Today it is becoming fashionable to keep at home not quite ordinary pets. And here - who and what will have enough imagination. Someone has a crocodile in the bathroom, others give birth to exotic fish, others - cockroaches, scorpions and spiders. This is all for an amateur, but you can’t take a fish and a poisonous scorpion out of the aquarium to stroke it, and the dog needs to be walked at least twice a day. Therefore, many are looking for an alternative, and there really is one. Grape snail at home feels great, willingly crawls into his arms and takes a shower in the hands of the owner, does not require much care. And if the conditions of your life suddenly change, for example, a move is coming, you can simply release it in the garden. Most likely, she successfully adapts to free conditions.

Where to get a snail?

They are sold in pet stores, so buying yourself a new friend will not be a problem. But it must be taken into account that they large quantities are found in the south of Russia, so if you are going to rest in Sochi, then you have a good chance to bring a pet from there. At the same time, the grape snail at home is so unpretentious that its content is available to any beginner. Today we will look at what these snails eat and what conditions these snails require so that the future owner can easily cope with caring for a new pet.

But let's get back to the topic of how to catch a snail yourself. The child will gladly support this idea, especially since the process itself is more than exciting. To do this, in the vineyard, which is plentiful in the south of Russia, even during the day you need to leave a juicy fruit, preferably overripe, fragrant. AT evening time mollusks start to crawl out of their hiding places - now you can start hunting. Therefore, after dark, grab a flashlight and go looking. Most likely, several individuals will already be sitting on your fruit. By the way, the grape snail at home is quite voracious, so if you do not live in the south, where fruits are available all year round, think about whether you need such a pet. When choosing a snail, you should not take small ones, these can be cubs or sick individuals. Pay attention that there are no cracks on the sink, such a simple selection will allow you to bring home a friend who will live long enough.

New home for the snail

First of all, you need to take care of where the grape snail will live at home. An old aquarium or a large, transparent box is best suited for these purposes. The volume should allow the snail to move around normally, so do not keep it in a very small box or jar. Be sure to close the jar with a lid so that the mollusk cannot escape. However, make sure that there are air holes in the lid.

What to feed a grape snail?

Snail care

We have already said that the walls of the aquarium in which snails live are periodically covered with mucus. They must be wiped, otherwise it will be difficult for you to observe the life of your ward. Uneaten fruits and vegetables should be thrown away in a timely manner, otherwise flies will start in them. It is very convenient to have a special saucer for feeding. Then all the leftovers will be in one place.

Few pets love water as much as the snail. The content of these mollusks implies the presence in the enclosure of a small bathing room, only shallow, because the snail cannot swim. She really does not like dry air, because it is not in vain that she habitat habitats are moist, shady thickets, vineyards, where she crawls out in the evening and actively crawls in search of food until the morning. Therefore, you need to purchase a spray bottle and spray the walls and the ground in the aquarium every day, as well as the snails themselves.

Interaction with snails

Why has the grape snail become so popular? Home maintenance of this mollusk is quite simple, you can pick up a snail and stroke it. Over time, she will get used to her hands and will feel them with her horns. You can feed it from your hands, the snail will gladly eat fresh fruit. If you need to leave, then you can put her to bed. To do this, you need to choose a cool place and stop feeding her. The mollusk will perceive this as the onset of cold weather, go into the shell and close with a special film. In nature, anabiosis of a snail lasts up to 3 months. Waking her up on her return is easy enough. Transfer the aquarium to a warm place, and wash the snail in warm water. It is especially necessary to withstand hibernation if you want to get offspring.

