What not to do (care for Achatina snails). The Achatina snail does not eat and hides Options for light and effective masks
Any changes in the behavior of a domestic snail begin to worry their owners. One of the common questions is why the Achatina snail does not eat for several days, and how to restore its appetite. This is exactly what we will talk about today.
Reasons for refusing food
A healthy mollusk has a good appetite, and its activity should increase closer to night. But if Achatina is lethargic at any time of the day and stops eating normally, an imbalance occurs in her body, the reasons for which may be several.
The most serious - poisoning or illness. But it’s possible that something simply doesn’t suit your pet: temperature, quality of food, new environment.
If the snail's appetite has decreased so much that it begins to eat 2 times less, there should be no reason for serious concern. This may occur due to a change in living conditions or tasteless food.
When there is a long-term refusal of any food, as a result of which the mollusk has noticeably lost weight, you need to understand the reasons for this behavior of Achatina, the most common of which will be discussed below.
Incorrect conditions of detention
Often the snail does not eat anything due to improper living conditions.
Quality - an important condition for the normal well-being of the African snail. It must be kept clean, not over-dried or over-moistened. Complete replacement of the substrate is undesirable. This is done partly so as not to cause stress in the pet and, as a result, refusal of food.
To accurately determine the level of air and soil humidity, you should purchase a hygrometer. And to measure the temperature, you also need to equip the terrarium with a thermometer. Sudden temperature changes should not be allowed in Achatina’s home, as well as exposure to direct sunlight.
The terrarium should be like this size so that the snail does not feel crowded in it. It is desirable that there be at least 10 liters of space per individual.
Sometimes the snail refuses to eat when the filler is completely replaced. If it is, it is washed until the water is completely clear.
Wrong diet
The snail's diet should be varied within the range of foods that the mollusk needs for normal growth and development.
Note! Stale food debris from the aquarium must be removed promptly.
Achatina's main food products are green salad leaves, apples, and cucumbers. It is also advisable to include in her diet:
- watermelons,
- melons,
- spinach,
- berries,
- bananas and zucchini.
Vitamin and mineral mixtures, which can be purchased at a pet store, are also considered mandatory for shell growth. You can grind eggshells into powder and mix them into the substrate.
A pet may have certain food preferences, which are taken into account when choosing a diet. Sometimes snails do not eat well precisely because they do not like the foods offered. For example, Achatina prefers cucumber, but they try to feed it with zucchini or apples.
Pregnancy
Why doesn't the snail eat in the first days of pregnancy? When Achatina is preparing to reproduce, in the initial stage of pregnancy, when her body is being rebuilt, her taste preferences may change or her appetite may disappear altogether. In this case, there is no need to panic; it is enough to wait 4–5 days for the process of adaptation of the body to the new state to end and for the mollusk to begin feeding. You can understand whether you should expect offspring by looking at the snail's spiracle. The eggs will be clearly visible.
A pregnant snail's diet should include more calcium and protein. Her appetite will be fully restored only after she lays eggs.
Diseases
What to do if the snail does not eat due to illness? First of all, you need to find out the cause of the malaise. To do this, you need to analyze the behavior of the mollusk recently, remember what your pet ate and what reasons could cause stress. It is important to pay attention to side symptoms. For example, if Achatina’s shell begins to separate or the body of a mollusk begins to fall out of it. Until the primary cause of the disease is eliminated, a good appetite for snail may not return.
Stress
If another mollusk is placed in the Achatina terrarium, but she does not like this neighborhood, a stressful situation arises. This is the reason why the snail sleeps and does not eat. Often hostility arises between individuals of different species.
To return Achatina to normal life, you will need to eliminate the source of stress: transplant another mollusk into a separate container.
Don't forget about quarantine. A newcomer must be kept separately from other snails for some time.
Is it worth forcing a snail to eat?
What to do if the snail doesn't eat? There is an opinion that you should not force a snail to eat if it has completely or partially lost its appetite. But such a judgment is wrong. Without food, a mollusk can lose strength and weaken within 2 days. This will lead to an even greater loss of appetite or its complete absence. Therefore, you need to constantly offer food to the snail.
How to make a snail eat
The first thing to do if the snail stops eating is to put it in a separate terrarium and offer it the food that it likes most.
