Grape snail in nature: how long do snails live? How to grow giant Achatina at home

What affects life expectancy

Each type of snail has its own characteristics that affect their life span. However, Achatina, ampularia, and the grape snail, and their other brethren will live longer if:

• feed them correctly (moreover, Achatina quickly gets used to some food and then reluctantly switches to another, so it is important to alternate food more often);
• do not warm up the air in the terrarium to avoid sudden temperature changes);
• provide the snails with calcium carbonate (egg shells and chalk are suitable);
• maintain the required level of humidity for land snails in their home;
• place aquarium juvenile snails in a separate container so that they are not eaten by fish;
• control the number of snails so that they do not begin to die of hunger;
• cover the aquarium with a lid or a special mesh so that snails (for example, ampullaria) do not get out;
• Do not feed your pet snails salty food, salt is poison for them.

• There is evidence that a grape snail kept at home lived for 30 years.
• The red coil snail, unlike its fellows, can move along the surface of the water with its shell turned down. Sensing danger, it quickly sinks to the bottom.
• Land snails love to bathe: hold them in your hand under running slightly warm water. Do not place your pet in the bathtub or sink, as traces of household chemicals may remain on their surface.
• Experts say that big snails They are able to get used to their owner and even recognize him.
• Science has no evidence that at least one of the snails causes allergic reaction. On the contrary, snail mucus is useful for healing wounds. Let an unusual doctor crawl over scratches and cuts - this way they will heal faster.
• When going on vacation, do not be afraid that your ampularia or other snails will die without food. They will enter a state of suspended animation and, until your arrival, will live off the internal reserves of the body.
• If a snail scrapes its shell with its radula (a scraper that the snail uses to remove, for example, old algae from the walls of the aquarium), there is a high risk of damage to the shell. What to do? Lubricate the sink with a harmless, unpleasant-tasting substance.

The snail is unique living creature, which is protected by a shell and can live not only in wildlife, but also at home. This type of animal belongs to the class of gastropods (gastropods), a type of mollusk. The word snail comes from the Old Slavonic “ulit” - hollow because of its house (shell), which is empty without the animal.

Snail - description and characteristics

The snail's body consists of a head, legs, visceral sac, and mantle fold. The mollusk moves on the sole, which covers the lower part of the leg. This process is the result of muscle contractions that create a kind of wave. To make sliding as comfortable as possible, the epithelium of the limb secretes a lot of mucus.

Small snails can move by beating their cilia.

The internal sac is located inside the shell in the form of a spiral or cap. The mantle of snails that live in water contains gills. This organ must be constantly washed by a stream of water, to organize this process, the mantle is equipped with:

• an inlet siphon through which the liquid enters;
• an outlet siphon through which water is removed.

Also inside the mantle are:

• kidney ducts;
• excretory system;
• intestines;
• reproductive apparatus;
• lung (for those living on land).

There is a special hole for air to enter the breathing organs. It is located on the edge of the shell or on the front side of the body.

The head consists of:

• stalks with eyes;
• tentacles (organ of touch);
• oral cavity.

The shell of a snail, like other mollusks, consists of several layers:

• Periostracum is a thin layer covering the outside of the structure. It consists of a protein - conchiolin.
• Ostracum is a calcium carbonate middle layer wrapped in conchiolin.
• Hypostracum (mother-of-pearl) – a layer located inside. It consists of calcium carbonate plates coated with conchiolin.

The shell is an integral part of the snail's body. The external skeleton of a mollusk protects it from enemies, external negative factors, and retains moisture.

A snail is born with a shell, only in babies it is thin and transparent.

The shape of the external skeleton: conical, in which all the organs of the mollusk are located asymmetrically, or flat spiral. Surface – smooth or with growths. The turns in the spiral are located from left to right, but there are very rare cases when it is the other way around. Dimensions and colors can vary.

Some snails have a reduced shell - a calcareous plate inside the mantle. These are mainly slugs, which can be found in any garden.

Teeth

Representatives of gastropods are distinguished by a special organ in the oral cavity - the radula. This organ performs the functions of the tongue and teeth. The radula consists of a cartilaginous plate on which there are several rows of teeth of different shapes.

Vegetarian snails have small teeth, predators have large ones in the shape of a pike or hook. The number of teeth in a snail can reach 25,000. Basically, the radula includes 120 rows, each with 100 teeth = 12,000.

Poisonous snails generally have teeth with a cavity through which poison flows from a special gland, paralyzing the victim.

Snails live in nature and feed on animal food. These species are distinguished by drill-shaped teeth. It can drill into the oyster's shell or other hard protective shells, which helps the mollusk get to the meat.

Clam mucus is a composition that is very important for the snail. It consists of a complex protein (mucin) and water.

The unique properties of this substance are today widely used in cosmetology as an anti-aging, sunscreen, and moisturizer.