Snail breeding

Today, many pet stores sell grape snails. The price of such a pet is from 50 to 500 rubles, depending on the size and region. To get offspring, you need at least 2 individuals. Snails usually mate in autumn and spring. Under favorable conditions, they can breed several times a month. Usually, a snail ready for mating begins to travel around the aquarium, strongly stretching its body. She examines him in search of a partner, when two snails meet, the love game. The process can last up to 6 hours, and the act of mating itself takes about two hours. During mating, the snails press their soles tightly against each other. At the end of sexual intercourse, the snails connect the genitals and exchange male cells. After that, the snails go about their business to lay their eggs.

offspring care

Growing grape snails is a simple matter. Adults lay eggs white color underground, in a pre-prepared place. After that, 3-4 weeks pass before the offspring hatch. A newborn snail first eats the shell from the egg from which it emerged, and then goes upstairs. After about ten days, the snail gets out. All this time they feed on useful substances that are in the soil. At this time, it is necessary that her shell gets stronger so that she can hide in it in time of danger. Toddlers are fed finely grated fruits and vegetables so that they grow faster. It is also necessary to give mineral supplements.

Growing snails on an industrial scale

Grape snail farm - it sounds rather strange. However, there is a demand - there is a supply. Since many people want to keep shellfish at home, then they will be sold on the market. However, resourceful entrepreneurs supply snails not only to pet stores. Snail meat began to be in great demand. This is a fashionable novelty that restaurants and cafes are happy to use to attract customers. Moreover, it is the grape snail that has a special, exquisite taste, much better than the Achatina giants.

Profitability of a snail farm

How much profit can a grape snail give? The price of one queen bee is $3. To expand production, you need at least 300 pieces. To feed them, you will need at least 2 kg of feed, the cost of each kilogram is about 300 rubles. Several times a month, each individual (they are hermaphrodites, but the mating process is necessary) lays 20-50 eggs, from which young snails hatch after 3-4 weeks. They ripen after about 6 months, after which they can be taken to restaurants. Each kilogram of shellfish costs about $10. Snail caviar is even more expensive, it is purchased at a price of $ 120 for 50 g.

Land gastropod mollusk from the subclass of pulmonary snails. Widely distributed in countries tropical climate, high invasive species, is a pest of agricultural plants, especially sugar cane. Currently, the further expansion of the range of Achatina has been stopped due to strict measures to maintain quarantine. The incipient invasion of the snail in the United States was prevented. In Europe, including Russia, where the survival of Achatina in nature is impossible, they are often kept as pets.

Terrarium for Achatina can be made from a simple aquarium. Minimum size- 10 liters per snail. The larger the aquarium, the larger your snail will grow. The terrarium must have a lid, because snails can crawl out of it. It is desirable to organize small holes in the lid for better gas exchange. AT last resort, you can simply lift the lid to open a small gap. Place a bedding on the bottom of the aquarium. Bedding can be Begonia soil, or ideally a coco substrate 5-7 cm mound. You can build a small bath with fresh water, Achatina are very fond of swimming. The main thing is that the depth of the bath does not allow the snail to choke. In general, Achatina crawl well under water, but, accidentally falling into the bath from above, a small snail can drown from fright. You also need to make sure that the bath does not turn over if the snail starts to burrow into the ground next to it, otherwise the water will spread, which is not good.

The temperature and humidity required by Achatina roughly coincide with those in an ordinary city apartment. Soil moisture is determined empirically. If snails sit on the walls of the terrarium all the time, then there is too much water. If they prefer to be clogged (the evidence is hidden in the sink and closed with a lid), on the contrary, it is too dry. With normal soil moisture, snails crawl on its surface at night, and often burrow into it during the day. To maintain humidity, it is enough to spray the soil and walls of the terrarium from a spray gun twice a day.

To wake up a clogged snail, you can pour water on its mouth and carefully remove the cap, or simply place it in a terrarium with normal humidity. It is recommended to wash the terrarium at least once a week. The exception is a terrarium with egg-laying, which has to be cleaned without water, so as not to change the humidity and not damage the laying.

It is better to keep small snails without soil, laying cabbage or lettuce leaves on them, thereby increasing the chance of finding food by the snail and to facilitate the care of the terrarium.

