The health and longevity of Achatina, as well as its ability to reproduce, directly depend on the conditions in which the mollusk will be contained, how correctly the terrarium and soil for the snail are chosen. Therefore, today we will understand the issue of arranging a home for this pet, which should be as safe and comfortable as possible.
A few words about the snail
Achatina is the largest land mollusk, individual specimens of which can reach 30 cm. It is widespread in countries with a tropical and subtropical climate and can cause significant harm to agricultural plants, in particular sugar cane. Due to a lack of calcium, the mollusk can scrape lime plaster from the walls of buildings with a sink, causing serious damage to light shelters in the tropics.
In European countries, including Russia, Achatina cannot survive in the natural environment, and quite often they are kept in terrariums, because they are unpretentious in care and easily breed. Of course, this is not a cat or a dog that can caress its owner. Nevertheless, Achatina is good in its own way. She is quiet and does not need regular walks. In addition, the cost of its maintenance is minimal. This mollusk is active in the dark, although in wet weather it can creep out during the day. In the daytime, he hides in some secluded place, buried in the soil, and only a couple of hours after sunset begins to become active. At ambient temperatures below 9 ° C, snails hibernate.
Due to the high rate of reproduction and growth, Achatina are imported in large quantities to France and, along with grape snails, are used as food.
Home Housing
As a terrarium for Achatina, you can use both a small glass aquarium and a plastic container with a vented lid. The weighty top cover will not allow the snail to escape, and the existing openings will provide fresh air. Since mollusks love to climb the walls and lid of the terrarium, make sure that the holes do not exceed the size of the cochlea. Otherwise, she can use this window as a way to escape from home. A cardboard box is not the best option for a settlement, since it will be impossible to observe the mollusk, and it can easily nibble such a house.
Priming
When choosing soil, it is first necessary to focus on its looseness. It is the loose composition that allows the snail to dig into the ground and get enough air.
Achatina breeders often use coconut soil for snails, which can be either loose or briquettes. Coconut briquettes are poured with boiling water, cooled, washed with a gauze or sieve, dried and poured into an aquarium.
Some recommend using a flower earth mixture as a primer for Achatina snails. However, often these substrates contain fertilizers that can harm achitina.
It is undesirable to put sawdust in the terrarium, because snails are quite delicate creatures and, crawling along such a coating, they can be scratched or get a splinter. Pebbles and other stones that can damage their shell are also contraindicated for mollusks.
The thickness of the soil layer should be 5-10 cm. Thus, the cochlea is buried completely in the soil. The loose composition does not allow her to suffocate. In addition, snails in the soil of the aquarium lay eggs. But for newborns Achatina it is not needed, as it can provoke the death of babies.
As a decoration, you can use various twigs, picturesque driftwood and tree bark. Of course, all this must first be disinfected. If you want to decorate the soil with moss, then this litter must be soaked in water for a day before use in order to get rid of any harmful living creatures.
The role of the litter can be played by large leaves of cabbage or lettuce, which also serve as food for gastropods.
Achatina house needs regular cleaning. Dirty soil for a snail needs to be thrown out and replaced with fresh. Coconut substrate or tree bark can be washed, dried and reused.
Microclimate
Since Achatina is a tropical animal, it feels most comfortable in warm and humid conditions. The optimum temperature for the content of the cochlea is 25-28 ° C. At a lower temperature, the mollusk will live, but its activity will be reduced.
To maintain humidity, regularly spray the terrarium and soil from the spray gun. In this case, there should not be water under the soil. The moisture requirement of snails is determined by their behavior. If achitins sit on the walls for a long time, this indicates an excess of water, and if they hide in the sink, then it is too little. Low humidity can be used if necessary to send snails into hibernation, for example, if you need to leave the apartment for some time. In order to wake a pet, you should hold it under a small stream of warm water or increase the humidity in the terrarium.
As for direct sunlight, Achatina do not like them at all.
Food
Achatina's favorite foods are herbal products, in particular soft and decaying parts of plants. Nutritional preferences depend on age: young individuals are more likely to like living plants, and older adults are more likely to have dead rotting plant debris. At home, the most common food for snails is zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkin, mushrooms, cabbage and lettuce leaves, and other soft vegetables.
In the diet of Achatina, animal products containing protein and calcium should be included. Therefore, in small quantities, snails are given boiled chicken meat without salt. Sometimes they are fed boiled porridge from a mixture of cereals.
Smoked and salty foods are strictly forbidden to give to shellfish. It is undesirable for small Achatina to give a lot of soft food at the same time, as they can dig into food and suffocate.
Care Tips
In the terrarium, where adults live, it is advisable to place a flat and stable bowl with water.
Do not forget to cover the aquarium so that the gastropod does not run away at night. In addition, this will help maintain humidity at the required level.
For constant air circulation, openings must be provided in the cover.
Clean the aquarium once or twice a week with a damp cloth without using chemicals.
Wash the snail periodically under a gentle stream of warm water.
At least once a year, change the soil for the snail to a new one. Moreover, it should be of such a composition to which Achatina is accustomed.
Avoid direct sunlight in order to avoid harming the mollusk.
Use special heaters to maintain the required temperature.
As you can see, caring for an Achatina snail does not take much time and even a child can do it.
We hope that the article turned out to be useful and now you probably know how to properly care and which soil to choose for a snail. Let your pet give you only positive emotions.