Does anyone have African Land Snails?

[threeponies]

M daughter loves snails and we've finally agreed that she can have some for her birthday in August. Can any kind soul give me an overview of what I need for them and also which species to buy as the Internet is full of conflicting advice!

 

[c2b]

Yep We have Swirl almost a year old now. Have had them previously.

I wouldn't keep more than one in a tank as you will end up with hundreds.
Anything in particular you want to know?

 

[threeponies]

Thank you I would like to know if they need a heat mat on the tank or is room temperature ok, can I use coco fibre for their substrate, is a 24" x 18" fish tank with lid ok to use for them, how often should she be cleaning out the whole thing and replacing the substrate and how humid do they need their tank to be?
Sorry for the barrage of questions, your help is very much appreciated

 

[c2b]

Biggest tank you can afford, they grow very quickly. Assume you are getting a a newly hatched wee one.
Ours have always had soil, potting compost, peat type stuff but be very very careful if you buy this as some have pesticides already in them. Have never used coco fibre no idea what it's like. They do like to bury themselves from time to time.
Room temp may or maybe not warm enough. I found I need a heat mat all year round. I find glass tank preferable to plastic it seems to hold the moisture better.
They need to be damp all the time. Think humid. My tank has condensation on the sides pretty much all the time.
If it's too cold or too dry they go into themselves and form like a plastic seal over the opening. I just very gently break it if that happens.
I clean it out when it needs doing....very scientific that is lol.
Favourite food of all the ones we have owned has been cucumber.


This was Swirl oct last year. We got "her" in Sept she was the size of a pea.

And today 8months later

 

[Centauress]

I DO.....

I Have Prowl Mr EyeStalks and SnailBob....
This Funny..... I have Prowl out Right Now.... LOL

 

[hoggedmane]

We had two - Shelley and Slimy. They lived in a plastic tank - no heat mat and were fine. Sprayed it daily with water. I had one as a class pet as well - Brian. They are really interesting. Take any eggs out and dispose of them or you will have loads of babies!!!

 

[Centauress]

Check Out This Website..... http://petsnails.proboards.com/

 

[its_noodles]

snails....

 

[c2b]

Thanks for that link Centauress. Very interesting.

 

[Centauress]

Thanks for that link Centauress. Very interesting.

You are Very Welcome, You'll Find Prowl on There

 

[Crugeran Celt]

have you thought of having a rat instead. We had snails and as someone has said get rid of any eggs or you will end up with hundreds.

 

[DreamingIsBelieving]

I have a snail called Crunchie, he's my second one. I wouldn't get more than one because otherwise you'll have to be disposing of fertilised eggs all the time (my friend used the freezer method of killing the embryos before disposing of them - we don't want Giant African hybrid snails in our gardens). With single snails you may get the occasional batch of eggs. Snails can actually store sperm for months, so just because your snail lives alone doesn't mean the eggs are unfertilised. Snails start breeding at 1 year old, so if the snail you buy is older than this and has previously been living with snails, you'll have to dispose of eggs as you would if you had a pair of snails.
I've always used compost, but microwave it first to kill any insects that might be in there. My snails have always loved to bury in it and it's great for holding moisture.
It's vital that you give your snail a constant source of calcium to assist shell growth and maintenance. I do this my putting a cuttleshell (found in the pet bird section) into their tank. You can also buy a powder to sprinkle on their food but my fussy snail won't eat it.
My tank only needs cleaning every 3 months, if that, but it depends on the snail and whether he likes to poo up the sides of the tank or not.
Oh, and I'm not sure how old your daughter is, but because there is a slight risk of snails carrying salmonella, kissing should be strictly off limits (sounds gross anyway, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who would if they could...).

Just thinking about this is getting me all excited for your daughter! Snails are wonderful animals and great to watch munching some lettuce in their tank. And when they aren't squished up half-in-half-out of their shells, they have the most endearing faces!
Be warned though, you will grow to find this snail appealing, even cute, and with time you may find yourself getting a terrible sinking feeling whenever you hear that crunch under your foot while out walking on a wet day. You may even find yourself picking up the common garden snail on the pavement and placing it in the safer place of a nearby garden...

 

[threeponies]

Thank you all! That forum is very useful, Centauress, I have bookmarked it
I'll be buying 1 snail, I don't want millions of them! I already have a 24 x 18 x 12" tank that my hermit crabs lived in, it will be in my daughter's bedroom and if it isn't warm enough there's a heat mat already attached to the tank.
She has a storage box in the garden atm with garden snails in it ( box is on its side, snails are free-range) and is dying to get her own giant snail