If the snail does not eat its favorite food, the walls of the aquarium (container) should be smeared with puree or diluted grain mixture diluted to a liquid state. While moving along the walls of the ulitaria, the pet will be able to eat a little. And if the mollusk is weakened to such an extent that it cannot move on its own, you can try smearing puree on its face.
When the situation is much worse and all ways to force the snail to eat are ineffective, you can do the following.
- Pureed, diluted nutrient mass is poured into a container with a large diameter in such an amount that the snail does not drown.
- A mollusk is thrown into such an improvised pool with food.
- It is advisable that the pet stay in such a container for at least half an hour. During this time, it will become dirty with food, and some of it will enter the pet’s body.
Such “baths” can be given to snails that refuse to eat calcium on their own. Calcined fertilizer is poured onto the bottom of the container, and containers with water in which chalk is diluted are placed in it. After this, a snail is placed there, which can replenish the calcium supply in the body. This measure is necessary, especially if the Achatina shell is very fragile or injured as a result of a fall.
Compliance with the rules for keeping Achatina at home is a good prevention of possible problems with appetite in these mollusks. But if the snail stops eating, don’t be upset - this problem can be solved on your own, without the help of a specialist.
Help save the snail!!!
Dear snail breeder friends, help!!!
My snail, a fulica, named Horse, is the largest, most active and sociable of all the ones I have ever had and still have. She stopped eating about 2 weeks ago, mostly sleeps buried in the ground, does not wake up on her own, periodically every 2-3 days I pull her out of the ground and give her a bath. It discovers food, sluggishly crawls up to it, sniffs it, and does not eat. Even a fresh cucumber doesn't excite me. It just crawls over it, or a leaf of lettuce, or a piece of sepia or other food. Previously, I gnawed at the sepia so that the cracking sound could be heard all night, and the shell regularly grew larger. I ate half the cucumber entirely without leaving a trace. And now sometimes it just hangs on the wall of the terrarium in a wrinkled state with its horns bent and sits in a daze all day long. If you bathe it again, it comes back to life for a while. My muscle tone felt slightly weakened.
The snail is about 4 years old and has been living with me for 2 years. I feed him Chinese lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, and less often carrots and groundnuts; there are always sepia stripes on the ground and on the ceiling in the terrarium. I regularly moisten the soil and walls with a flower spray. In the terrarium there is always water in a large drinking bowl, where the snail used to sometimes crawl entirely to bathe. Temperature at home: now 22-23 degrees, previously it was slightly higher than 25-26 degrees. The humidity in the apartment now in winter is unfortunately low: 25-28%. The soil is neutral soil for begonias mixed with pieces of Mediterranean pine bark (neutral bark, used for many terrarium animals - arthropods, reptiles, etc.). I change the soil 2-3 times a year, regularly (2-3 times a week) loosen it and remove snail poop and food debris.
About a month ago I introduced a one-year-old Iredalea to the Horse (now I regret it). A seemingly healthy, active and voracious snail. But the two older snails - her parents - recently died after living with me for about 11 months. Six months before death, they experienced a gradual decrease in activity, appetite, muscle tone, lack of shell growth and desire to eat sepia, the snails stopped burying themselves in the ground and simply fell asleep on the surface, being drawn into the shell. 3-4 months before death, their body acquired a slightly yellowish tint and more mucus began to be secreted in the form of lumps-clots with whitish inclusions. A month before death, the snail's shell became mostly completely white, without a colored outer layer, just white and chalky. Gradually, the snails weakened more and more until they were unable to eat or move at all. In exactly the same way, with exactly the same symptoms, 3 more Fulikas died, having lived for 2-2.5 years each. One of these fulikas lived alone all her life (did not contact anyone), was very active and grew almost to the size of this snail.
So now my Horse seems to be showing the same symptoms of general weakening... WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? Are there any other chances to save a sick snail!!!??? Look at the photographs - in the photographs you can clearly see the shell, faint yellowing on the body, which I marked as green, and lumps of mucus, which began to stand out more. But it is still digging itself into the ground.
I will be very grateful for practical advice!!!
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Introduction: This is my first review here.
Somehow by chance, I wandered here in the middle of the night, read what they write about snails and... I was simply horrified...
People, do you even read about maintenance when you get yourself an animal?
