at temperatures slightly above or below this. The substrate at the bottom of the aquarium must always be moist.

   • If you're worried about your snail getting cold in a particular room, consider getting a small heating pad that should cover about 2/3 of the bottom of the tank so the snail can get off if it gets hot.
   • Keep the substrate moist by spraying it (and the snail) with water daily. Use purified or distilled water to keep your snails healthy.

   Supply of calcium and food

   1. Give the snail calcium. Snails need a lot of calcium to keep their shells strong and healthy. A source of calcium should always be present in the aquarium. Pet stores sell cuttlefish bones, but eggshells can also be used. The snails will turn to a source of calcium that will eventually dry up.

      Provide snails with food. Snails can eat a wide variety of foods, many of which can be found in your refrigerator or pantry. Put some food in the aquarium daily. You can use a saucer to separate the food from the substrate. If the food still hasn't been eaten in a few days, remove it, as food left to rot in the aquarium will encourage mold and attract insects. Keep the following in mind when feeding snails:

      Place a saucer of water. This is not necessary as snails get the moisture they need from the substrate, but snails like to drink water and bathe whenever they can. Choose a very shallow saucer that will allow snails to get in and out of it. If you set the saucer too deep, the snails may drown.

   Cleaning the aquarium and snails

   Change the substrate frequently. Once a week is enough, but change more often if it starts to look dirty before then. Immediately change the substrate if it is completely soaked, or if mites have bred in it.

   Clean your aquarium every few weeks. Wash the aquarium with hot water and sterilizing solution, then rinse thoroughly to remove any chemical residue. It is important to wash the aquarium often enough to prevent mold from growing in the aquarium and harming the snails.

   • When cleaning the aquarium, place the snails in a safe place in a plastic container with a lid. Make sure the lid has plenty of ventilation holes.
   • Wash aquarium decor items, as well as food and water bowls. If some decorations have worn out over time, replace them.

   1. Bathe the snails. Bathing your snails periodically to prevent disease and pests is a good idea. Place the snail in a shallow dish of room temperature water, then pour more water over the snail. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently scrub the sink, but don't scrub too hard - you could damage the sink! Also, don't use soap.

And really - how does a snail crawl? The question is far from being idle: they are trying to use the mechanism of its movement in robotics, in medical instrumentation. A remotely controlled endoscope, crawling like a snail, would allow a detailed study of the abdominal organs and would greatly facilitate the diagnosis of diseases.

For a long time it was believed that the snail crawls thanks to its mucus. Even 30 years ago, scientists discovered that snails and slugs secrete unusual mucus: it works like glue, but with increasing pressure, the mucus liquefies and can flow under the snail's foot. It was believed that the mollusk in front strongly presses on the surface, the mucus in this place liquefies and rushes back, pushing the snail forward. Something "water jet", that's right.

Zoologists from the University of Charles III in Madrid (Spain) questioned this theory.

In their experiments, the snails easily crawled along a horizontal surface moistened with water. This led the researchers to the idea that the mucus for movement is not so necessary. To track the snails, the scientists used technology designed to study the movement of individual cells (amoebae, immune cells, etc.). After all, snails, like individual cells, solve two problems at once - movement and attachment to the surface.

If you look at a crawling snail, you will notice how waves pass along its leg - from tail to head. These waves run much faster than the snail itself moves. The purpose of the observations was to find out whether the snail tears off the limb from the surface. If the leg were always in contact with the support, even if it was lubricated with mucus, then the mollusk would obviously not be able to move due to its own leg movements, and the special properties of the mucus would be most welcome here. But it turned out that the snail nevertheless tears off from the surface that part of the leg through which the muscular wave passes, and this muscular movement can push the animal forward without the help of mucus. That is why the snail could move on the surface moistened with water.

The caterpillar moves very similarly: it bends the body in the middle, then straightens up, leaning on the back, and pushes the front forward. In caterpillars and snails, a part of the body separated from the support reduces friction and facilitates movement. The researchers used a special deformable gel on which the snails crawled. Knowing the force that needs to be applied to the gel in order to deform it to one degree or another, it was possible to evaluate the performance of the snails.

At the same time, snail mucus still finds application - when moving along vertical surfaces and “upside down”. Here, the mucus just performs the function of glue, which becomes either more or less durable.

NUTRITION AKHATIN.



IT IS FORBIDDEN TO GIVE TO SNAILS:

BATHING ACHATIN.

1. We splash water on the snail.

Achatina are nocturnal animals. Wake up in the evening, closer to the night. The temperature in the terrarium should not fall below 25 degrees and rise above 30 degrees. (The ideal temperature is 26-27 degrees).
Humidity should be 75-85%. (To maintain moisture, spray the walls of the terrarium and the soil once or twice a day.)

NUTRITION AKHATIN.
It is advisable to put food in the evening so that it does not spoil during the day.
Snails feed mainly on plant foods. Achatina can:
Fruits: apple, apricot, avocado, banana, pear, grape, watermelon, melon, peach.
Vegetables: pumpkin, zucchini, broccoli, cucumber, carrot, tomato, lettuce, pepper (sweet).
The snail also needs to be fed. A growing source of calcium and protein is given daily. A little less for adults.
Top dressing necessary for snails: sepia (cuttlefish shell), fodder chalk (NOT school), shell rock, meat and bone meal, egg shells, daphnia, gammarus, oatmeal, bloodworms.
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO GIVE TO SNAILS:
Citrus fruits - if the acid reacts with calcium, then the mucous membrane burns and internal organs can fall out. It is also impossible to give spicy, salty, peppery, fried, sweet, sour, smoked.

