Achatina domestic snail - care and maintenance

Among lovers of pets there are those who prefer fluffy animals frolicking in the park with the owner. Usually the owners of animals spend a lot of time outdoors and in every possible way train with their pets. But there are those who love measuredness, silence, a quiet pastime. Usually they give birth to fish or turtles, but recently, giant Achatina snails have been used. Naturally, it is necessary to maintain such a pet correctly, so we will analyze everything in stages.

Achatina - who is it?

1. Almost every child or adult met a snail on its way, proudly carrying its house on its back. Small mollusks are often found near water sources, trees, as well as in suburban areas. However, hardly anyone could see how Achatina moves in street conditions. We don’t have such giant snails.
2. Achatina prefers tropical conditions, so she can be found in hot regions. This species is the largest of its kind. Over the entire life of Achatina, it can grow up to 10-12 cm. However, in the wild, you can also meet larger individuals, reaching 25 cm. Most often, Achatina are found in Africa, in our country, due to climatic conditions, mollusks are not common.
3. But given the fact that snails occupy almost a leading place in the list of plant pests and agricultural products, many gardeners are happy with this feature. It is difficult to remove snails, they quickly breed and spoil the crop. Cases of excessive distribution of ordinary individuals have been recorded, what can we say about such large ones. What damage they can do.
4. Nevertheless, many adherents of this type of pet do not pay attention to what harm they cause when living in the wild. Because when keeping a house, a snail will benefit not only peace of mind, but also skin. Due to the unpretentiousness in the care of Achatina prefer turtles and even fish.
5. Mollusks cannot hear, but they probe the soil with their bodies, sniff with tentacles, and breathe with their skin. The color of the shell varies depending on what the snail eats. Over time, the shade changes. It can be patterned or plain. To date, there are quite a lot of varieties of Achatina, such as lemon, ordinary, brown, etc.

Features of Achatina

1. If you build on the numerous reviews of pet owners, then we can conclude that they are ideal and unpretentious pets. Do not meow, do not tweet, do not leave wool, wallpaper and wires do not gnaw.
2. Achatka snails hibernate, which has a duration of about 2 months. So there is no need to ask the neighbors to look after the pet for the period of your absence. The animal will hibernate when the soil is too dry and there is no food.
3. Therefore, experienced snail owners say that such events should be started in advance. When you return from the trip, just hold your pet in warm water for about 10 minutes, then feed.
4. Large pets are able to remember their owner. They smell his skin and smell. The snail likes to bathe in warm water often, and also loves to be stroked. After a certain period, the mollusk develops a reflex to certain host actions.
5. The snails have a short memory of only an hour. The snail is perfect for keeping an allergic person, it is useful in terms of skin care.
6. There is a flip side to the coin, which is that it is systematically necessary to clean the home.If you neglect the basic rules, midges will appear in the habitat of the snail. Microbes will begin to develop, which greatly complicate the maintenance task.
7. Sensitive sleeping people should not have more than one snail. Individuals prefer to stay awake at night, they rub their shells against each other, creating a strong noise.

Reproduction of snails - carefully!

1. Earlier it was mentioned that the presented animals cause a lot of damage to crops. This is partly due to the fact that snails reproduce worse than rabbits. One clutch is accompanied by 300 eggs, just imagine how many clams there are. At home, eggs must be removed systematically. If you decide to breed giant pets, keep in mind that there may be about 5 such clutches per year. These are 1500 snails.
2. Many are interested in the intricacies of reproduction, we explain. In the first year, Achatina only reaches puberty. An interesting feature is that she does not always need a satellite to extend her family. By its nature, Achatina is a hermaphrodite, that is, the beginning of both sexes is present.
3. If Achatina considers that life in a locked aquarium is critical for her and urgently needs to continue the genus, she will lay her eggs. If you bought just one animal, do not be sure that soon there will be no more snails. If you do not follow, you will become the "happy" owner of several hundred descendants.
4. In order to prevent further masonry, you should carefully consider the amount of soil in the aquarium. Do not line the layer thicker than 3 cm. This will greatly complicate the task for the cochlea. In most cases, achatins do not breed under such conditions. Hatching offspring requires no more than 2-3 weeks, so it is necessary to systematically examine whether there are eggs or not.
5. The size of the eggs does not exceed 0.5 cm. Therefore, if you notice them, collect them in one place, then freeze or boil them. It’s cruel, but there’s no other way to get rid of them.
6. Do not throw masonry, because the mollusks hatch and begin to spread throughout the territory. They will damage everything that occurs on the way. So to speak, snail apocalypse! No wonder that in Great Britain they created a law that prohibits the release of such snails on the streets.