Apparently not... And that's sad! I've never seen so much stupidity in one place
I’ve been working with snails for a long time and have seen enough of everything, but I’m still amazed every time I look at what careless owners do to them, even though they are absolutely sure that they are simply geniuses of snail breeding!
And the saddest thing is that these people give advice...
*****************************************************************************************************************************
This review will be more like an instruction for beginner snail keepers who have just got/are planning to get snails and have not yet had time to read a lot of incorrect information on the Internet, as well as for those who already have experience in keeping snails, but they want and are ready to improve it or fix it. “Snail breeding geniuses” are unlikely to be interested in this information, because they are “geniuses” and it is useless to argue with them))).
To begin with, I’ll go through a little of other people’s reviews and tell you about the most important misconceptions and myths.
"Snail therapy".
Suddenly, the Achatina mucus began to contain some magical substances and everyone began to smear themselves with it, plant snails on their faces, assholes (oh, my God) and other equally significant parts of the body in anticipation of miraculous rejuvenation and tightening...
As they say, it would be funny if it weren't so sad.
If you don’t care about yourself and your health, then at least have pity on the snails. For them, this procedure is a lot of stress.
And the wonderful effect that you get from this mucus is TEMPORARY and does not bring any rejuvenation or healing, but it does bring a very real risk of infection, and its consequences can be the most disastrous.
(Yes, and, by the way, only the mucus of Helix snails, and not Achatina, has a similar effect).
In general, I never understood and never will understand these victims of fashion...
For your miraculous rejuvenation, buy the “sekstraktomolitki” cream and you will be “happiness”.
."The most unpretentious animal."
Snails are not suitable as pets." for anyone", they CANNOT be simply " throw it in a jar of plantain and forget it for two weeks" or " hibernate and then wake up“- these are just the few nonsense that the “kind” owners described in their reviews.
Remember: AKHATINA DOES NOT HAVE ANY SLEEPING AND SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY!
(Only our, so to speak, European snails fall into the so-called “hibernation”, or scientifically called diapause: Helix, Cepei, etc., in which they wait out the winter. This is a normal phenomenon
Tropical snails (Achatina, etc.) live in the tropics (logical, isn’t it?), where there is no winter, and accordingly they do not need to fall into such a state, that is, it is ABNORMAL for them!
Artificial introduction to it, by leaving the snail without food in dry soil for a long period of time, leads to:
-severe stress,
- stunted growth
- illnesses, weaknesses,
-of death...
Therefore, when leaving somewhere for more than a week, ask relatives/acquaintances/friends to take care of your pets.
"Business on snails."
What haven’t I read here... And how to reproduce correctly, and where it’s best to sell, and at what price they take the “little white ones” well, and at what price for the “dark ones”... This is all complete nonsense, my friends! Never fall for such nonsense. The snails that breed often and a lot and with which all message boards are littered are the ordinary Achatina Fulica, which, due to its peculiarity, breeds often and a lot, even in poor conditions, has completely depreciated as a species.
There are, of course, rarer and more expensive species, but keeping these snails in anticipation of laying eggs (and they lay much less frequently) and then raising offspring will cost you more money than you earn. Therefore, snail farming is nothing more than just a hobby.
Akhatina Fulika. Who is she?
-This is the most common type of snail in the CIS countries.
-The only species that has a huge variety of shell color variations.
-A species that can lay up to 500 eggs at a time 2-3 times a month.
-A species that has long no longer grown to 20 cm (although such giants are still occasionally found), as again said in many sources, but on average 10-13 cm (Gone are the days when they all grew really gigantic. From - for careless owners who do not want to create good conditions for their pets, and then breed their crooked and weak individuals 8-10 cm to the right and left - this species has almost exhausted itself, that is, it has deteriorated.
In addition to Fulik, there are many more subspecies of Achatina: Reticulata, Albopicta, Immaculata, Panther, Iradeli, etc. Only about 20 have been studied.
"Sociable and trained snail."
No, she doesn't want to play with you and crawl through your hands. She wants to quickly crawl back into the terrarium - where she feels good and where she belongs, because the air in the room is too dry for her, and your hands are too hot.
No, she will not crawl if you call her by name and does not recognize you by smell or voice, this is not a dog, this is a primitive creature without a brain, incapable of understanding or comprehending anything.
"He likes to swim."