Mucin regulates mineralization processes and shell creation. Mucus is divided into two types:

• The first type helps the mollusk move by moisturizing the surface.
• The second type is produced by a special gland, as a response to any stress and mechanical damage to the shell. The main components of such mucus are polysaccharides and mineral salts, which have restorative and regenerating properties.

The snail lives in everyone climatic conditions on all continents except Antarctica and arid deserts. The mollusk lives in warm waters Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean and cold Northern environments Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea.

Snails feel great in Europe, Africa, Australia, and America. It is found in Asia and Russia. The main condition for the existence of a mollusk is high humidity, which will not allow the snail’s body to dry out, otherwise the animal may die.

Everything a snail eats depends on its habitat. The nutrition of the mollusk is surprising in its diversity, it can be:

• the soft part of fresh plants.
• plant remains;
• small relatives;
• worms;
• carrion;
• fish;
• insects;
• crustaceans.

Land mollusks happily eat leaves, berries, fruits, vegetables, bark, and grass. Young ones prefer fresher food, but with age their preferences change, and the old snail begins to feed on rotten plants.

Some species eat flies, midges, mosquitoes, and carrion. A rotten tree can be a delicacy for a street snail.

In order to grind food well, the mollusk's teeth require calcium. Its deficiency leads to the fact that the snail begins to sharpen its shell, which collapses, leaving the body without protection. This leads to dehydration and death.

You can feed snails in an aquarium:

• fish food;
• aquarium plants;
• algae tablets;
• chopped vegetables.

To ensure that the aquarium is not left without all vegetation, it is best to take control of the number of mollusks. A moderate amount of snails is good for the algae as it eats up all the rot on it and cleans the aquarium. It is also recommended to grind eggshells in a coffee grinder to replenish calcium in the body of gastropods.

It is worth monitoring your pet’s diet; he should not be given human food. You also need to put newspapers away, because the snail eats them with great pleasure, but rarely survives after such a feast.

You can include the diet:

• plantain;
• legumes;
• cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes, bell pepper;
• green;
• dandelions;
• bananas, watermelon, pears, strawberries, apples.

For land representatives, do not forget to put a bowl of clean water.

Gastropods in most cases are oviparous animals. The process of fertilization and egg laying depends on the snail’s habitat.

Snails with lungs living in fresh waters and on land, they are hermaphrodites. Such mollusks have both female and male sexual characteristics. In this connection, during mating, cross-fertilization occurs.

Freshwater snails lay eggs in capsules, and land snails lay eggs in dug holes. The mollusk can lay up to 85 pieces at a time. Eggs mature within 28 days and can have different colors:

• transparent;
• green;
• white;
• pink.

The development of this snail takes place without stages of transformation. Having passed the required period of maturation, a fully formed individual with a transparent shell is born, which hardens over time and acquires its own color.

Snails with gills are heterosexual creatures. Males are endowed with a testis and a vas deferens. Female mollusks have an ovary and an oviduct.

Eggs are laid in a special cocoon with a lid, which dissolves as the larvae develop. For the safety of future offspring, the outer row of eggs is not filled, this allows the predator to be left without lunch.

The development of gastropods occurs with transformations from an egg into a larva (veliger). With the help of outgrowths with thin cilia, it moves and feeds on small particles of food of plant and protein origin. After a few days, the mollusk forms and sinks to the bottom.

Eat unique species Gill snails that do not lay eggs but go through a gestation cycle. The embryo stays in the mother's body until it is fully mature and only then is it born.

Snail diseases

Snails may suffer from the following diseases:

• Broken sink, holes, cracks. In this case, the animal must receive maximum quantity calcium, rest, high humidity and proper temperature.
• Shell lamination. This process can occur against the background of improper maintenance, stress, and poor heredity.
• White plaque on the sink. The problem arises against the backdrop of poor conditions, such as age-related changes, or it could be simple abrasion.
• Burns. They can be thermal or chemical. In this case, the snail hides in its shell and hardly moves. You can alleviate the condition by increasing humidity and increasing the amount of juicy vegetables and fruits in your diet.
• Poisoning. Occurs due to poor quality nutrition.
• Self-chewing. The snail begins to eat itself due to calcium deficiency, stress or heredity.
• Organ prolapse.

Enemies in the wild

Gastropods are among the most invisible organisms on earth. But despite this, the individual has enough enemies:

• sea ​​gobies;
• sardine;
• starfish;
• mackerel;
• whales;
• herring;
• hermit crabs.

For land snails, the following are dangerous:

• moles;
• blackbirds;
• wild boars;
• lizards;
• hedgehogs

Freshwater mollusks should be afraid of:

• trout;
• storks;
• frogs;
• herons.

Snails are slow and careful, which helps them protect themselves from enemies. They avoid highly lit areas and stay deep in the substrate.

How long does a snail live? Lifespan

Snails have good stress resistance, but do not live more than 25 years. In nature, the mollusk is exposed constant dangers, which significantly shorten the life of gastropods.

For example, grape snails can live 20 years, but most often their life span does not exceed 8 years.

