How to care for home snails Achatines

Achatina are large snails belonging to the family Achatinidae, which, in turn, includes several genera. In some countries, this type of snail is recognized as a pest, as they easily destroy not only crops, but also buildings. In this way, the clam extracts itself chalk and lime for the construction of shells. Nevertheless, it is the most popular type of snail for home breeding. Thanks to proper care, snails live for at least 10 years, and in sizes reach 20–30 cm.

Who can get such a pet

Achatina perfectly suited to people who lead an active lifestyle, or often go on business trips. Caring for these mollusks does not require constant attention, besides, they can easily do about a week without food. In this case, the snails simply hide in the shells and hibernate.To wake them up, just wet Achatina a little with water. However, to use such a unique ability of these snails too often is not worth it.

Device terrarium

Usually these snails are kept in ordinary aquariums. This takes into account the size of the terrarium - for one individual, you must provide at least 10 liters. The greater the capacity, the larger the snail will reach. The aquarium should have a cover so that the mollusks do not crawl out. Therefore, for the full gas exchange, special holes are made in it. In extreme cases, you can slightly raise the cover of the terrarium, but the gap should not be too large.

On the bottom of the terrarium lies bedding. This is a special soil or coconut substrate. It is filled with a layer of not more than 7 cm. For small snails, at first it is better to lay cabbage leaves. It is advisable to come up with a small tub inside the aquarium, as snails like to swim in the water. But it should not be deep, otherwise the mollusk can easily choke. And it must be stable and not turn over. You need to wash the aquarium once a week. If eggs are already laid in it, then cleaning takes place without water.

This evidence does not require special temperature or humidity. They are quite suitable conditions, as an ordinary city apartment, and a private house. Soil moisture can be easily determined by the behavior of snails - if they sit on the walls of the aquarium, then the ground is too damp. If they are constantly hiding in the sinks, this indicates excessive dryness of the soil. When the humidity is normal, at night the mollusks will hide in the ground, and in the daytime they will crawl on top.

Feeding and hygiene

In food, Achatina snails are not picky and eat greens, fruits and vegetables. But in the natural environment they can easily be eaten and meat. Most often snails are fed with carrots, cabbage or cucumbers, but it is better if the menu is more varied. You should not accustom the mollusk to one or several specific types of food, otherwise it will subsequently refuse to eat anything else.

Adult snails easily cope with large pieces of fruit, but kids better rub them on the grater. It is not recommended to feed the mollusks with soft food, as it flows and smears. Therefore, such food can be given only for a short time, and then removed.From the menu of small snails, it is better to exclude soft foods altogether.

It is necessary to feed the snails with the following vegetables:

• zucchini;
• pumpkin;
• Champignon;
• cucumbers;
• boiled potatoes;
• tomatoes;
• broccoli;
• cabbage leaves.

From fruits and berries it is better to give preference:

• apricots;
• apples;
• pears;
• bananas;
• strawberries and strawberries;
• cherries;
• watermelon and melon;
• grapes, plums, etc.

In addition, snails can perfectly eat peas, oatmeal or beans, both raw and cooked. From time to time it is possible to give Akhatinam mushrooms, greens, including nettles, dandelions, plantain, flowers of fruit trees, etc. Dairy products, eggs and minced meat will be useful in small quantities.

It is strictly forbidden to feed snails sour, sweet, salty, fried, as well as pasta. We should not forget that the mollusks really need a large amount of calcium, so you should give them special porridge. In the terrarium there should always be a container with fresh water to drink, but not very deep, otherwise the snails can sink.

Sometimes Achatina need to be washed. Many mollusks owners combine such bathing with washing an aquarium.These mollusks are very fond of water, so there will be no difficulties with this procedure. It is better to wash them under a warm shower, controlling that the water pressure is not very strong. Otherwise, the clam just scared.

Health

Achatina - exotic mollusks living in Africa, therefore, are often carriers of various diseases. Therefore, one should be wary of snails imported from hot countries. It is best to acquire domestic, specially bred snails. But with them you need to follow the rules of hygiene.

As for the health of the Akhatin, they are quite delicate creation. It is not recommended to put together with them in the aquarium mollusks of other species, especially wild grape snails, as they can infect Achatina. No need to panic if the snail, for example, broke off a piece of the shell. It is enough to lubricate the edges with an antiseptic and wait until the wound heals itself.

Most often Achatina suffer from:

1. Temperature exposure. This is overheating or overcooling of the mollusk, which are able to inhibit its development and growth.
2. Chemicals. It is better not to use household chemicals in the care of the aquarium, etc.From contact with such drugs snails often die.
3. Fallout from the sink. Loss of shell leads to infection and fungi. In a small snail, it can still grow, but adult individuals are dying.
4. Household injuries sink. This may be due to inaccurate handling of the snail.
5. Parasites. In this case, the snail is covered with white bloom and stops eating. The treatment used is a pesticide for reptiles. And be sure to clean the aquarium.
6. Worms In this case, the mollusk can become infected with worms from a person. For treatment, you need to feed him pumpkin seeds, cucumbers and chamomile.
7. Infections. Such diseases in 95% of cases result in the death of snails. Therefore, it is important to observe the right conditions for keeping a mollusk.
8. Neoplasm. They can appear on the body of snails due to household chemicals, poor quality aquarium materials, soil and harmful pesticides in products. It is almost impossible to cure the tumor, so it is better to freeze the snail.

Breeding Achatina

Adult snails are capable of breeding when they reach 7–9 months. And this process does not depend on the time of year. Under favorable conditions, the incubation period lasts several weeks.Then the eggs are laid. One snail is able to lay up to 400 eggs at a time. The offspring appears in about 1-2 weeks. If snails do not breed for a long time, it is possible that they do not have enough space. The thickness of the substrate should be at least 3-4 cm. In addition, there are also viviparous species of mollusks.

Not everyone knows that Achatines are hermaphrodites, that is, they can act as both mom and dad. If breeding snails is not planned, it is better not to buy a couple. If the eggs did appear, it is better to carefully pick them up and give them to the familiar owners of Ahatin. It is not recommended to let out small snails on the nature, as they are quite capable of causing enormous harm to the environment. In some countries, for example, in the UK, there are even administrative penalties for this.

The walks

Happy Achatina often sleep, so do not worry if they burrow into the ground or hiding in the sink. But how to play with your pet. Snails are not meant to be disturbed too often. They are very easy to injure, so even they should be handled carefully.Before you put the snail on your palm, you need to moisten its leg with water and hold its shell when carrying it. You can not pull the clam behind the sink, as you can tear it off.

They are happy to climb on the skin, while you can feel easy tingling. In addition, the unique cosmetic properties of these snails have long been known. You can let the snail crawl around the apartment, but it is important to monitor it and keep it in sight all the time. Although the clam moves at a speed of about 1 cm per minute, it is easy to lose sight of. And, most likely, the snail will crawl into a hard-to-reach place and therefore it will be almost impossible to find it.

Achatina not picky, almost omnivorous and do not require much attention. However, they need to be monitored, handled carefully, and then they will delight the whole family for a long time.

Video: care and maintenance of Achatina snails