No, he doesn't. This is a land snail. It does not need water in any form, even for drinking (it receives all the necessary moisture from the soil).
If it seems to you that your snail is special and enjoys every bath, then I will disappoint you: The fact that it stretches its “neck”, supposedly exposing it to the stream of water, means only a defensive reaction, a conditioned reflex, a desire to rise higher from the water, since in nature this is one of the main dangers for them.
Occasionally, of course, a snail can be subjected to this procedure, but only in warm boiled or settled water.
Washing "under the tap" threatens:
Thermal burn (as it is difficult to control the water temperature),
Chemical burn (after all, some people also like to put the snail in the sink or bathtub itself, on the surface of which there are residues of cleaning agents and detergents),
Trauma (snails slip out very easily and break just as easily),
White coating or spots on the snail shell (due to chlorine contained in tap water).
And now about the most important thing):
What to keep?
First of all: no cans, boxes, cages, cake trays, flower pots (whatever people manage to keep snails in) and other “luxury apartments” you have come up with.
Only a plastic container with a lid or an aquarium, also necessarily with a lid! (Displacement is calculated based on the type and size of the snail (for example: Fulikam: from 15 l, Reticulata: from 20 l).
★★★ You can purchase containers at any hardware store. The cheapest containers that are perfect for snails can be found in stores such as Ikea And Leroy Merlin. In all the time I've been snail breeding, I haven't found anything cheaper or better than there). For example: a 30L container in L.M. costs only 230 rubles, and a container for 40 liters costs 340 rubles!
If your city doesn’t have these wonderful stores, it doesn’t matter! Mine doesn’t have them either, and, as I already wrote in the review about red-eared turtles, I have to order goods from these stores through intermediaries, but the final price is still much lower than in other stores). Such intermediaries can be found in any city through groups on social networks.★★★
How to create a microclimate in a terrarium?
There is no need to make any holes in the lid. Although many people do this, this is not the most successful ventilation option. The most successful one looks like this: (see the diagram in the photo below).
Proper ventilation is needed not so that the snail does not “suffocate” (it needs very little oxygen to breathe), but so that the air circulates inside the terrarium, does not allow the soil to become damp and, on the contrary, dry out, and provides a favorable microclimate. Holes in the lid, on the contrary, prevent this: air movement does not occur, humidity does not hold, the soil rots and becomes moldy.
Temperature and humidity for each snail are selected individually, since they are all different. Recommended limits: 23-27"C and 70-80%. If you cannot determine by eye, then purchase a thermometer with a hygrometer for these purposes).
To maintain humidity, spray the walls of the terrarium every few days.
How to arrange it?
What should NOT happen:
Stones (any, including small decorative ones) are the cause of injuries;
Any decorations for aquariums are a cause of injury;
Artificial plants are the cause of poisoning;
Papers (including newspapers!) are the cause of poisoning;
Sand - the cause of poisoning + does not maintain humidity;
Snags are the cause of injuries;
Aquarium soil is a cause of injury;
Land from the street is the cause of poisoning, illness and death;
Ready-made purchased soils for flowers, vegetables, etc. are the cause of poisoning, illness and death;
Sawdust is a cause of injury and poisoning;
Herbs from the street - the cause of injuries, poisoning + quickly deteriorate;
Hay is a cause of injury + does not maintain moisture;
Any cat litter is a cause of injury and poisoning + does not maintain moisture,
Coconut fiber is the cause of injuries,
Coconut chips - cause injuries + do not maintain moisture,
Fabrics, rags, towels - do not maintain moisture, can be eaten,
Swimming baths and drinking bowls greatly increase humidity and are not needed by the snail.
What you can do:
Coconut substrate of fine/medium fraction (basic soil),
Any moss in any form (basic soil or addition to the main one),
High neutralized peat (basic soil),
Calcined soil from a deciduous forest or from an ecologically clean area (basic soil),
The base soil should always be moist, but not wet!
Leaf litter: aspen, birch, oak, maple (addition to the soil),
Half a coconut (addition to the soil, serves as a shelter),
Clay pot (addition to the soil, serves as a shelter),
Mat: made of non-woven fabric and synthetic padding (replaces the main ground),
Just as an addition, you can plant seeds of early ripening cultivated plants (parsley, dill, oats, wheat, etc.) or transplant seedlings already grown at home into the terrarium.
