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thestickiestartist · 4 years

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KEEPING SNAILS:

Because everybody needs a snail. Everybody.

This is Icha. Icha is a baby albino Achatina Reticulata. In other words, he’s a giant fat yellow-white snail. He makes weird faces, and he’s the boss snail in his tank. Nobody leaves before he does, unless they want their face squished.

The smaller snails are Helix Aspersa, your common garden snails. They’re slightly less odd than Icha but equally prone to making strange expressions.

Why the hell would I want a pet snail? They’re all slimy and gross.

Snails are extremely docile herbivores/omnivores.

Snails live in small to incredibly huge colonies.

Snails all have their own friend groups and socialize regularly.

Snails are friendly, don’t bite, scratch or try to hurt you.

Snails make odd faces with their eyestalks/feelers, especially when they’re eating something they especially enjoy.

Snails will happily eat household waste that would normally be thrown away, even if it barely resembles food.

Snails love warm baths, and basking under water sources.

Snails are extremely easy to keep, require virtually no attention and are very easy to handle.

Snails have an amazing sense of smell, so it’s more than likely they can identify you by scent once they’re used to you.

Snails come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, from tiny blue/black/red-bodied snails to gigantic ones big enough to cover a grown mans hand.

Are you seriously still doubting keeping snails.

They enjoy shell rubs and petting too you know.

They’re like mollusc cats.

But without the biting and clawing and sitting all over your keyboard when you’re busy wasting your time on the internet.

They’ll even eat and sleep in your hand.

Alright, how am I supposed to look after a snail if they’re so great?

First of all, you CANNOT keep a single snail. Snails are social creatures, you don’t want your snail to lapse into depression and stop eating, do you? This is extremely important and a main part of snail keeping.

Ever been to a pet store and been told that in order to keep this particular pet, you need a shitload of expensive equipment and they’re difficult for inexperienced owners, despite the staff member clearly having no idea what they’re saying?

DO NOT TRUST PET STORES.

It’s sad but many pet stores do not train their staff, and they haven’t the slightest clue what they’re doing, but their boss might fire them if they don’t bullshit you into spending money on this fish/reptile/overpriced tank. As with all pets, go to an experienced, responsible owner, not a pet store. Sadly bad pet stores are everywhere, and often by the time you’ve gotten home, it’s too late. Know a responsible pet store with trained staff? Go ahead. But don’t drop into that Pets at Home in town where all the fish tanks cost £200 and the rodents look like they have some kind of hideous disease.

Don’t know where to find a snail owner? Well, I’m writing this, aren’t I? Feel free to ask me questions, I’m always more than happy to help out. Petsnails.proboards.com is also a great place to go.

First off, you need a home for your snails. Personally I prefer larger containers, but they’re not necessary. This is my Aspersa tank:

This 75ltr storage box cost about £15. Wheels, clipping lid, durable and easy to clean.

This smaller box cost about £3. I highly recommend plastic storage boxes, both for storage purposes and affordable pricing.

Okay, I’ve got a box. What now?

Did you drill holes in the sides?

Did I what?

Can’t forget that part, snails may breathe very little but they still need air. The size of the holes you need depends on the size of your snails. If you’re starting with garden snails, you’ll need very small snails to prevent the future tiny babies escaping and crawling all over your house. Don’t worry as much if you’re starting with giant African species, if they get out then you may have torn your box into pieces without realizing.

There, I’ve got a box with holes in it. Now what?

Now you need substrate. Snails love to dig, and it helps retain moisture. A snail without anywhere to bury itself is a sad snail.

Coir, plain topsoil and sphagnum moss are all acceptable substrates. Cover the top layer of soil in sphagnum if you can obtain it, sphagnum deters mold and holds water brilliantly.

Do NOT under any circumstances use cedar, cedar is not something I would recommend for any type of creature. Other types of plain wood chips are fine, if only mixed into the substrate in small amounts. Compost and garden soil must be avoided, only use sterile, plain substrates to prevent pesticide poisoning or parasites. Garden centres stock all kinds of substrates, don’t hesitate to go with something cheap. Plain soil is plain soil, after all.

What next?

Now you need decorations. A plain tank is rather dull after all, how else will your snails explore? Large branches, coconut shells, rocks, plastic or real plants, go wild. Always boil or cook anything you pick up outdoors, once pests get into your tank, you’ll be at step one all over again. Believe me, the last thing you want to see is literal cakes of worms. Be glad I didn’t take a photo of it before I attacked the tank with bleach.