In captivity, a snail lives as long as it was initially given. The main thing for this is to follow all the rules of keeping and feed your pet correctly.

The snail has more than 110,000 species, the habitat of 2,000 of them is the territory of Russia.

The most poisonous gastropod is the Geographical Cone, living in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It produces enough toxins to kill ten people. An antidote to the poison of this mollusk has not yet been found.

The poisonous snail affects its enemies by releasing a cloud with high levels of insulin, which instantly lowers the victim's blood sugar level.

The smallest mollusk is Angustopila dominikae. Its size is 0.8 mm. For example: 4 such snails can easily fit in the eye of a needle.

The Australian trumpeter is recognized as the largest gastropod. The giant snail weighs 18 kg. It belongs to the class of predators, lives at a depth of 30 m in the coastal region of Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia and eats worms.

Snails are divided according to their place of residence into:

• marine;
• land;
• freshwater

There are pulmonary and gill.

A large-sized land snail whose habitat is the European part of our continent. The shell of this species is 50 mm, spirally curved in 5 turns.

The length of the leg is from 35 to 52 mm, and the width is 22 mm.

Color ranges from cream to brown with a red tint. The first 3 turns along the entire diameter alternate with light and dark stripes. Small ribs are clearly visible on the outside of the shell. In the wild, the mollusk lives from 8 to 20 years.

In winter, the snail is at rest for three months, attaching its sole to the substrate and clogging the shell with special mucus. During wintering, the snail loses up to 10% of its weight. After activation, the mollusk recovers within a month and a half.

The grape snail can tolerate low temperatures down to -7°C, but not more than 10 hours.

The grape snail has been bred at home for a long time. Today, special snail farms are opening in some countries.

Gastropod meat consists of:

• 15% - protein;
• 8% - carbohydrates;
• 35% fat.

Also included is a range of essential minerals and vitamins.

The grape snail is a delicacy, and in Europe it is eaten as a wholesome, useful product. It is also bred for use in cosmetology and the pharmaceutical industry.

The grape snail is bred at home in special terrariums, instead of other exotic, but not always safe animals. Mollusks are hermaphrodites, therefore, for breeding, it is enough to have heterosexual individuals of sexual maturity.

At home, the grape snail feeds on plant foods. They can be fed vegetables and fruits. The gastropod has a good appetite, so you need to make sure that it always has food.

The grape snail is kept at home in a glass or plastic jar or box with good ventilation and a large bottom.

You can prepare the clam as follows:

• 100 pcs. gastropods;
• 1 liter of white wine;
• 2 carrots;
• 800 g special snail oil;
• 200 g vinegar 3%;
• 2 onions;
• thyme, salt, parsley to taste;
• bay leaf;
• 3 tbsp. flour.

Snails are flooded cold water and after boiling, cook for about 7 minutes. It is washed, dried, the shell is removed, and the black tip is cut off. Finished product pour white wine with the same amount of water, add chopped vegetables, seasonings and herbs. Salt in a proportion of 10 g per 1 liter. Cook for 3.5 – 4.5 hours, then leave to cool. The sinks are thoroughly washed in a weak soda solution and rinsed in running clean water.

Sauce or special oil for shellfish: 100 grams of grated onion + 2 cloves of chopped garlic + parsley + salt, ground black pepper + 800 g of softened butter. Stir thoroughly.

The shell is filled with the prepared oil and the prepared snail and heated in the oven before serving.

Gastropod coil refers to freshwater snails, which settle in bodies of water with lush vegetation and a slight current. The mollusk survives even in very polluted waters with minimal oxygen content.

The shell is a tightly twisted spiral of several turns with a seam visible to the naked eye. This type of snail is currently common among aquarium holders, in which the mollusk grows up to 1 cm; in the wild, the size of a gastropod can reach 3.7 cm.

Color - from brick color to deep red. The gastropod can move its shell down along the surface of the water with the help of air accumulated inside. Sensing danger, the snail releases the remaining oxygen and falls to the bottom.

The coils are:

• horny;
• horny red;
• Far Eastern;
• keeled;
• wrapped.

The coil cleans the aquarium well, eating rotten parts of plants and food residues.

Garden gastropod is a big pest in garden plots, which their owners actively fight against. The snail happily eats fresh crops and spoils young leaves and shoots, sometimes causing irreparable harm.

But there are also benefits from these shellfish. They process the remains of vegetation, acting as orderlies.

The garden snail does not have any features that distinguish it from other relatives. She lives on the ground, hiding in the shadows during the day and emerging from it in the evening for food.

This mollusk is not whimsical and is very often kept in aquariums at home. This is the most economical option for breeding snails. The garden snail does not require special care and eats everything that grows in the garden.

A mollusk called neretina is one of the most popular aquarium species snails The bright, variegated color is individual for each individual and is not repeated, making each gastropod exclusive. Keeping such an animal is not difficult.

