Home snail Ahatina - care and maintenance

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

Achatina - who is it?

1. Practically every child or adult met a snail in its path, proudly carrying its house on its back. Small mollusks are often found near water sources, trees, as well as in suburban areas. However, it is unlikely that anyone could see how Achatina moves in street conditions.We do not have such giant snails.
2. Achatina prefers tropical conditions, so it can be found in hot regions. This species is the largest of the sebaceous. Over the whole life, Achatina can grow up to 10-12 cm. However, in wild conditions, even larger individuals reaching 25 cm can be found. Most often Ahatins are found in Africa, in our country due to climatic conditions, mollusks are not common.
3. But given the fact that snails occupy almost the leading place in the list of plant pests and agricultural products, many gardeners are happy with this feature. Snails are difficult to remove, they quickly multiply and spoil the harvest. There have been cases of excessive distribution of ordinary individuals, what can we say about so large. What damage they can do.
4. However, many pet followers of this type do not pay attention to the harm they cause while living in the wild. Because when maintaining a house, the snail will benefit not only mental equilibrium, but also the skin. Due to the simplicity in the care of Achatina prefer turtles and even fish.
5. The mollusks cannot hear, but they probe the soil with their bodies, sniff at their tentacles, breathe in their skin. The color of the shell varies depending on what the snail eats.Over time, the hue changes. It can be patterned or solid. To date, there are many varieties of Achatina, such as lemon, ordinary, brown, etc.

Features Achatina

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

Snail breeding - caution!

1. It has already been mentioned that the animals presented cause a lot of damage to agricultural crops. In part, this is due to the fact that the snails are breeding worse than rabbits. One clutch is accompanied by 300 eggs, just imagine how many mollusks there are. At home, eggs need to be extracted systematically. If you decide to breed giant pets, please note that there may be about 5 of such clutches per year. These are 1500 snails.
2. Many are interested in the subtleties of reproduction, we will explain. In the first year, Achatina only reaches sexual maturity.An interesting feature is that it does not always need a satellite to extend its race. By its nature, Achatina is a hermaphrodite, that is, the beginning of both sexes is present.
3. If Achatina thinks that life in a locked aquarium is critical for her and you need to continue the race urgently, she will lay eggs. If you bought only 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 laying, you should carefully consider the amount of soil in the aquarium. Do not line a layer thicker than 3 cm. This will make a cochlea much more difficult. In most cases, the Achatines do not breed under such conditions. It takes no more than 2-3 weeks to hatch descendants, so it is necessary to systematically examine whether there are eggs or not.
5. Egg size does not exceed 0.5 cm. Therefore, if you notice them, collect in one place, then freeze or boil. It is cruel, but it is impossible to get rid of them otherwise.
6. Do not throw out the clutch, because the mollusks will hatch and begin to spread throughout the territory.They will cause damage to everything that will occur on the way. So say, snail apocalypse! No wonder that in the UK they created a law that prohibits the release of such snails on the streets.

How long do Achatines live

1. If you first acquired an unusual mollusk, 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 cochlea, only at a slower pace.
2. With proper provision of living conditions for the pet, in the terrarium he can safely live up to 10 years. Therefore, from your side it is necessary to give the snail the most comfortable conditions for living. Do not forget about the timely care.

Snail content

1. To the pet did not experience any discomfort in your apartment, he would need his own house. So try to provide the snail with maximum comfort. As the house is quite suitable terrarium, container or aquarium.
2. For an average size Achatina, a capacity of about 10 liters will fit. as the cochlear grows and its size increases, the house needs to be changed. Therefore, it is recommended to immediately purchase a container of sufficiently large size in order not to change it in the future.
3. Try to provide living conditions in the house as close as possible to the wild nature in which mollusks live. Thus, the snail will feel as comfortable as possible. It is mandatory to close the house on top of the ventilated lid.
4. It is recommended to lay moss, badly decaying wood and fragments of pottery at the bottom of the aquarium. You should also plant ivy or fern. Thus, the home will acquire a beautiful appearance and comfort for the pet. Plants will help clean the air in the house.
5. It is strongly not recommended to use peat or sand as a filler. The walls in the house will be constantly dirty. In addition, the sand encourages snails to lay eggs. As you already understood, you do not need such “happiness” at all.
6. In any case, do not forget to systematically clean the pet's house. In good cleaning should be carried out 1 time per month. Be sure to wash the glass and change the filler. Pet waste products are recommended to be cleaned every day. The procedure does 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 buy special lamps. In fact, the lighting does not affect the life of the snails. On the contrary, mollusks are accustomed to lead an active lifestyle in a darkened environment.
8. However, Akhatinam will need heating lamps. Such a heater would be just the way, if in winter you are cold enough. 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 as possible to the house.
9. Also, do not install an aquarium near heating appliances. In addition, in the pet's home humidity level plays an important role. If the snail often hangs on the walls, this indicates that the humidity is increased. The surface can be dried by directing sunlight.
10. If the humidity in the house is not enough, the mollusk opposite will constantly hide in the sink. To fix the situation is quite simple. Use a spray bottle and spray the filler inside the pet's house.
11. One of the favorite activities of snails is swimming. Be sure to perform the procedure under warm water.For convenience, you can use the shower or faucet. The pet will hide in the sink in case of discomfort. If necessary, change the pressure or water temperature.

Feeding the snails

1. The undoubted advantage of such pets is that you will not have to think about what exactly to feed the snail. Achatina is famous for its voracity and unpretentiousness. She will eat whatever you offer her.
2. Young pets should be fed with fresh vegetables and fruits, older individuals still prefer a little rotten food. Depending on age, the frequency of feeding will also depend. Young individuals need to be fed daily, old few times a week.
3. In 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 the green you can give the field and meadow herbs, clover, plantain, dandelion, nettle, etc.

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

Video: breeding of African snails Ahatin