What do I do if I find parasites in my tank?

Take the tank outside and get a bottle of bleach. Dump the substrate and dry it in the sun to cook out the parasites. Clean the entire tank and lid with bleach and water, don’t miss a single spot. If you don’t kill them off, they’ll be back in days.

Worms: Snail worms are small, white wiggly things and a major pain in the ass. Nobody likes worms. Your cat/dog/ferret/etc. doesn’t like worms. I hope you don’t like worms. Isolate your snails in a quarantine tank and feed them pumpkin seeds while washing them in warm water daily. Once the worms cease to appear in the quarantine tank or on your snails, you should be fine. Always keep an eye out though.

Mites: Mites are also a pain in the ass, but less easy to distinguish. If your snails have mites, I would recommend simply wiping them out, as it’s not worth the risk. Wash affected snails daily and look out for natural pesticides consisting of carnivorous mites, these mites will wipe out all pests in your tank, and even crawl into your snails to eat stragglers. They will die shortly after the mite population runs out.

Flies: Get a sundew. That’s all you need. Flies are a nightmare during the summer and will explode in number when the weather warms up, but fortunately the flies you’re more than likely seeing are simply tiny detrivores that feast on fruit. If you don’t want to put up with them, carnivorous plants are your new best friend. Don’t hesitate because they seem harder to care for than your average plant, I neglect mine on a regular basis and they just grow bigger. If the plant isn’t an option, fly paper is a more expensive, short-term route around fly invasions.

There, the tank is ready. Now where the hell am I supposed to get these snails?

Your garden, your neighbors vegetable patch, snail farms, eBay, walks in the countryside, there are plenty of options to choose from. A bonus of keeping snails is that they are not only low in cost long-term, but the price of the actual snail is generally very affordable. Do some research, and make sure the species you want is legal. Giant African Land Snails are forbidden in the US, and it is highly illegal to collect Helix Pomatia in the UK. You can however buy them from farms. Remember, NEVER buy from a poacher. Report them and go elsewhere, don’t ever touch an endangered wild snail.

What do I feed my snails?

This is a question I’m genuinely surprised by, as snails are well, major garden pests. No tomato, lettuce or fancy flowerbed will go untouched by hungry snails.

As you can see, I feed my snails out of dishes. My two snail dishes are biodegradable pet bowls, but you can use plates, bowls or nothing at all. I do it for hygiene and organization, because it makes cleaning much easier. Snails will eat a wide variety of foods, but just as people do, snails have their preferences. Experiment, see what they enjoy. Don’t feed too much fruit at a time, or you’re going to be doing a lot of very unpleasant cleaning later. Wiping up snail shit after they’ve eaten too much fruit isn’t fun.

Staples are lettuce (NO Iceberg) and cucumber. Snails will also eat tomatos, strawberries, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, melon, mushrooms, carrots, dandelions, blackberries, and many other foods. Go to the grocery store and see what you can find. Snails also enjoy small amounts of wet brown bread and plain dog biscuits.

Never, ever feed snails rice or pasta, not even as a treat.

Make sure you wash all non-organic foods before serving, pesticides exist to kill pests, and snails are one of a farmers most hated enemies. Never gather food from roadsides, as it will be contaminated by car pollutants. Don’t eat it yourself either, it’s not exactly a healthy meal.

Anything else:

Handle your snails often and they will get used to you. Bathe them in warm water weekly, the same temperatures you would put a small child or infant in. Never expose your snails to soaps or chemicals, and do not use anything containing either within the same room as your snails. Snails will eat small amounts of raw meat such as mince, but stick with strictly organic foods. Buy straight from the local farm and support their business. Always wash before and after handling your snails to prevent the spread of disease to either you, or your snails.

Snails breed at an extremely fast rate in very large numbers, always have a plan ready in case this becomes a problem. Snail farming is a profitable business after all, and exotic snails are popular children’s pets.

Snails require a constant source of calcium. Buy cuttlefish bone online, it’s much cheaper and you’ll get far more out of it.

Need any advice, have a question, still not convinced that you should keep a bunch of snails as pets? Send me an ask, no matter how stupid you might think your question is. The last thing you need is to be all prepared to find there’s something dreadfully wrong.

Hope this helps all you aspiring or now aspiring snail owners out there!

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