By the way, don’t be alarmed if you see that there are some living creatures in the soil, in addition to the snails themselves: springtails (“little bugs”), nematodes (“little worms”), sciarids (“little midges”) - this does not mean anything terrible . There will always be some kind of microscopic life in the soil - this is an integral part of terrariums, but when this life becomes noticeable to the naked eye, it is worth taking measures to reduce its number:
-boil or replace the soil;
- rinse the snails with warm water;
- wash the terrarium with hot water and soap.
Subsequently, to avoid such problems, you need to:
- pay more attention to cleaning;
- do not leave quickly rotting food in the terrarium for a long time;
-check the soil for excessive dampness and, if necessary, squeeze it out.
★★★ You can purchase suitable soil at any gardening, dacha, vegetable and flower shops (it is also sometimes available in pet stores).
Coconut substrate is sold in the form of pressed briquettes (occasionally found in crumbly form, but such a substrate is usually more expensive). It comes in several types:
- Universal - a mixture of small and medium fractions (very good for snails),
- Forward - a mixture of small and medium fractions with the addition of chopped coconut fibers and chips (also suitable for snails, but better for adults, because it will be larger than the previous one),
- Absolut - a mixture of fractions with a large amount of coconut chips (this is not very suitable for snails, but can still only be used for adult individuals),
- Absolut Plus - a mixture of fractions with a predominant amount of coconut chips (a very large fraction, does not hold moisture well and makes cleaning difficult, breaks snail growths once or twice, it is better not to use at all, but if there are no other options, you can try grinding in a meat grinder),
- Coconut peat is a fine homogeneous fraction (can be used).
Usually, all these names are indicated on the packs, but sometimes manufacturers still don’t bother and write simply: “coconut substrate”, “coconut soil”, without any specifications - you can safely buy this too, because This is also a mixture of small and medium fractions.
Coconut price in stores invaries from 100 to 200 rubles - for a 7 liter briquette (in some regions they charge a whopping 300 rubles for it!). You can also order it in online stores, for example at Sima-Lende. There the price for one briquette is only 59 rubles!
But you need to take into account that this site is wholesale and you can only order from 4 pieces + if you are not going to order goods from there for 20 thousand rubles (that’s the minimum wage there now) - then you will need to find a group/organizer (again, they are available in any city) and place an order through them, paying a small percentage.
For example, that’s what I do) and the total price of the substrate, together with delivery and the organizer’s percentage, changes from 59 rubles to 72 rubles. In general, it still turns out to be profitable).
I found high neutralized peat in only one place - in Leroy Merlin, at a very, in my opinion, favorable price: 217 rubles for 50 liters (14 kg)! I order it there (with delivery it costs 50 rubles more).
You can also look for regular, acidic peat (it is more common than neutralized peat) and add dolomite flour (soil deoxidizer, sold as fertilizer) or feed chalk (at the rate of 50-100g per 1 kg of peat) to it and thereby neutralize it yourself !
Dried sphagnum moss can also be purchased at any flower and garden store. Price: 50-70 rubles per 1 liter.
You can collect fresh ones yourself in the forest or in the swamp. If such walks are not your thing, then moss can be ordered profitably at Sima Land. Here the prices are as follows: 5l - 135rub, 10l - 200rub, 30l - 390rub, 80l - 545rub. ★★★
What to feed?
VEGETABLES:
Carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, eggplant, cabbage (white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, red cabbage, Peking cabbage), broccoli, corn, cucumber, tomato, sweet pepper, beets, Jerusalem artichoke, squash, can be raw or boiled (without salt and spices) . Not very sour, not bitter, not hot and not astringent.
FRUITS AND BERRIES:
Apple, pear, peach, apricot, banana, mango, plum, coconut, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, currant, melon, watermelon, grapes, figs, strawberries, papaya, cherries.
GREENERY:
Dill, parsley, spinach, basil, lettuce (any except bitter and spicy types), mint and lemon balm (in small quantities), asparagus, radish/celery/carrot/beet tops, dandelions, coltsfoot, clover , burdock, plantain, nettle (scalded with boiling water), chamomile, woodlice, bindweed, sow thistle, knotweed, leaves of birch/oak/maple/linden/strawberry/apple/pear/plum/apricot and other fruit trees.
