East African Land Snails
Achatina fulica/Lissachatina fulica
Extremely easy to care for and not expensive to maintain. Young children love these huge snails, which are great as a first exotic pet. They don't mind being handled, don't bite or harm you in anyway. But you do get a bit of slime on your hands.
What does the East African Land Snail look like?
Very basic looking snail, which grows huge. These are the smaller species from African reaching a shell size of 75 - 100mm (3 - 4 inches).
Where are East African Land Snails from?
Found in parts of East Africa.
Room temperature seems to suit this species of large African snail. You can provide them with a higher temperature of 21 - 25C (70 - 77F), but it is not required. If you want to provide extra heat, use a heat mat under one side of the tank. The only problem with this is that you will have to spray more often so not to dry out the substrate. Keep the substrate damp, but not wet around 60-70% humidity.
Are East African Land Snails easy to keep?
Yes, one of the easiest exotic pets to care for!
Snails can be kept in large glass or plastic tanks, the latter is cheaper. Use a soil substrate of 1-2 inches deep and make sure this is damp. Provide plenty of logs and cork bark for your snail(s) to climb over and hide under during the day. You will find that the snails also burrow into the soil substrate to protect them from the sun.
Feed the snails on a range of fruit, vegetables and garden plants. I have listed all the foods they will eat; dandelions, cucumber, lettuce, peppers, apple, nectarine, grapes, banana, peach, plums, melon, papaya, leafy greens (e.g. spinach, kale), green beans, corn on the cob, tomatoes, etc. Some will also eat brown bread and moistened dog biscuits. They get lots of moisture from their foods so a water dish isn't necessary, just make sure you spray the tank at least once a day so they can drink.
Caution: Snails lay lots of eggs and the number of young can soon go out of control. The best thing to do is destroy most of the eggs before they start hatching. Once hatched, I doubt you will be able to kill them, as they look so cute. Try feeding the eggs to some other exotic pets or maybe to your pond/aquarium fish?
Do Your Research: Before you commit to buying any pet, please do your own independent research.
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Link to this page:
http://www.exotic-pets.co.uk/african-land-snails.html