The Neretina snail grows up to 3.2 cm, has a flat oval (round) shell, decorated with various patterns with a beautiful, noticeable color. The body of the mollusk is large and dark in color.

The Neretina snail is divided into four types:

• zebra – striped color;
• brindle – orange and black stripes;
• olive – color similar to the name;
• horned - the head is characterized by horns and mustaches.

The mollusk was born in Africa, where it lives in all available bodies of water. Neretina is not whimsical; it easily survives for a certain period without feeding, eating waste from other inhabitants of the aquarium and rot on the walls.

At home, the snail should be periodically pampered with calcium supplements. You can also include chopped vegetables, fish food in powder form, and ground chicken egg shells in your diet.

Mollusk long time was distributed only on the African continent, but today this snail is often found as a pet.

Achatina giant is distinguished by the most large sizes shells, which can reach 20 cm and weigh up to 0.5 kg. IN natural conditions The mollusk does not survive in Russia; here it is kept at home in special terrariums.

The Achatina shell of the specimen has a conical shape, twisted clockwise. The color consists of stripes of brown in different shades. There are also albinos who are completely white. The mollusk feeds on plant foods. By gender, it performs the functions of a male and a female, that is, the African snail Achatina, which is a hermaphrodite.

Makes 6 clutches per year, each of which can produce 200 eggs. Achatina lives for about 7 years, but when proper care this figure could rise to 10.

The African snail Achatina prefers to sleep during the day and stay awake at night. If you increase the humidity in the aquarium, the mollusk will become active during daylight hours.

Helena mollusk is a freshwater species found in the area. Southeast Asia. Gastropods do not have a very good reputation, since they periodically eat their relatives. Aquarium owners most often keep this species of gastropod to exterminate other snails.

Helena has a positive attitude towards running water, but at the same time they do well in artificial reservoirs, lakes and aquariums. The substrate chosen is sand or silt.

The individual feeds on live snails and carrion. The shell is conical with pronounced irregularities, can reach 20 mm, the color is yellow with brown stripes. The body is gray-green in color. The Helena snail lives for a short time, about two years.

At home, gastropods feed on the same small-sized mollusks. Large individuals do not suffer, since the Helena snail cannot cope with them. The process of eating occurs with the help of a tube on which the mouth is located; it is inserted into the shell of the gastropod and sucks out the body of the gastropod. The individual also feeds on regular fish food, krill, and frozen shrimp.

Helenas are heterosexual animals and reproduce well in captivity. Mating between a male and female can last for hours; quite often other relatives join them and the created group sticks together, continuing the process. The female lays one egg, which develops very slowly.

As aquarists note, the Helena snail can seriously reduce the population of other mollusks, so the number of this individual must be controlled.

Slugs are a snail without a shell that is completely similar to its relative. Some species have a small, inconspicuous shell covered by a mantle.

Basically, the size of the mollusk does not exceed a few centimeters. But despite this, there are individuals that can reach 32 cm!

Color – gray-brown, chestnut, black, red, yellow, depending on the species. Slugs live on all continents in areas where there is high humidity. The lack of their own house forces them to seek shelter from the sun, winds, and cold.

The mollusk is active at night, when the heat subsides and gentle coolness sets in. A relative of the snail overwinters deep in the soil.

The slug moves with the help of the sole, which contracts in waves; for more comfortable sliding, a copious amount of mucus is released. In search of food, despite its slowness, the individual is ready to cover considerable distances.

Most mollusks eat plant foods. They eat everything:

• leaves;
• flowers;
• fruit;
• berries;
• mushrooms.

The slug also eats:

• carrion;
• feces;
• lichens.

Predators eat worms, their relatives, newborn mice, and hatched chicks. The feeding process occurs with the help of the radula, which is studded with teeth.

The hermaphrodite reproduces once a year; it lays up to 40 eggs. For many gardeners, a slug is a pest that must be destroyed. But it is worth noting that this mollusk has the largest male genital organ among its relatives, which after mating it can bite off in order to detach itself from its partner. Over time, the organ recovers.

Bitinia

Small freshwater mollusk with a smooth spiral shell. Size within 15 mm. Color: brown, gray, olive. Life cycle last up to 5.5 years. Lives on the American and Eurasian continents.

Luzhanka

A freshwater gastropod with a blunt-conical shell up to 43 mm in length and 31 mm in width, curled in several turns. The color depends on the habitat and can be: greenish, brown, red, brown.

The Luzhanka snail is a viviparous mollusk.

Gastropods live in all regions of Europe except the northern regions.

Buccinum (trumpet player)

A large sea snail, with a shell reaching 24 cm diagonally and 17 cm vertically. Color – light brown. The surface is embossed or smooth.

The mollusk is a predator and paralyzes its prey with poisonous saliva. Lives only in northern oceans with cool water.

Ampularia

An aquarium snail that requires special conditions. This mollusk loves to eat a lot, and if there is a lack of food, it begins to spoil plants. The size of the gastropod reaches 15.5 cm.