In addition, you can: any edible mushrooms, lichen, fruit and vegetable puree (without additives), dried fruit compote.
IT IS FORBIDDEN:
any citrus fruits, pomegranate, kiwi, pineapple, guava, cherry plum, feijoa, prunes, dried apricots, ginger, gooseberries, viburnum, cranberries, stone fruits, onions (green and onions), potatoes, horseradish, sorrel, radish, radish, acacia leaves, tomato tops, wormwood, rowan, garlic, dairy products, eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, flour products, salted, fried, spicy, pickled, smoked.
MANDATORY FEEDING.
CALCIUM.
Main sources:
Feed chalk or agromel (mineral additive for farm animals and fertilizer),
Shell rock (ground);
Eggshells (ground to flour);
Quail shells (whole or ground);
Sepia - cuttlefish shell (can be used whole or in ground form);
Alternative sources:
Limestone or dolomite flour (considered a fertilizer),
Tricalcium phosphate (min.additive for farm animals),
Mineral supplements for reptiles (JBL Mucrocalcium, Jurassipet Jurassical, Zoo Med Repti Calcium, Tetra Reptocal),
Mineral supplements for people (Vitrum Calcium, Vitrum Osteomag, Calcide).
There should preferably be at least two sources of calcium.
It is forbidden:
Mineral stones for birds and rodents (contain salt, gypsum, dyes and other substances that are unnecessary and dangerous for the snail),
Calcium gluconate (not absorbed),
School chalk (contains plaster and glue),
Unground shells and shell rock (not digestible, can injure the esophagus).
VEGETABLEPROTEIN:
Any cereal, except semolina, ground into dust (flakes can be given whole) or cooked without salt and sugar,
Flax, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, poppy seeds (ground to flour),
Any nuts except peanuts (ground to flour).
ANIMAL PROTEIN:
Dried gammarus (whole or ground);
Dried Daphnia;
Fish and meat and bone meal;
Chicken breast (cooked without salt and spices);
Fish and seafood (cooked without salt and spices).
ADDITIONAL ADDITIVES TO THE SNAIL DIET (optional):
A solution of vitamins Vittri, Vitatrin, Trivit (1 drop per meal once a week);
Milk diluted with water 1:1,
Baby food (no salt, sugar or preservatives),
Super premium dry food for cats and dogs.
The quantity and frequency of feeding is selected individually for each specific snail.
★★★ Feed chalk can be found at the poultry market, in pet stores, in agricultural stores, in the Sima-Land subsidiary online store: Zooregion. Price: 30-100 rubles per 1 kg. Agromel is the same chalk, but you can only buy it in gardening stores, since it is considered a fertilizer. Price: 60-70 rubles per 1 kg.
Shell rock is considered a feed for chickens and other birds, so you can find it in the same place as feed chalk. And he is also on Sima Land at a price: 23-26 rubles per 1 kg.
I don’t think there’s any need to write about the shell), so it’s clear where to get it).
Sepia is considered a mineral supplement for parrots, it is quite expensive and not beneficial in terms of the fact that it is one tooth for the snail, but it is considered a very good source of calcium after the shell and cannot be compared with the poor composition of chalk. It can be purchased at pet stores and in many online stores (for example: My-shop, Sima-Land and etc.). The prices are very different. From 50 to 300 rubles for 1 piece!
Limestone and dolomite flour is a fertilizer, sold in gardening and country stores. Price: 15-30 rubles per 1 kg.
Tricalcium phosphate - can be found in the same place as chalk and shell). I don’t know the price, unfortunately, I haven’t seen it on sale for a long time.
Mineral supplements for reptiles - can be found in pet stores, online pet stores. They are not cheap: from 500 rubles per jar. This option is only for wealthy snail breeders).
Human mineral supplements - can be found at the pharmacy).
Gammarus and daphnia are food for fish. Price: from 10 rubles to.... depending on the volume and brand. You can buy it in any pet stores, online pet stores (cheapest at My-shop and Sima-Lande).
Meat and bone meal and fish meal are considered a source of protein for farm animals and dogs, so you can find it in zoos, poultry markets, and online pet stores. Price: 50-300 rubles per 1 kg.