BATHING ACHATIN.
Chlorine is harmful to snails, it exfoliates their shells. Buy, spray snails should only be filtered or boiled water.
Bathing under the tap is not the best option. More than once people have complained about snail burns due to a sharp jump in water temperature. Also, tap water is chlorinated and contributes to the destruction of shells.

HOW IS IT CORRECT TO TAKE ACHATINA IN HANDS?
You can not pull the snail by the shell. Why? Snails stick to the walls of the terrarium like suction cups. And if you pull hard on the shell, you can pull the snail out of it.
Therefore, we take Achatina in our hands very carefully.
1. We splash water on the snail.
2. We slip a finger into the waters of the snail pug.
3. Carefully peel off trying not to damage the growth.
The snail cannot be taken as a growth zone! By damaging the growth, you leave ugly scars on the shell, which in the future will spoil the appearance of the snail.
Do not once again take the snail in your hands. A snail unaccustomed to hands will get stressed and may slow down growth.
A mandatory rule is to wash your hands BEFORE and AFTER contact with a snail!

AT recent times It is very fashionable to have exotic animals. The giant snail Achatina Fulika (the most common mollusk as a choice for ruling on contentment at home) will also become such a pet. It's original, fashionable and quite simple!

Why snail? Keeping it will not cause high costs, you need to feed it once every 2 days. If you forget about it (go on vacation, etc.), then the mollusk will simply hibernate. From it there is no noise and smell. She is very interesting to watch.

So, you are going to have such a pet. Primarily, prepare a terrarium for her. Your best bet is to go to the pet store. Pick up a plastic container (or a glass aquarium) for the snail at the rate of about 5 liters per ten centimeter snail. You definitely need a lattice cover, otherwise your pets will “scatter”. For soil, it is optimal to take coconut flakes with mahogany bark (it is sold in bags). This substrate is easier to clean and wash than soil, and your snail will be less likely to get dirty. Buy calcium, preferably solid (in the form of a bar). His snail will gnaw and build up his house. Also, get a small bowl for water or pick up a suitable container at home. A small "pool" should be in the terrarium. Do not place stones (pebbles) on the ground, the snail can break its house on them! Also, you should not “ennoble” the space of the terrarium with figurines, ceramic houses and other decor.

Pour the substrate on the bottom, so that the snail has the opportunity to burrow into it completely, and moisten it with a spray bottle. Set up a bowl of water. You can put a small snag on the ground, having previously washed and cleaned it of dirt (without the use of cleaning products - any chemistry is contraindicated for snails!). Place calcium in the corner. Now you can start the tenant.

What to feed? The main food should be fruits and vegetables. Cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, apples, kiwi, cabbage go well. In summer, give dandelion leaves. In no case do not feed citrus and flour products, this can kill shellfish. A boiled egg (protein) and gammarus (fish food) can also be used as food. Put food for the snail - preferably - in the same place. You don’t need to rub the pieces, just cook small slices. Replace uneaten food daily to prevent midges and mold. If the snail "attacks" calcium, it's okay, apparently her body requires this element. Usually, after eating, the mollusk can hibernate, burrow into the ground. This is normal, don't be scared.

How to care? Spray the soil with water every day. Once every one and a half to two weeks, wash the entire terrarium (with water and a sponge, without the use of cleaning products!), After removing the coconut filler (change it about once a year). Change the water in the "pool" so that it is always clean. Once a week, wash the snail under running water (room temperature), placing it on your palm (there may be residue of cleaning products in the sink). The mollusk will independently reach for the jet and “dip” into it. Clean your pet's sink with a regular toothbrush.

How to breed offspring? Usually, at six to seven months, the snail is considered sexually mature (the genital organ grows on the side, similar to a bump) and, upon contact with another snail, can lay about a hundred eggs. If you wish, you can immediately remove them or move the masonry to another container. Incubation period can last up to 4 weeks depending on the temperature. Newborn clams are best covered with a leaf Chinese cabbage or lettuce. They will feed on it and hide from the daylight.

Precautionary measures.

1. During the cold period, maintain the temperature in the terrarium with a thermal mat (available at the pet store), which you put under the bottom. The temperature should not be higher than 27 degrees.

2. Do not give anything salty, sour, pickled.

3. Do not place the terrarium on a window under Sun rays, from them, burns may appear on the body of the snail and its stay with you will end with the death of the pet.

4. Do not use cleaners to clean the aquarium or snail shell. If the shell is damaged - do not touch the mollusk after eating calcium, it will short period"repair" his house, burrowing into the ground.

5. Do not try to tear the snail off the surface by the shell - you can damage it. To do this, moisten your finger and stick it under the pet's head, the snail will climb onto it.

At right conditions content, the mollusk can live up to ten years, and at the same time, the size of its shell can grow to 15 centimeters or even more.

Summarize. After all of the above, it may seem to you that keeping a snail is a very laborious task. In fact, this is absolutely not true. But we are obliged, in any case, to take care of those whom we have adopted as a pet.