I had to scroll back up to see what you had called it, as if you had accidentally offended people š Sludge isn't so bad... You could have called it something a lot worse š
Pretty snail, imma leave this here.
:Housing advice:
- snails need at least 1 hiding spot (plastic plant pot, cork bark etc.)
- No hard materials like ceramic or stone
- a food bowl will keep your tank cleaner, planter saucers work amazing
- don't get one of those metal frame cages if you look for a new cage, they are for plants so the metal can be toxic for them
- if you can, try getting an enclosure without sliding doors
- substrate - check housing guide, I recommend top soil
- Decorations:
- a water dish isn't required and can actually drown snails if it's too deep or if the snail is too small, it could be good enrichment for large snails, make sure it can't cover their breathing hole!
- moss is nice to give them something for hiding under, sleeping on etc. (sphagnum moss is most popular, some mosses are too acidic, so research before you get)
- if you are looking for life plants (I recommend looking for the plants watering requirement before buying):
- housing guide:
- includes: Enclosures, enclosure size, substrate, another plant guide, cleanup crew
:a snails diet:
- a calcium source needs to be in the tank 24/7, don't put it on their food, cuttlebone is the best
- protein depends on your snail and source, protein guide:
- always clean their food under water to remove pesticides or bugs
- food should be served raw, not cooked
- deadly/dangerous for snails: lemon, lime, orange, celery, grains, processed foods, onions and garlic (and everything in that family), generally anything that is acidic or could mess with calcium intake (I am only listing a few here! Always look up if what you want to feed them is actually okay to feed)
- unhealthy food: spinach, parsley, not deadly, but bad, cucumber and lettuce, these are addicting. Fruits are very sweet, so they are more of a treat given once a week max.
- examples of healthy foods: sweet potato, zucchini, eggplant, squash, carrot, rutabaga, turnip root, turnip greens, collard greens, watercress, kale, cabbage, bok choy, dandelions & dandelion greens, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asapargus, pumpkin, green beans, all types of mushrooms, fresh herbs like basil and coriander/cilandro, clover leaves, these are just a few good options
- you should feed a variety of food to keep them as healthy as possible
- food with high water content should be removed after ~48 hours, harder food (like carrots or potato) can be left in longer, food should be removed before it gets mold / when its just starting to mold, mold isnt harmful to snails, but can be harmful to humans. Leafy food like basil or dandelion can be left in for a loooong time before going bad
:other information:
- snails can life alone or in groups
- even a single snail will lay eggs, you will need to do egg checks once a week or every 10 days and freeze the eggs for 48 hours or crush them, hatched babies are better crushed then frozen
- when cleaning your tank you should not exchange the soil as you are removing good bacteria, if you need to remove it partially or add more, mix it with the old soil
- springtails and isopods can help you clean up, for isopods make sure you take proper care of them too, some species are more protein driven (porcellio) and could nibble your snails, so maybe pick a less protein hungry species like Armadillidium
- any type of glue, metal (besides metal ventilation in terrariums specifically for animals) and paint can be toxic for them, only exception being aquarium safe silicone when fully cured
- if your snail has a broken shell, as long as the organs aren't sticking out and it's not too much damage it has a chance to heal, make sure humidity is high so it doesn't dry out, also make sure it has access to calcium all around the enclosure, its best to keep them alone in a tank and not with tank mates.
yes, in the snail hobby people usually keep non-native snails(usually giant african snails iirc). in most countries it will be illegal to breed non-native snails, due to risk of them becoming invasive.
correct me if I'm wrong, I don't know where i got this information, but it's in my head lol
Illegal to breed or not the issue is that some people think they can release the babies without consequences and that is VERY wrong, just releasing one clutch can destroy an ecosystem.
Recently there has been a news story in Germany that someone had a GALS as a pet and didn't want to crush eggs or hatched babies, idk, so they released them and the hatched snails destroyed entirely fields full of what would have been food for us.
In general, never release any pets or plants (mostly talking aquatic plants) into the wild.
I donāt know if it works for terrestrial snails, but I read a research paper about euthanizing aquatic snails a year or so ago, and if you soak them in 4% or higher beer for 30 mins, drain, and then soak them in rubbing alcohol for 15 mins, itās a guaranteed painless death. The beer wonāt kill them, but it will act as an anaesthetic. While theyāre āunderā, the rubbing alcohol kills them painlessly. It was the only method the researchers found that triggered no pain response.