Fiza

The Physa snail, measuring within 2 centimeters, is popular among experienced aquarists. The special shape of the shell helps the mollusk hide in the most secluded places.

Gastropods feed on living algae. The presence of lungs allows the body to exist without water. It is recommended to control the population of this type of snail, since it reproduces very quickly.

The mollusk is a good aquarium cleaner from plaque and bacterial films on the walls. Use hard water with a temperature of at least 21 degrees.

Tylomelania

Tilomelania is a bright mollusk that will decorate any aquarium. It requires special care, since the snail eats a lot and does not get along well with its other relatives. The length of the gastropod reaches 13 cm.

The color of the shell can be any color, the surface can be smooth or with spikes. It is best to make water for clams soft and highly acidic.

The snail needs to be fed three times a day. She is not picky about food, she loves large number light, requires a lot of space.

Melania

Mollusk Melania is aquarium snail, which multiplies quickly and instantly cleans the aquarium of waste. Gastropod feels comfortable in water with a temperature of 17 to 29 °C. Color – gray-green. Conical shell. Melania is an omnivore.

Pagoda (brothia)

This mollusk requires sufficient oxygen in the water and prefers sand in the form of soil. It feeds on algae and fish food. The pagoda has a very short lifespan - only six months.

Marisa

The large mollusk Mariza is unpretentious in food, it does not require complex care, and it has the ability to rise to the surface of the water and breathe air. Mariza feeds on algae and aquarium fish food.

• To accommodate a snail you need to prepare:
• terrarium;
• plastic container;
• aquarium;
• house for rodents.
• The container for a mollusk, in the worst case, should not be less than 10 liters per individual, in the best - 20 liters.
• To prevent your pet from running away, you need to make sure the lid is tight.
• To allow oxygen to enter, it is recommended to make several holes in the lid.
• You should pay more attention to the height of the aquarium than to its width.
• It is best to hide snail housing from bright light, and electric lighting can be excluded.
• The soil can be:
• soil for flowers;
• peat;
• coconut substrate;
• tree bark;
• sawdust.
• Comfortable water temperature in the aquarium for snails is +25° – +30°.
• For land mollusks, it is necessary to periodically treat their place of residence with fresh water from a spray bottle to maintain normal humidity.
• Don’t forget to keep drinking water in a small container and change it constantly.
• If you do not care for the mollusk correctly, it may die or go into hibernation.
• The terrarium must be kept clean regularly.

Proper feeding of a snail is the key to its health and the ability to live as long as the snail lives in the best possible conditions.

• Almost all snails prefer plant food, for which you can prepare a special tray with low edges.
• Snails love bananas very much, but if you give them often, they stop eating other food and demand only this delicacy.
• You cannot offer clams food containing salt and sugar - this is deadly.
• For a beautiful, healthy shell, you need to feed the snail with calcium.

If snails are properly cared for, they very quickly become tame and get used to their owner.

A snail is not just a resident of an aquarium or a pest in the garden; a mollusk has a lot of useful properties, which people have learned to use as efficiently as possible.

• Snail meat is very healthy and in many countries it is prepared as a regular dish.
• Clam mucus is different a large number biologically active substances:
• elastin;
• amino acids;
• collagen;
• vitamins;
• natural antibiotics;
• allantoin.
• The protein content in shellfish meat is one and a half times higher than in a chicken egg.
• Snail meat is recommended for dietary nutrition.
• Shellfish does not cause allergies.
• In ancient times, snails were actively used for therapeutic purposes.
• In modern medicine, mollusk mucus is used to treat silicosis, bronchitis, and whooping cough. Since the special composition has the property of gluing cells with bacteria. Our grandmothers would sit a snail on a piece of lump sugar and wait for it to become covered with mucus, after which they would give it to the patient to eat.
• The mucus content of the snail allows it to independently restore its shell.
• In cosmetology, ordinary mucus has become the basis for many anti-aging, regenerating, antioxidant products.
• Snails are also used to make effective masks.
• Mucus-based drugs are used to combat stretch marks, acne, scars, warts, and age spots.

The snail is unique creation, which is the oldest living creature on earth. That's why interesting facts there is quite a lot of this mollusk in its life:

An ordinary snail can bring many benefits, the main thing is to know about its unique abilities.

The Achatina snail belongs to the mollusk family Archachatinidae, which includes representatives of several genera. Achatina are similar to their relatives Archachatina, but they have a more pointed crown of the shell. Achatina is a giant prolific, it can produce 100-600 eggs at a time, which have a round shape and a white shell.

African Achatina are one of the largest land mollusks on the planet. They have large shells with a yellow-brown tint and a dark pattern. The body is brown or dark, soft and tuberous. The largest specimen weighed up to 600 grams and had a shell length of almost 40 cm.

The most common domestic Achatina is Achatina fulica. These African land molluscs are found in many tropical countries and cause damage to fruit-bearing plants. Achatina are characterized by a variegated shell pattern, the color of which depends on the diet. The color of the soft part of the body is similar to Archachatina, but the fulica has more pronounced tubercles. Achatina fulica is more common in pet stores because they are easy to keep and eat a lot of things.

