#snail terrarium | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dyslexicpieceofgay · 2 months

Note

Hi! I've been wanting to get snails as pets for a while now and I was wondering if you have any tips for people just starting? I think your snails are adorable and I love the way you describe them 💜🐌

First of all, thank you so much! 💖 I’m going to put this post below a break for everyone’s sanity since it is quite long :) it will include different sellers information, general information on both aquatic and land snails (more so land snails since those are the ones I’m personally familiar with), terrarium information, snail care & diet, and links to external sources I found helpful!

Hope this helps and I’m so excited that you are interested in joining the snail brigade!!

I’m sorry in advance for anyone who accidentally clicks more 🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌

Okay so, aquatic snails

I’ll start out with the basics of actually acquiring the snails! Most snails you are going to find are going to be aquatic snails. They are amazing at cleaning up extra food, eating excess algae, and just overall keeping the tank clean! For aquatic snails, I can’t give you overly too much information as I don’t care for them myself, however they do make amazing pets and there are loooooaaaddsss of resources out there for you!

I highly recommend looking into any local aquatic store if aquatic snails interest you as big corporations such as Pet Smart or PetValu (or whatever the US equivalent is) often abuse their animals, have unsafe working conditions for (often underage) employees, and in general create a very unsafe environment overall.

By supporting local stores, you not only put your money directly back into your local economy (Yipee) but also are being given advice directly by someone who is likely an industry expert, rather than a teenage making 15$ an hour.

If you are unable to find any local stores, there are many reputable stores online that will ship directly to your home. Personally I’m in Canada so the websites I use may be different to yours if you are in a different country but there are many Reddit threads willing to help.

Alright, back to land snails

So I’m a florist and the snails I own come in through our floral shipment rather than being bought, but I looked around and found a few reputable snail sellers for you. I’ll link them at the bottom of the post.

Ground snails typically live between 2-3 years on average. Most snail seller (or snellers hehe) will raise them for a year before sale in order to make sure they are healthy and strong enough for shipment.

There are a pretty large variety of snail types available by online snellers so I linked a resource below that gives specifics on the different species and care guides for each specific type. Depending on type, prices can range from 10$ to upwards of 75$, though a decent chunk will have to go towards shipping and handling fees. Be prepared as well for possible customs fees as snails are live creatures. Just budget an extra 50$ if possible just to be safe.

I recommend starting with a smaller snail such as the Milk snail or the Garden snail as they are most commonly sold and overall have the most information available on the internet. They also have a slightly more varied diet overall which can be helpful when first starting out.

Terrarium Info (Jazz hands)

When choosing a terrarium, it’s important to remember that this will not just be a temporary holding area for your snails, it will be their HOME. Would you be interested in a home that’s cramped, stuffy, and with not a lot of places to explore? Probably not lol. Snails are fairly active creatures and giving them a good amount of space is important for their health and happiness.

Personally, I use a glass reptile terrarium for my snails which I believe is 10 gallons. I have 6 snails (five adult and one baby) so I opted for a slightly larger tank. If you only plan to have 1-2 snails, a five gallon should work well!

Make sure you get one with an enclosed lid or your snails WILL escape. And that wouldn’t be fun for anyone.

For inside the tank, there are a few things you’ll need. For the bottom I use a combination of sphagnum moss and coconut husk both rehydrated. This gives a soft moist base that allows the snails to dig around, fall off the walls without cracking their shell, and provides external moisture which is important for the snails as that is how they live.

Typically I change this out once a month. Just remember, you want it to be moist, not soggy. You shouldn’t be able to ring it out with your hands and have a bunch of water come out. Aim for how your hair feels after you towel it down after the shower. If you ring you hair out after towelling, a few drops may come out but it won’t be a stream of water.

I buy my moss in dried packs then rehydrate them in a bowl of water. You can find these at pretty much any pet store or dedicated house plant store. (NOTE: NOT a local florist. The moss at a florist is slightly different and often contains pesticides that wouldn’t be good for your snail.) always aim to shop local. Many of the sellers I listed below also sell limited amounts of moss.