Feeding the Achatina snail

It is better to feed as food is eaten and dried out and to remove leftovers. Achatina eat vegetables, fruits and herbs, but in nature they do not refuse meat. Usually in captivity, they are fed cabbages, carrots, and cucumbers, but a more varied diet is preferable. This is necessary first of all so that at any time you can switch to another type of food available. Snails are known to have certain tastes for food, including many who prefer cucumbers and lettuce to other foods, and if they are fed only cucumbers from childhood, they often refuse to eat anything other than them, which can cause certain inconveniences. Large snails can be given whole cores, they process surprisingly quickly. food waste. Soft foods should be given for a short time, otherwise they flow and spread over the ground, causing it to become contaminated. Small snails are generally not recommended to give soft foods. There was a case when snails completely buried themselves in a banana and suffocated there. It is better for very small newborn snails to give greens, grated carrots, and after a few days lettuce and an apple.

Can:

Fruit: apple, apricots, pineapple, avocado, bananas, pears, strawberries, strawberries, cherries, mangoes, papaya, plums, bunch of grapes, figs, watermelon, melon.

Vegetables: pumpkin, swede, zucchini, broccoli, champignons, lettuce, cucumber, potatoes (boiled), carrots of the "carotel" variety, red, red pepper, celery, spinach, tomato, cabbage leaves.

Beans, peas (boiled or fresh), oatmeal.

Other: mushrooms, meadow plants/trees, nettle, daisy flowers, elder flowers, clover, dandelion, plantain, yarrow, sprouted oats, alfalfa, fruit tree blossoms (apple, apricot, peach...), bread (softened), milk (dry or natural), dairy / lactic acid products (without sugar, salt, spices), minced meat ( chopped meat, meat - raw or boiled), egg (cooked), compound feed, meat and bone meal, peanuts (crushed), children food vegetable and meat, gammarus.

It is important that the plants are not plucked within the city, factories or enterprises, wastewater, landfills. After bringing home, rinse thoroughly in warm water!

Don't (very important!):

Spicy, salty, sour, sweet, smoked, fried, pasta, potato eyes.

The effect of calcium on shellfish

Snails need calcium to build their shells. Calcium is a very common chemical element.

Lack of calcium in the food of the snail leads to the curvature and deformation of the shell. The snail shell from a lack of calcium becomes softer, it is not protected from environment. Since everything internal organs attached to the walls of the shell, any damage to it can lead to malfunction of the organs or death. A mollusk that does not receive calcium with food, as a rule, lags behind in development: the growth of the shell is disturbed or even stops, there is a failure in puberty.

In order to prove how important calcium is for snails, I conducted an experiment.

Two groups of snails of the same age and species were taken and placed in the same conditions, but feeding was carried out in different ways: some - with food with the addition of calcium, others - with its complete absence.

Soon the snails of the second group stopped growing. From this it follows that calcium is indispensable for shellfish.

Breeding of the Achatina snail (Reproduction of Achatina)

Snails are hermaphrodites, that is, each individual has both male and female reproductive organs. In the absence of a partner, self-fertilization is possible, but it is quite rare.

The snail can store sperm for up to two years after mating, using it to fertilize maturing eggs. The number of eggs in a clutch is about 200 (in some cases up to 500), a snail can make 5-6 clutches annually. The size of one egg is 4.5-5.5 mm, in shape it resembles a chicken. Egg development is possible at a temperature of 22°C and lasts from several hours to 17 days.

Achatina (lat. Ashatin) - land gastropod mollusks from the subclass Lung snails. This highly invasive species has become widespread in countries characterized by tropical climatic conditions, where it is one of the dangerous pests of very many agricultural plants.

Characteristics of Achatina

The average shell length of adult snails, as a rule, does not exceed 50-100 mm, but some specimens are larger, exceeding 20 cm. The snail shell is conical in shape, most often characteristically twisted precisely counterclockwise.

Age Achatina are characterized by a shell that has about seven to nine turns. The basic color of the shell is directly dependent on the characteristics of the environment, as well as the diet, but most often has reddish-brown stripes and yellowish hues.

Before purchasing, you need to find out the features of caring for a snail and take an interest in the diet of a mollusk, its maintenance and care, and also take into account the main nuances:

  • it is not recommended to purchase homemade Achatina from your hands, so it is advisable to visit a pet store and observe the behavior, food preferences and general health of the snail;
  • it is important to inspect the terrarium and its equipment, taking into account the volume of the dwelling and its lighting, the presence of a vent and other accessories;
  • African Achatina must have a good pedigree, recorded in special registration documentation.