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What do you need to keep a snail?

The best “house” where Achatina snails will receive care is a glass aquarium or aquaterrarium. For one adult snail, choose the tank that is as free as possible. To keep several pets at once, you will need a container of 20 liters 3. The terrarium should have a lid with holes for air circulation. The holes should not be wide so that the animal does not escape.

Keeping a large snail at home is impossible without a soil substrate. Achatina likes to sleep during the day, burying itself in a layer of soil. There is an opinion that flower soil containing peat will be useful. But land with a high peat content creates life in an acidic environment, which is harmful to animals. The ground covering must be moistened once a day with water from a spray bottle, otherwise the snails themselves will begin to secrete a large amount of mucus.

As a result, the mollusks will become smeared in dirt and contaminate the glass. There is no need to use clay or fatty loams as a substrate, as well as pieces of rotten wooden bark. Optimal solution– instead of soil with peat, pour loose sand onto the bottom of the aquarium. Sometimes it is replaced with hazelnut and walnut shells. But the delicate skin of mollusks can be injured. A good option for bedding is coconut substrate.

Domestic snails must be kept in clean conditions. The soil should be cleaned once a week, and completely replaced with cleaning of the terrarium - once every 3-12 months. But the more often you take care of your pet’s home, the better. The waste products, despite the absence of odor, will still begin to emit rot, and the walls of the tank will be covered with the mucus of crawling snails.

In conditions of full lighting, snails feel comfortable. But they do not require artificial light sources. Alternating day-night mode is sufficient. Domestic mollusks are active at night and sleep during the day. If you consider it necessary to install lighting to better see animals, then the lighting fixtures should be external.

Watch a video that explains how to keep Achatina snails.

At home, the temperature should be constant. It is necessary that the air temperature is comfortable for tropical African snails. A temperature from 22 to 28 o C will be most optimal. It is not recommended to install the aquaterrarium near an indoor battery, in places exposed to direct sun rays so as not to create a temperature difference.

As for accessories, you can put moss and samples in a container with soil clay pottery. You can plant plants in the ground, then ones that would prevent the substrate from becoming waterlogged. It is better to choose species that are covered with small fibers. Snails tend to eat plants, so you will have to replant them from time to time. The best option is fern or ivy.

Feeding. Reproduction of Achatina snails

Feeding should occur once a day for young snails, and once every few days for mature ones. African snails eat plant foods. They love lettuce, dandelion, grapes, cucumbers, and apples. They also eat spinach, corn, zucchini, mango, avocado, bananas, and melon at home. However, the snail can eat some of the listed products, and refuse some altogether. You should not often give oranges or grapes, watermelon with seeds. Some pets eat carrots and cabbage. Healthy carbohydrate foods for shellfish would be oatmeal flakes and bran.

During the first years of life, snails grow quickly. To keep their shell strong, food supplements are necessary. Calcium carbonate is beneficial for strengthening and growing the shell. Crushed eggshells or a piece of chalk should be present in the aquarium. Vitamin and mineral complexes for shellfish can be purchased in stores.

Do snails need water? Despite the constant moisture of the soil, a separate container with water should be in the aquarium. While the snail is small, the container should not be deep so that the pet does not drown. Water is useful for normalizing mucus production. Some snails allow you to pull yourself together and bathe them in a bath of warm water. They love water and are not afraid of it.

In captivity, Achatina easily reproduces from the age of 6 months. Some copies come to play later. Incubation lasts 1-2 months. If the soil thickness is low, they will refuse to reproduce. For laying, you need soil 7 cm deep, where the snail could lay eggs. Don't be surprised if your pet produces offspring throughout the year. From the age of one year, sperm are formed in the mollusk, and later - eggs. The African snail is a hermaphrodite, although two snails can also interbreed. If you have several pets, it is better to place them in different aquariums.

Look how Achatina reproduces.

It happens that a snail brings a “surprise”: more than 100 eggs, which have practically nowhere to put. A compromise and humane solution is to give the fry away for free. There have been cases of getting rid of masonry when the owner took it to nature or to the street in winter. But the opposite reaction can occur - in nature, Achatina are pests. In some countries on legislative framework They are prohibited from being kept at home, much less bred.

Snail diseases

If you have several snails, you may periodically notice how they scratch each other's shells, causing pits to form. This bad habit can be overcome if you lubricate the sink with a non-harmful, but “tasteless” product. In this case, consult your veterinarian so as not to risk it.

There are owners who often prefer to pick up snails by digging up the soil during the day. Firstly, at this time of day, pets prefer to sleep rather than get stressed. Secondly, you can damage the snail. The snail is active in the evening, and then it will happily go into your hands. It is not recommended to pick up the snail by the last spiral of the shell, the damaged part of the body. To correctly take a mollusk, you should moisten its leg with water, place your finger under it, and hold the shell with your other hand.