I mix in coconut husk as it provides a bit of extra fluff and my snails enjoy monching in it when I’m late to feeding them :)

I would also recommend getting a small feeding tray so that your snails food doesn’t get spread out across the tank and so that when bits of the produce go bad, it doesn’t spoil within the tank and make it smelly. It is optional though if you are using a smaller tank.

Snails as well LOVE to climb around so I recommend getting them a branch of driftwood to place vertically within the tank just to give them that extra place to climb on :)

Lastly, give them a place to hide under. For me, that’s the little bridge in their terrarium. In nature, snails hide underneath objects to avoid predators, lay eggs, and sleep. Giving them that space is important to recreating their natural habitat!

If you are able, avoid anything with sharp edges such as plastic plants, as they can cut the snails body. Also avoid hard stones if you can as your snails could drop from the terrarium ceiling and crack their shell.

Circling back to the moss bedding, (and I’ll go over this is more detail in a later section) but snails typically burrow down into the moss in order to lay their eggs. Because of this, it is important to give them a thick enough layer that they can burrow, but not so thick that you won’t be able to spot the eggs.

I recommend as well getting a smaller plastic terrarium for travel, or if you need someone to watch over your snails etc etc. just add a small layer of moss from your main tank to keep the bacterial balance in check and you’re good to go 👍

Monch Monch, food time

Snails can eat most produce. I personally find with my snails that they love lettuce, carrots, celery, and bok choy the most. Though every snail is different and has a different appetite, it’s important to refresh their food once every day or two. If you wouldn’t eat the produce, you shouldn’t be feeding it to your snails.

Produce MUST be uncooked and unseasoned. Salt is deadly to snails and frozen veggies are typically pre-cooked so unfortunately unavailable. Onions and any other types of alliums are also not safe for most snails (or really like any pet for the most part lol).

It’s important as well that your snails have a source of calcium in their tank. I personally use cuttlefish bone which comes in a solidified powder. There is plenty of debate among the snail community on how the cuttlefish bone should be administered. Personally, I leave small (very small) chunks around the tank, and occasionally sprinkle some as a powder over their food and around their tank. This seems to keep them happy and healthy.

Other snailers argue that you should not put any near their food as it can cause the snails to OD on calcium. I’ve heard of people every couple weeks mixing it with a bit of water until is becomes a thick paste and leaving it in their tank for them to consume that way, but I don’t really see how that would prevent them from ODing compared to the other methods…

There is also snail food available which comes in a powder and when mixed with water into a thick paste acts as food for the snails but lack some of the key nutrients they get from fresh produce. It is great however if you are travelling and require something compact and temporary.

I personally stay away from anything too citrusy as I’m not 100% sure how they’d respond to it.

Day to day care

Day to day care is relatively easy. Personally I most their tank twice a day with a spray bottle and also have a humidifier that I occasionally run (it’s kinda bulky and takes up a lot of their tank so I don’t use it often). Keeping the tank moist but not soggy is important to maintaining your snails health. You’d be surprised how quickly a tank can dry out. Keep them away from windows as direct sunlight speeds up the drying process and can also burn your snails when the sun shines through the glass.

Switch out any old food after a day of two and replace. You don’t want their food bowl to be empty as snails run on a different internal clock than you or I so they may eat during the night when you aren’t looking.

Eggs, eggs, eggs!!!

The hardest part of being a snail owner is absolutely dealing with their eggs. Snails are androgynous creatures. They can switch their sexual organs at their convenience or even have both at the same time. There is no real way to tell them apart as their sexual organs are mostly internal. What this means for us is that they can fertilize and lay their own eggs asexually. They do also mate with other snails (more info below) but they aren’t required to.

When healthy, snails will lay eggs in clusters 1-2 times a month. They lay eggs in clusters that look like white pearls by burrowing in the moss or on the underside of surfaces (another part to why having hidey spots is so important to recreating their natural habitat).

Since snails are also simply built different, they can store fertilized eggs within their bodies so even if they haven’t mated with themselves or other snails, they still have the possibility of laying eggs.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU CULL THESE EGGS. You may think that not all will survive, or that you can leave them for a day or two but you honestly can never know how long the eggs have been there. On average, snail eggs take between 10-25 days to hatch. If you do not cull these eggs, you will be overrun by baby snails.