Vitamins "Vittri" and its analogues are considered vitamins for cats and dogs, so you can buy them in pet stores or veterinary pharmacies. Average price: 150r ★★★
Why do snails eat paper? And why shouldn't they be allowed to do this? ?
Very often I meet smart people who claim that paper contains calcium: -0, which is why it is useful for snails and you should definitely give it to them). Such people probably dropped out of school in the primary grades and generally live somewhere not on this planet, since they spread such ridiculous assumptions, it is not clear what they are based on).
Paper, as you know, is made from recycled wood, and wood consists of cellulose, which in turn is the main component of all plants. It is this that attracts snails, for which, in fact, it is the basis of food.
In addition to cellulose, paper also contains dangerous chemicals that are used in its production.
Conclusion: by allowing a snail to eat paper, you are simply poisoning it.
How and when to clean?
Do not forget to carry out minor cleaning (food debris, feces) at least once every 2 days. Otherwise, from a snail-catcher you will definitely turn into a fly-catcher or worm-catcher.
Once a month or when midges/nematodes and other uninvited guests appear, carry out general cleaning: completely wash the terrarium with hot water and soap.
If you have coconut soil, you don’t need to completely change it to a new one (snails don’t like that), and besides, it’s REUSABLE. So, it will be enough to wash (in case of uninvited guests, boil) the old one (it is very convenient to do this in nylon tights) and return it to the terrarium.
Moss can also be washed.
Peat and soil are disposable soils, so you can’t wash them).
Does a snail need company?
Achatina Fulika alone will live well on her own and does not need the company of her own kind, but if you are determined to have several individuals, then remember that:
You can only add snails of the same species or the Achatina Reticulata species to it (with other species - they do not get along or get along, but extremely rarely),
Two (or more) individuals of Achatina Fulika will breed frequently and a lot (there are, of course, exceptions when they do not breed at all - but this is quite rare).
What to do with masonry?
Freeze (throw out/drown/crush/etc., but the most humane option is to freeze).
Dry and grind as calcium for adult snails (this is done mainly with eggs, but it can also be done with already hatched snails, after first separating the shells from the bodies),
Give it as food to red-eared turtles or other reptiles (you can use eggs and small snails).
If you want to keep a couple of snails for yourself, then incubate several eggs in a separate small container with a lid, soil and temperature, like the parents (but keep in mind that there are defects in the clutches and it is better to leave more, so that later we can cull the weak individuals),
DON'T FRUIT THOSE YOU DON'T NEED!
Do not forget that each snail needs at least 15-20 liters for normal growth and development, and growing several hundred (and this is only from one clutch) in one aquarium will not work, they will be crooked, slanted and eat each other mercilessly, so that at least somehow increase your living space.
By breeding a bunch of such gene marriage, people are acting stupid, senseless and irresponsible! And there are a lot of such people. Why they do this is still a mystery to me... Either the poor people are hoping to get rich (although it will be difficult to find such snails even for nothing), or it’s a pity to freeze them (although it’s much more pitiful to look at their suffering at the moment of growth... .), but in any case, I can’t call such people other than knackers.
The ulitoses have eaten and...
Where can I get snails for home keeping?
Only from breeders (they can be found, for example, in snail groups in contact).
You will pay the same as in the store (or even less), but you will get a healthy snail with good genes, and not a gnawed-off runt.
For the same reason, do not take snails from random breeders (for example, from Avito).
Don't encourage breeders, they spoil and devalue the species!
If you don’t understand snails and just buy them “for the soul” or “for the child”, then even more so, contact the breeders, because you don’t know who and under what conditions they breed there... Snails may be victims of “snail therapy” and, as a result, they are carriers of a bunch of infections.
If you haven’t found breeders in your city, you can order snails by mail from another. This is common practice. And if the weather and packaging are good, the snails arrive just fine).
Epilogue: In general, snails are cool creatures! This is a new generation antidepressant)). Watching them is very interesting and touching)))). Such a pet is suitable for both adults and children, and if properly maintained, it will bring joy for a long time.
A few days ago I received a letter in the mail saying that I had become lethargic and inactive.
He eats and immediately hides in the sink. It has decreased in size and goes into the shell behind a curl, but does not close the entrance.
What to do? What is the reason for such changes in the behavior of the snail?
I decided to write this article to help those who may have such a problem with a snail.