Keeping a giant Achatina at home is a great opportunity to please yourself. These animals are unpretentious and are not afraid of human hands. If you are going on a trip, they can be left alone for a few days. During a long trip of the owner, the snails can hibernate, hiding in the shell and clogging it. During this time they will live off the body's resources, but after waking up they will be very hungry. They wake up after a “shower” with warm water. Anabiosis (hibernation) also occurs when the snail is too cold or there is too much moisture in the aquarium, simulating the rainy season.

Land gastropod from the subclass of pulmonary snails. Widely distributed in countries with tropical climate, high invasive species, is a pest of agricultural plants, especially sugar cane. Currently, further expansion of the Achatina range has been stopped due to strict quarantine measures. An ongoing snail infestation in the United States was prevented. In Europe, including Russia, where Achatina survival in nature is impossible, they are often kept as pets.

A terrarium for Achatina can be made from a simple aquarium. The minimum size is 10 liters per snail. The larger the aquarium, the larger your snail will grow. The terrarium must have a lid, because snails can crawl out of it. It is advisable to arrange small holes in the lid for better gas exchange. As a last resort, you can simply lift the lid to create a small gap. You need to put bedding on the bottom of the aquarium. The bedding can be Begonia soil, or ideally a coconut substrate 5-7 cm thick. You can build a small bath with fresh water; Achatina loves to swim. The main thing is that the depth of the bath does not allow the snail to choke. In general, Achatina crawl well under water, but if it accidentally falls into the bath from above, a small snail can drown from fright. You also need to make sure that the bath does not turn over if the snail starts to burrow into the soil next to it, otherwise the water will spread out, which is not good.

The temperature and humidity required by Achatina are approximately the same as those in an ordinary city apartment. Soil moisture is determined empirically. If the snails sit on the walls of the terrarium all the time, it means there is too much water. If they prefer to be sealed (the evidence is hidden in the sink and closed with a lid), on the contrary, it is too dry. When the soil moisture is normal, snails crawl along its surface at night and often burrow into it during the day. To maintain humidity, it is enough to spray the soil and walls of the terrarium with a spray bottle twice a day.

To awaken a clogged snail, you can pour water over its mouth and carefully remove the cap, or simply place it in a terrarium with normal humidity. It is recommended to wash the terrarium at least once a week. An exception is a terrarium with a clutch of eggs, which must be cleaned without water so as not to change the humidity and not damage the clutch.

It is better to keep small snails without soil, covering them with cabbage or lettuce leaves, thereby increasing the chance of the snail finding food and making it easier to care for the terrarium.

Feeding the Achatina snail

It is better to feed as food is eaten and dried and remove any leftovers. Achatina eats vegetables, fruits and herbs, but in nature they do not refuse meat. Usually in captivity they are fed cabbage, carrots and cucumbers, but it is preferable to give them a more varied diet. This is necessary first of all so that at any moment you can switch to another available type of food. It is known that snails have certain food preferences, including many who prefer cucumbers and lettuce to other foods and, if they are fed only cucumbers from childhood, they often refuse to eat anything other than them, which can cause some inconvenience. Large snails can be given whole cores; they process surprisingly quickly food waste. Soft foods should be given only for a short period of time, otherwise they will flow and spread across the soil, causing it to become contaminated. It is generally not recommended to give soft foods to small snails. There was a case when snails buried themselves entirely in a banana and suffocated there. It is better to give very small newborn snails greens, grated carrots, and after a few days lettuce and an apple.

Can:

Fruits: apple, apricots, pineapple, avocado, bananas, pear, wild strawberry, strawberry, cherry, mango, papaya, plum, bunch of grapes, fig, watermelon, melon.

Vegetables: pumpkin, rutabaga, zucchini, broccoli, champignons, lettuce, cucumber, potatoes (boiled), carotel carrots, red peppers, celery, spinach, tomato, cabbage leaves.

Beans, peas (cooked or fresh), oatmeal.

Other: mushrooms, meadow plants/trees, nettles, daisy flowers, elder flowers, clover, dandelion, plantain, yarrow, sprouted oats, alfalfa, fruit tree blossoms (apple, apricot, peach...), bread (softened), milk (powdered) or natural), dairy/lactic acid products (without sugar, salt, spices), minced meat (minced meat, raw or boiled meat), egg (boiled), compound feed, meat and bone meal, peanuts (chopped), vegetable and meat baby food, gammarus.

It is important that the plants are not picked within the city, factories or enterprises, waste water, landfills. After you bring it home, rinse thoroughly in warm water!

You can’t (very important!):

Spicy, salty, sour, sweet, smoked, fried, pasta, potato eyes.

Effect of calcium on shellfish

Snails need calcium to build their shells. Calcium is a very common chemical element.