It. Will. Not. Be. Cute.

So, how do we cull eggs then? The most ethical, cost efficient and easiest way is the freezer method. Gently scoop up the egg clutch (they will usually separate in your hand, you aren’t doing anything wrong) and place into a ziplock bag. Remove that section of moss into a separate bowl and look through to see if you missed any. Then look under any surfaces and the edges of your tanks lid to see if you missed any. If you find any already hatched babies, you can also put them in the ziplock bag.

Then, place the bag into the freezer and allow to fully freeze for at least 12-24 hours. Once frozen, the eggs and any escapees will be put to sleep and be incapable of feeling any pain. At this point, you can roll a rolling pin over the bag to crush the eggs and any baby snails. They will not feel anything and it is the most ethical option for snail culling.

I know it may be tempting to just throw the eggs away but there are several reasons to avoid this. For starters, there is a chance that when you come across the eggs, they may be at the end of their gestational period and right about to hatch. I can assure you, you don’t want to have dozens of baby snails hatching in your trash can.

Say they make it to the landfill, they are then sentenced to a life of being stuck in a hot garbage bag filled with rotting food until they die. If they do escape, they are now an invasive species doing likely detrimental damage to local ecosystems. Same goes for flushing them down the toilet.

Freezing them is the most ethical for both the snails and the environment. If this is something that makes you uncomfortable, DO NOT GET PET SNAILS.

Just needed to emphasize that so you don’t get overrun by snails or introduce an invasive species to your surrounding area.

Other stuff!

If you snails shell cracks, don’t panic! As much as we love to take as best care of our snails as possible, they can be kinda dumb and sometimes they can take a tumble that cracks their shell. This doesn’t mean that they are dead though!

Though they can typically survive on their own, to help the healing process along, provide extra calcium, and shield the injured spot, you can take the thin membrane of an eggshell and apply it over the injured area. When it dries it will act as a bandage and some of the nutrients will be absorbed into the shell, making it stronger. You may want to consider placing your snail into a separate container if you have other snails as snails enjoy climbing over each other.

Snails can also hibernate for upwards of a week without movement or feeding. During this, it’s best to just leave them alone. They will often hide underneath a surface or attach themselves to the terrarium wall and simply vibe for a while. Why do they do this? Idfk I just live here.

To find out if your snail is alive, you can lift the shell and look inside. A living snail will have a little bit of body showing. If you can’t see this, wait a while before throwing your snail away as they may just be acting moody. You can typically tell if your snail is dead by the weight of their shell, bleaching and other discolouration of the shell, and hollow appearance if you shine a flashlight on the shell itself.

If you want, you can choose to crush up a dead snails shell to provide extra calcium for your still live snails. I don’t do that though because I feel bad but you do you boo 💖

Snail mating looks kinda freaky af. They will look like they are fully eating each other but I can assure you they are just boning. Do not try and remove the snails from each other if they are in the mating process and it could result in injury or death to the snails. They latch on pretty tight. Typically the snail will lay eggs 4-6 days after mating but they can store eggs for a pretty long while if they feel like it.

Thesis, body, conclusion

So yeah! Those are the main aspects of snail care!! If you have any other questions or concerns feel free to ask me!

I know the about of info I gave may seem kinda overwhelming but snails are truly such a great starter pet and pretty low maintenance once you know what to look out for! They just require consistent care and love on a daily basis and the occasional snail-bortion 💖 I love my snails and I’m sure you will as well!

Links!

These are some helpful resources but be sure to do your own research into local snellers and varieties before making any decisions! 💖

Snail types

Snellers

https://landsnails.org/en

Terrarium sellers

https://www.abcplants.com/the-plants-store?page=2

(There are plenty more terrariums on Amazon and I’m sure available locally, I just linked a few small businesses)

#snails #snailbortion #snailblr #long live love #pets #snail care #pet care #terrariums #ethical culling #local businesses #snail

6 notes · View notes