It should be remembered that individuals who are non-professional farmers of land gastropods do not cull and try to sell snails in large quantities, as well as sell clutches and do not have competence in matters of care or maintenance. Quite often, such people are not able to provide full information about their shellfish and do not care at all about the health of the animal.

Important! Special attention need to turn to appearance clam. The shell of the snail should not be cracked, and its uniformity is a good sign. It is best to purchase Achatina over the age of two months.

The breeders or keepers grow snails competently and are fully competent in keeping them. Professionals do not seek benefits from the sale of snails, therefore, if necessary, they are able to provide comprehensive information about the origin and pedigree of the mollusk. Breeders make timely rejection, but the laying for breeding is never realized.

Terrarium device, filling

Any glass or plastic container that has a lid with special small ventilation holes can be used as a dwelling for a mollusk. As practice shows, preference should be given to a horizontal type terrarium, and the volume of such a container for one adult cannot be less than ten liters.

Particular attention is paid to the heating of the terrarium for growing a tropical pet.. A heat-loving creature should be provided with a comfortable and stable place, regardless of the season. temperature regime at the level of 26-28 ° C. It is preferable to use special snails for heating the dwelling external fixtures in the form of safe thermal cords or thermal mats. It is important to prevent not only the freezing of the animal, but also its overheating, so it is advisable to place a thermometer in the terrarium.

The lighting of the terrarium is also important, but additional illumination at night is not necessary. It should be prevented from hitting the sun's rays on the mollusk, so the terrarium should not be placed on the window sill of a south-facing window.

As a filling for a dwelling, it is required to choose the right type of soil, for which it is desirable to use a coconut substrate that retains moisture well. The thickness of the soil is selected in accordance with the size of the pet. Before backfilling, the briquette is poured with boiling water, after which it is cooled, washed and dried. as well worthy option filling, you can also use high-moor pure peat with a pH level in the range of 5-7.

Important! It is necessary to place a terrarium with a giant snail in a place where there is no negative impact on the animal draft or direct sunlight, as well as excess heat from heaters.

Additional accessories for the snail include high-quality drinkers and feeders made from environmentally friendly and soft materials, as well as a pool and a small house. Food plastics have proven themselves very well. Do not use sharp or dangerous, too hard objects in the terrarium that can cause damage to the body or shell of a domestic mollusk. Experienced owners of such pets recommend planting lettuce crops or special cat grass in the house for Achatina. Twigs, picturesque driftwood or traditional tree bark will become a real decoration for the landscape.

The correct diet of the Achatina snail

The basis of the diet of Achatina is represented by lettuce leaves, a variety of greens, shoots cereal crops and vegetables, as well as tops. The diet of mollusks should also include products presented:

  • cucumber and pumpkin pulp;
  • spinach;
  • zucchini;
  • carrot;
  • cobs of young corn;
  • peas;
  • tomatoes;
  • cabbage;
  • apple and pear pulp;
  • watermelon and melon;
  • bananas;
  • apricots;
  • avocado;
  • mango;
  • pineapples;
  • cherry;
  • plum;
  • raspberries;
  • strawberries.

Adult gastropods can be a bit fussy when it comes to nutrition, so they often favor certain foods while completely neglecting others. In any case, soft fruits and vegetables are cut into slices, and hard ones are grated or ground in a kitchen blender to a puree state. Any food given to the snail must be brought to room temperature.

It is forbidden to give your pet products from the common table, spices and fried foods, sweet and sour, as well as smoked and spicy foods. Natural acids found in citrus fruits, including lemons, tangerines, and oranges, are dangerous to snails. It is very important to ensure gastropod mineral special dressing containing a sufficient amount of calcium.

It is interesting! Especially important for gastropods pure water, which Achatina not only drink, but also very actively use for water procedures. Water must be changed daily.

