Today, as pets, they started to get not only the usual cats, dogs, fish, but also such amazing aquatic inhabitants as snails.
The most interesting for breeding at home are Achatina - these are cute, funny snails, which, however, also need attention and care.
This article will be devoted to the Achatina: how they live, what they eat and how to properly care for them.
Achatina snails home maintenance: where to start?
This type of snail in nature lives in Asia, as well as in Tanzania and Kenya, where the air temperature is ideal for their favorable existence, and the local flora is an excellent base for food.
Achatina snails, home maintenance - basic information
Achatina come in several colors, the most popular color is brown with dark stripes. The age and color of this type of snail depends directly on their conditions of detention. When Achatina grows up, its carapace gains up to 7-8 turns and turns into a greenish tint.
In nature, there are quite a few species of these mollusks, but there is a species that is fundamentally different from others, he calls the albino. They differ in that they have slightly smaller dimensions, develop a little slower and have a white body color and shells that look quite interesting and colorful.
Achatina are the largest land mollusks in terms of dimensions, since their length can reach up to 30 cm! These mollusks are unpretentious enough, and they do not need any complicated care. However, they are very funny and live quite a long time (6 years), some instances, with proper care, can live up to 8-9 years.
These pets are very observant, they will quickly remember and get used to you, they can easily distinguish their owners from strangers. They may also have their own favorite food and corner in the terrarium.
To make your unusual pets as comfortable as possible, the presence of:
spacious terrarium;
high-quality substrate;
suitable nutrition;
compliance with all hygiene rules.
In some cases, Achatina can even be released for a walk around the house. But before you do this, carefully inspect the area where your snail will walk for pointed obstacles, dirt and other things that could harm the skin of this mollusk.
Also, be careful that there are no drafts in the room. Snails are very dependent on the level of temperature and humidity, so do not walk your pet for too long, this can harm him.
Also monitor their nutrition and air temperature in the terrarium, as their poor-quality feed or increased dryness in their home, Achatina shell can quickly crack and deteriorate.
Temperature mode
Achatins come from the hot tropics, so in their terrarium the temperature should also be quite high, ranging from +20 to +28 ° C. However, they also do not need to be placed near the battery or heater, since this is fraught with overdrying of the substrate. Also, be careful that direct sunlight does not fall on Achatina, as this can lead to undesirable temperature contrast. As for the winter period, in order to maintain the desired temperature level in the terrarium, use heating lamps that are used to care for reptiles.
Light for these mollusks does not matter much, so they do not need to extend the daylight hours, as is the case with orchids. But be sure to remove the light source outside the terrarium that Achatina did not crawl along the lamps.
Humidity level
Since this type of mollusk lives in nature in the equatorial jungle, they also need to create a suitable humid environment in the terrarium. To do this, do not forget to spray the walls and the bedding with spray water at least a couple of times a day. The optimal level of humidity should be 75-85%, in some cases even 90% (snail albopict), it all depends on the variety of your pets.
But you do not need to get carried away with a spray of moisture, since the terrarium can very quickly turn into a swamp. To quickly determine if the moisture level inside the container is appropriate for your pets, monitor their behavior. If Achatina climb higher walls and stay there, it means the environment is too humid in the container, but if they constantly dig into the ground and hide under the covers, it means that it is too dry in the terrarium.
Achatina snails content at home: where to contain
For this type of snail, you do not need to build any unusual structure, you can do without an aquarium with water or a container made of transparent plastic or plexiglass. If you have 3-4 individuals, then prepare for them an aquarium for 20 liters or a box. Since snails are able to crawl on almost all surfaces, do not forget to cover their home with a lid, in which previously make the right number of holes for good air circulation.
To make your pet comfortable in their new home, first sprinkle soil on the bottom where they can dig. Ideal litter - coconut or orchid substrate. If your pets are already quite old, they need to make a mound of soil 5-7 cm, for young individuals 2-3 cm will be enough. The best option for bedding is a combination of coarse loose sand and non-acid soil.
To make your terrarium with Achatina look attractive enough for you and guests, and also be useful for the mollusks themselves, you need to put inside the plants (fern, ivy), non-decaying wood pieces, moss and terracotta shards - these elements will give it sophistication and originality. In addition, they will be useful for Achatina, as they will saturate them with the necessary oxygen and diversify their diet.
Achatina snails content at home: how to feed, how to care
This item is especially important for beginners who love these exotic pets. But do not worry, Achatina are not particularly picky about food. Worth highlighting 3 most beloved products of these mollusks:
apples
fresh cucumbers;
lettuce leaves.
But you do not need to limit them only to these products. To your snails lived happily ever after, you need to diversify their menu, you can give them carrots or cabbage leaves. Achatina potatoes are not particularly favored, the only exception is boiled vegetables.
In summer, you can give your pets all kinds of fruits, berries and vegetables.
For example, Achatina likes the following foods:
Tomatoes
bean
zucchini;
watermelons;
melons
Champignon;
boiled eggs;
spinach and more.
But there are contraindications in the diet of Achatina. It is extremely undesirable to eat fried, sweet, spicy and smoked food, snails can quickly wither away and die from it.
Water games
Akhatins love to splash in the water, so in the container you need to put a small bath with water at room temperature. If in the family of snails replenishment, be sure to not have too much water in the bath, otherwise young individuals can simply drown in it.
Minerals
In order for your pets to be always healthy and live as long as possible, their body needs to be saturated with all the necessary additives. To saturate the snails with calcium, add food chalk to their diet. For the strength of the shell, give them shabby eggshells, cottage cheese or shell rock. Since in nature snails do not disdain to eat carrion, they can be given mashed meat or bone meal.
Breeding
Domesticated Achatina are able to multiply very quickly, at the same time they are hermaphrodites, that is, they are able to bear offspring without a heterosexual partner. If you do not want your pets to have new offspring, you can just wash off their eggs (they look like miniature chicken). If you are interested in their reproduction, be very attentive to cleaning their premises in order to avoid masonry damage, and also so that the humidity does not change. Newborns need to spread lettuce or cabbage leaves so that they do not suffocate in loose soil.
Young snails need to be given shabby carrots and porridge with calcium so that they grow up healthy and their carapace is strong enough. They reach full maturity at 9 months, but do not let them multiply until they are one and a half years old. To do this, it is enough to make the substrate layer less than 3 cm.
Achatina snails kept at home: why do they die?
The most common problem that breeders may encounter is shell injury. It often happens that a snail crawling along the lid of a container falls off and falls down. Such falls do not always end well, and this can lead to the appearance of cracks or cleavage of the shell. However, getting rid of this problem is not at all difficult. To do this, just lubricate the damaged area with an antiseptic. This will help the mollusk's body heal the trauma faster. For the time of healing, it is better to put the injured individual in a separate place, since the snails really like to rub themselves together with shells.
In order for your pets to get sick as little as possible, you need to clean the missing feed residues from the terrarium at least 1 time. Also, do not pick them up too often, the skin of the mollusks is very delicate and easily susceptible to infection by microorganisms.
That's all you need to know about keeping such exotic pets as Achatina snails. Keep clean in the terrarium, regularly and variably feed your snails, monitor their health, and Achatina will delight you and your loved ones for many, many more years!