How many Achatina live

1. If you first acquired an unusual clam, be prepared for the fact that in the first couple of years of life it will actively grow. After this, the growth process will continue throughout the life of the snail, only at a slower pace.
2. With proper provision of living conditions for the pet, in the terrarium he can live peacefully for up to 10 years. Therefore, it is your part to give the snail the most comfortable living conditions. Do not forget about timely care.

Snail content

1. So that the pet does not feel any discomfort in your apartment, he will need his own house. Therefore, try to provide the snail with maximum comfort. As a house, a terrarium, a container or an aquarium is quite suitable.
2. For medium sized Achatina, a capacity of about 10 liters will fit. as the snail grows older and its size increases, the house needs to be changed. Therefore, it is recommended to immediately purchase a tank of a sufficiently large size so that it does not change in the future.
3. Try to provide the living conditions in the house as close as possible to the wild nature in which the mollusks live. Thus, the snail will feel as comfortable as possible. Be sure to close the house on top with a vented lid.
4. At the bottom of the aquarium, it is recommended to lay moss, badly rotting wood and fragments of pottery. You should also plant ivy or fern. Thus, the home will find a beautiful appearance and comfort for the pet. Plants will help clean the air in the house.
5. It is strongly recommended not to use peat or sand as a filler. The walls in the house will be constantly dirty.In addition, sand encourages snails to lay eggs. As you already understood, such “happiness” is completely useless to you.
6. In any case, do not forget to systematically clean the pet's house. In a good cleaning should be carried out 1 time per month. Be sure to wash the glass and change the filler. It’s recommended that you clean up your pet’s vital products every day. The procedure will not take much time. In addition, the pet will be much more comfortable.
7. Most inexperienced owners worry that there should be lighting in the pet's house. And often they buy special lamps. In fact, lighting does not affect the life of snails. On the contrary, mollusks are accustomed to lead an active lifestyle in a darkened environment.
8. However, achatins will need heating lamps. Such a heater will be just in time, if you are cold enough in the winter season. It is not recommended to install lamps directly in the house. Snails can crawl onto the lamp and burn themselves. Therefore, place the heater as close to the house as possible.
9. Also, do not install the aquarium near heating appliances. In addition, the humidity level plays an important role in the pet's home. If the snail often hangs on the walls, this indicates that the humidity is increased. The surface can be dried by directing the sun.
10. If the humidity in the house is not enough, the mollusk opposite will constantly hide in the sink. Correcting the situation is quite simple. Use a spray bottle and spray the filler inside the pet's home.
11. One of the favorite activities of snails is swimming. Without fail, carry out the procedure under warm water. For convenience, you can use a shower or faucet. The pet will hide in the sink in case of discomfort. If necessary, change the pressure or temperature of the water.

Snail feeding

1. The undoubted advantage of such pets is that you do not have to puzzle over what exactly to feed the snail. Achatina is famous for its gluttony and unpretentiousness. She will eat everything that you offer her.
2. Young pets should be fed with fresh vegetables and fruits, older individuals still prefer slightly rotten food. Depending on age, the frequency of feeding will also depend. Young individuals need to be fed daily, old several times a week.
3. The classic diet should include cabbage, carrots and cucumbers. It is also important to understand that such a list of products should not be limited. From greens, you can give field and meadow herbs, clover, plantain, dandelion, nettle, etc.

Achatina snail is a rather unusual pet. Learn all the details and rules of keeping a snail. You need to decide exactly whether you need a clam at all. Such snails are often used in cosmetology. Their mucus is considered very beneficial. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to study the beneficial properties of the snail for humans.

Video: breeding of African snails Achatina