It is advisable to feed adult domestic snails in the evening, once a day. Small and young individuals should be provided with round-the-clock and unhindered access to food and water. Food is given in a special bowl or on a tray, which may well be a cabbage or lettuce leaf. Uneaten food is removed from the terrarium.

Achatina care

Such exotic pets do not require special care. Cleaning in the terrarium must be done as it gets dirty, and general cleaning is carried out at least a couple of times a month. Hygienic cleaning of terrarium walls and inside covers are performed on a daily basis.

It is absolutely impossible to use traditional chemical cleaning powders and other products for cleaning, therefore, experienced owners of domestic snails are advised to use for this purpose hot water and a soft cloth or regular dish sponge.

Important! Please note that any equipment used in cleaning the terrarium must be stored separately.

Gastropods are very fond of taking regular water procedures. Of course, for such exotic pets, for hygienic purposes, it is quite enough to install a shallow pool inside the terrarium, but it is very desirable to periodically arrange a warm shower for the snail, holding the animal on your hand over an ordinary sink. The jet of water directed at the snail should not be too strong and without fail warm. The total duration of this procedure is no more than three minutes.

Land snails are unpretentious and cute pets. Many breeders believe that these gastropods have a very high intelligence, while watching them is a real pleasure.

It should be noted that the land snail at home is not such a rarity. The popularity of these gastropods is determined by various factors. So, snails are not at all boring, as it may initially seem. In addition, they are incredibly easy to maintain, since they do not require large financial costs and special care.

  • does not make noise;
  • does not require walking;
  • does not smell;
  • almost everything eats;
  • does not stain clothes and furniture with wool;
  • does not require expensive, complex or frequent care;
  • does not scratch or bite;
  • does not take up much space;
  • you can take a snail with you on vacation, and also leave it alone at home;
  • practically does not get sick and lives long;
  • does not cause allergies.

Types of land snails

These creatures are great for home keeping. For example, the land snail Achatina is considered the most popular inhabitant of terrariums.

It is a large snail, in which the shell reaches 20 cm in length. In nutrition, she is not picky, while being very inert. Most of the time the snail is resting.

Achatina immaculata is distinguished by a strip along the entire head, as well as a pinkish rim running along its shell.

Achatina reticulata is a curious and mobile member of the family.

The common land snail Achatina has a tiger color and gigantic dimensions, its shell reaches 20 cm in length. At home, it has more modest parameters.

In addition to Achatina, domestic breeders are also popular who are distinguished by a huge variety of colors, while being much smaller than Achatina. Their shells are 5 cm long and 4.5 cm high.

Advantages

The main advantages of these pets is their undemanding content. The land snail at home lives perfectly in terrariums or small aquariums. It is clear that such a pet does not need to be walked. With financial costs also negligible, they can be fed fruits and vegetables in small quantities. For land snails, you can do it only once a month, while its cost is low.

It is worth noting that the maintenance of land snails is very simple. This will require a glass terrarium of 10 liters. The top of the terrarium should have small holes for proper ventilation so that pets cannot crawl through them. In the terrarium, the temperature should be constant and not exceed 27 °C.

It is advisable to place heating sources on the outside of the aquarium - they can be thermal cords or thermal mats. At the same time, internal sources of heat for land snails are dangerous, since they can get serious burns.

It is better to use the soil as the soil. The thickness of the flooring should correspond to the total size of the snails, which will enable the gastropods to completely dig into it during the period daytime sleep. It is necessary to maintain a constant soil moisture, for which it will be enough to lightly spray it with water once a day. You shouldn't over-moisturize it.

The soil needs to be loosened periodically. But in the terrarium, it is necessary to plant green non-toxic plants, for example, leaf lettuce or cat grass.

Continuing to figure out how to care for land snails, it is worth noting that their aquarium needs a weekly cleaning. Every day, it is recommended to wipe its walls with a damp cloth, while not using household chemicals.

Land snails are very fond of water procedures. To do this, they can be bathed under a thin stream a little warm water or in a shallow separate bowl. The pet sink also requires special care; it must be cleaned while bathing with a soft brush from dirt.