Main reasons
1. With the arrival of autumn, the temperature in our apartments drops and this is noted not only by our “two-horned” pets, but even by you and me. If the air temperature in the aquarium where the Achatina snail lives is below 25 degrees, it will not behave actively, sleep more and eat poorly. The Achatina snail is a resident of Africa, where it is humid and warm.To maintain a constant temperature, attach a thermal cord to the bottom of the terrarium or place a lamp inside the terrarium. Read more about how to do this
2. The African snail is very demanding of a spacious home; if there is not enough space in the terrarium, it becomes stressed and may even hibernate. 3. Feed your pet dry food for 7 days. Their snails eat with great appetite and gain weight well.
Nutrient supplements can be prepared for future use and do not contribute to the appearance of.
4. Unusual behavior of the snail may be caused by its pregnancy. Look carefully into the snail's breathing hole for eggs.
It requires a lot of strength and energy from Achatina, so it becomes less mobile, eats poorly, and sleeps more.
5. Infection. Bathe the snail in metronidazole (Trichopol) for 7 days. Crush 1/4 tablet of metrodidazole and dilute in 600 ml of warm water. Pour the medicinal solution into a shallow container to prevent the snail from drowning. Place it in water for 10 minutes. Then, for another 7 days, bathe Achatina in warm, high-quality milk.
Metronidazole is an antibiotic; it will destroy all pathogenic bacteria, and the milk will help the snail recover quickly.
6. Low humidity may also be the reason for this behavior of the snail. The snail spends most of its time in the soil, as it is responsible for maintaining humidity in the terrarium. It is believed that for this reason the snail shell may darken.
- another type of soil;
- direct sunlight;
- raw sepia;
- chemicals in products or on your hands.
SALT
CHOCOLATE
HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS
GARLIC
LEMON
SMOKED
May your snails be healthy and delight you for many years to come.
If you can add to the article, please leave your comment. Your advice will be useful to many snail breeders.
Snail breeders treat their unusual pets (it may even be) very kindly. Therefore, it is not surprising that the slightest deviations in their behavior and mood are noticed. But if cats and dogs have veterinary clinics where they can go in case of problems and questions, then where should you go with a snail that, for example, refuses to eat? You and I understand perfectly well that a living organism must eat, and if it does not eat, it may die.
Why a snail may lose its appetite, what to do in such a situation and how to make a snail eat– you can find out about all this right now...
Reasons for lack of appetite in snails
A healthy snail should be active and have a good appetite. If you notice that your pet hasn't touched its food for some time, you should start to worry. As a rule, the lack of appetite in snails is closely related to one of the possible reasons:
- Incorrect conditions of detention– if the snail is kept in conditions that are not comfortable for it, this may concern the soil, temperature conditions, and uncomfortable humidity levels – it may have a poor appetite. Be sure to double-check how correctly you have arranged it for her. Read more about this.
- Wrong diet– the snail understands perfectly well that the food you give it is not suitable for it. That's why she refuses to eat pickles or Olivier salad. Before you bring this pet into your home, do not forget to weigh all the pros and cons and be aware that you are responsible for your snail, so you simply must find out what to feed it correctly and try to stick to this diet. Find out, .
- Pregnancy– if you are expecting a clutch, then lack of appetite may be one of the signs of pregnancy in your baby. Keep an eye on her for a few days. Has her behavior, tastes and preferences changed? However, even when pregnant, she must eat, and a little later, we will tell you how to offer food to a snail. ABOUT .
- Diseases– if the snail is sick and everything is so serious, then it may refuse food. Analyze how she behaved recently, what you fed her, perhaps there was some kind of stress. It is very important to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms - the shell begins to exfoliate, mucus or mucus is released. In this case, refusing food will be a secondary problem. You need to find its root and eliminate it, then the snail will regain its appetite. ABOUT .
Is it worth forcing a snail to eat?
Some snail breeders say that there is no need to force a snail to eat. Like, she herself will go on a diet for a couple of days, work up an appetite, and then start eating. It is possible, but without receiving useful substances from the diet, the snail weakens, and if this continues for several days and weeks, your pet will simply not have the strength to get out of the shell and eat, even if his appetite returns. Therefore, offering the snail its favorite treats, and even insisting that it eat, is still necessary.