Lack of calcium in the snail's diet leads to curvature and deformation of the shell. The snail shell becomes softer due to lack of calcium; it is not protected from environment. Since everything internal organs attached to the walls of the shell, any damage to it can lead to improper functioning of the organs or death. A mollusk that does not receive calcium from food, as a rule, lags behind in development: shell growth is disrupted or stops altogether, and puberty fails.

In order to prove how important calcium is for snails, I conducted an experiment.

Two groups of snails of the same age and species were taken and placed in the same conditions, but they were fed differently: some with food with added calcium, others with its complete absence.

Soon the snails of the second group stopped growing. It follows from this that calcium is indispensable for mollusks.

Breeding the Achatina snail (Reproduction of Achatina snails)

Pets. Keeping pets - food, care, treatment of dogs, cats, birds. Section: Other animals (Girls, who has Achatina at home?) I’ll ask about snails. Maintenance is simple: use soil for orchids or coconut shavings as a filler...

Discussion

We live in plastic container 10l, holes were drilled at the top. Without soil, I wash it every day, throw in a piece of apple, or zucchini, or potato, or banana, there’s a dandelion here and finely chop the egg shell. My husband bathes underwater sometimes (they both enjoy this activity).

It’s point 3 that finished me off in due time. It seemed to me that these were constantly crap creatures. Tired of cleaning. For it was possible for me to admire them only if they were clean.

Three snails - Achatina - are placed in caring hands: traditional color (adult, more than 10 cm), "blonde" (about 6 cm) and Achatina (4 cm). All snails live in one container, with which they are given away.

found 3 snails. Other animals. found 3 snails. In the arugula we found 3 live tiny snails, we put them in a jar and covered the top with cellophane. Snails 1-3 months old Achatina Fuliki. I offer baby giant African snails, the price for 5 pieces is 100 rubles.

Discussion

Achatina lived with me)
I liked the cucumber the most)))
cut from 2 slices, half a centimeter thick
do not forget to wash them under water at room temperature
mine loved it when I turned the shower on to the spray function
you can cut off a piece of yolk
if they take root, buy them a cuttlefish shell at a pet store, it will last you a year)

But I don’t know how to get rid of snails in an aquarium)), I catch them in the evenings, and they multiply at the speed of a rabbit)

Tell me about snails. We feed them fresh cucumbers. We noticed that the sink began to crack. Which snails should I give additional food? Maintenance, feeding, breeding. How to care for snails? Print version. I'll ask about snails.

Discussion

I bought a mixture for mine (hamarus and someone else’s dried one), the result is very visible - firstly, they eat this mixture better than cucumbers (although cucumbers have always been in the first place for us), secondly, they have gained weight, their shells and steel are actually wider even so you can see they have become thicker, more powerful. I just put a pile on the ground, they usually eat everything, not even a crumb remains)
I have another question - when will they start breeding?? Mine are already more than a year old, these little bumps have already appeared on the neck, they are so fat, fattened ulitoses, I say where are the children (I already have a queue for them) but still nothing (((what’s the matter?

Help distribute Achatina snails. Situation. Pets. Keeping pets - food, care, treatment of dogs, cats, birds. I'll give away the snails - Achatina. The child has lost interest in snails - Achatina (4 snails), so I’m giving them away along with the box.

Snails 1-3 months of Achatina Fuliki. I offer baby giant African snails, the price for 5 pieces is 100 rubles. According to reviews of specialists who practice alternative methods of treatment and facial care, Achatina copes with this task perfectly.

Ampullaria belong to the genus of large tropical snails. Some of their species are quite popular among aquarium “holders”. They clean the aquarium well, dealing with fouling on its walls and plants. But the plants are not damaged.

In order for ampullaria to take root and reproduce in the aquarium, and also to live long enough, you need to know the rules of their maintenance and feeding.

Ampoules breathe atmospheric oxygen, periodically heading towards the surface of the water, extending their existing breathing “trunk”. True, some sources claim that they also breathe oxygen, which is dissolved in water. That is, they also have gills.

Feeding ampullaria is not difficult - they practically feed themselves, eating all kinds of food debris and fouling. However, if the water in the aquarium is too soft and therefore lacks calcium, they may have problems with their sink. In such cases, they should be fed with cabbage leaves boiled for 3-5 minutes. You can also make your own food using bread, fish food, cereal and adding calcium gluconate. However, the amount of food should match the needs of the snails.

For each medium-sized snail in the aquarium there should be about 10 liters of water. You also need a lid on the aquarium to prevent them from escaping at night. But underneath it is necessary to leave a small space for the ampularia to breathe. Snails are not too picky about water quality. You just need to follow the same rules as for keeping fish. But if the water has too low a calcium content, you can add crushed marble, limestone, or a water hardening agent (available in pet stores). The water temperature should be in the range of 18-28C.

If the ampoules are kept in temperature conditions 23-25C, then if the listed recommendations are followed, they will live on average about 3 years. If the temperature of their keeping is higher, then the life expectancy of snails will decrease to 1 year or even less. But with more low temperatures, the life of snails will last up to 4 years.