If something irreparable happened - for example, the sink broke, or a hole appeared in it, try to glue it with BF glue. Such a snail's chances of survival are very small, but they still exist. At the same time, in young animals, any damage to the shell is delayed without problems, while adults suffer much more (although their shell is more durable). But a snail with a shell split to smithereens can no longer be saved.

Nutrition

In land snails, the basis of nutrition is plant foods. Pets are happy to eat all kinds of greens, as well as fruits and vegetables, which are served cut into small slices. Solid foods should initially be passed through a grater.

Domestic land snails, as a supplement to their plant-based diet, are happy to consume various protein foods - fish food, seafood and meat puree, gammarus, daphnia. Such top dressing should be offered to pets several times a week.

Domestic snails should not be offered various salty foods, since salt is a poison to any gastropods!

For proper development and the strength of the shell in the diet of your pets, you can introduce calcium in the form of sepia or crushed eggshells.

reproduction

Snails are hermaphrodites, which means that keeping two or more individuals in one terrarium can lead to their fertilization. Most of these mollusks lay eggs, although there are also viviparous species. Basically, the snail digs its masonry into the ground, while this moment it is advisable not to miss it, since the masonry is removed from the terrarium and placed neatly in a separate container.

In this case, it is necessary to observe the same soil consistency and humidity where adults live. Soon, small snails hatch, after which they crawl out to the surface. The babies are completely ready for life and feed on the food that their parents eat, but until the shell gets stronger, it is better not to plant them with large snails.

walks

Land snails do not need walks, like other domestic animals, while fresh air affects them very well - gastropods improve appetite, increase activity. They are taken outside on a non-hot day in a container. A very short walk is enough for them - only about half an hour. At this time, it is necessary to carefully monitor that the skin of the snail does not dry out, for this it is recommended to spray it with water from time to time. Protect the container also from direct sunlight.

One of the interesting sights in the Simeonovo quarter of the city of Sofia (Bulgaria) is a rainbow, fabulous snail, which hides a residential building, it is called the Snail House. Many tourists come to this place specifically to look at this amazing building, since some time ago it long time ranked first in the ranking of the strangest buildings in the world site Strange Buildings.

From the side, it seems that this snail climbs on carriageway roads, carrying also no less extravagantly executed insects - a butterfly and a ladybug. The expression of the snail itself does not seem as cheerful as the colors with which it is covered, it even has a sad look rather than a cheerful one. Looking at the Snail House from one side, you can see that there are absolutely no windows in the building, but they are, and they are located on the other side of the building, probably it is the sunniest and the sun's light is enough to illuminate all the rooms.

In front of the entrance to the building, snails also crawl, but they are small in size compared to the house, they are also flower pots. The entrance to the building is made in the form of a snail's mouth, and the person who enters is immediately considered eaten), it's a joke, he gets inside the building. And no one knows what is inside it, but they say that everything is no less strange there, just like the building itself, for example, the interior design combines the old antique furniture of the owner’s ancestors with bright frog-shaped heating radiators, ladybug or pumpkins. The building consists of 5 floors.

Who is the owner and creator of this mysterious Snail House, you ask, but this, perhaps, is the same mystery as the building itself, and, probably, it will forever remain so for us. It is only known that he was a major construction specialist who came from another country to Bulgaria to work. But for some reason, he did not want people to know who owns the house and the idea of ​​​​creating it. But the name of the architect who built it is known to us - this is Simeon Simenov. He said that the house was built entirely of lightweight building material - polymer concrete, which made it possible to bring such a bizarre idea to life, because the house does not have straight lines, as in an ordinary building. The construction of the Snail House lasted almost 10 years and ended in 2009.

The purpose of the house has not been clarified, now the building is clearly not residential, there is no one in it, but they say that they planned to open it first Kindergarten, then about the school for gifted children. And then there were rumors that a Bulgarian businessman bought it and was going to live there, in general, riddles hover around this house. However, in order not to be accommodated there, tourists will always be drawn to it like a magnet, because everything mysterious and unusual attracts people, even now the Snail House is one of the most popular attractions in Sofia.