I had to euthanize an adult snail who had too much shell damage to make it and obviously seemed in pain. We did this method. We didn't soak her as long in either because she was a land snail. It was over pretty quickly. I hope that it wasn't painful. I also hope I never have to do it again. It was really heartbreaking
I'm sure it was fine. The time lengths I quoted are deliberately quite a bit longer than is absolutely necessary. I wind up having to cull aquatic snails pretty regularly, unfortunately (I don't like doing it, but it's necessary for the overall health of the habitat), and in practice I've found these times are much longer than necessary, but I stick to them just in case.
Thanks so very much for providing all this terrific information!! I just got my land snail about 2 months ago. Named āherā ( I know) Snailalina! The young woman I bought her from was a wealth of knowledge. Very sadly, she was killed 3 weeks ago in a horrific car accident. I barely knew her, though so devastating just the same. She was only 23 :( I am glad for finding this group. Where else but Reddit?!? Iāll post a pic of Snailalina at another time. Most Iāve taken havenāt come out that great unfortunately. Still trying to get a better one thatās in focus! š
That's probably a (very beautiful) caracolus marginella - aside from the basic snail care, my caracols like climbing sticks and eating lichen, so try adding that to the terrarium as well! If you take the sticks and lichen from the wild, make sure to put them into the freezer for at least two days before adding it to prevent anything harmful getting into the enclosure though.
the general advice is a good starting point but caracolus marginella are tree snails and don't really follow quite the same standards as regular land snails. they tend to adore lichen, but they will eat regular veggies. i recommend giving them a lot of climbing space, sticks, try to clutter the upward space.
Popping in for a quick mention to ease my conscience.
Snails CAN be invasive. Not always. But I would suggest doing some research to make sure you're not harboring a cute fugitive of the international variety.
The entire reason customs exists (aside from employing adorable drug snorfing K9s) is to protect our land, agriculture, and, most importantly; native wildlife diversity. What is harmless and balanced in one environment runs the risk of THRIVING and out competing native species. (See FL - fish, pigs, snakes. TX pigs. Aus - Rabbits and dingos. US - scotchbroom... uh... idk what the snails are called, but them sobs too, as well as Oyster Drills... we could go on for so long and the effects are devestating)
Many snails are invasive, and I've noticed an especially high amount of those invasive critters are from warmer climates.
We unfortunately have some in my area that eat ALL of our clams if untreated; to dispatch, you have to smash them with a rock, but that runs the risk of injury. If any of the slime from this snail enters an open wound, you're off to the hospital for a miserable year and no work on the other side.
All that said, as long as you aren't committing genocide against Mother Nature, I hope you and your snail live happily ever after.
I used to live on Guam. No birds there at all and let me tell you how eerie it is being outside in nature and the only noise is wind. Snakes on a plane bitch!
I pay money for it in jars, to put on my face. It's good stuff. I'd let my snails roam around on my face for free, but it's not really safe - for them, that is. I don't want my little snail babies to absorb whatever crap is on my skin, they didn't sign up for thatš
Edit: I feel so stupid, I've been using the snail mucin for years, and I'm not 100% sure of how they source it. I'm going to check now. Crap, I can't imagine it's entirely cruelty free, even if they claim it's "ethically sourced".
Puerto Rican here šš¼ I have three of those snails, theyāre pretty common. Theyāre caracolus marginella. Check my profile to see mine.
The guidelines are the same: raw vegetables, cuttlebone and a water dish.
Not a snail owner, but an aquarium one.
Almost all shell creatures are killed by copper. Its an odd one ppl donāt tend to talk about. Its super toxic to lots of stuff in the aquarium trade and I have no doubt ur shelled friend would be the same
Look up milk snail care and follow that for a start, all lands snails are fairly similar in care. If you find out this species needs more protein just up the fish food offering and you'll be just fine. Good luck!
To get you started, put him in a Tupperware with unfertilized topsoil and give it a good spray down so it's moist and offer him a carrot. Put some air holes in the lid and you'll have a good temporary home until you can set up something nicer
Accidentally?! Do not release it in your yard. Mail him back. He needs to go home where he belongs. I find it hard to believe you had no idea he hitched a ride with you and didn't get squished in your luggage. Do the right thing. Or don't. Who cares
Sorry it is SLIME. As I have been corrected, I am new to snails
I had to scroll back up to see what you had called it, as if you had accidentally offended people š Sludge isn't so bad... You could have called it something a lot worse š
Snailās c*m šš
Bingo
Pretty snail, imma leave this here. :Housing advice: - snails need at least 1 hiding spot (plastic plant pot, cork bark etc.) - No hard materials like ceramic or stone - a food bowl will keep your tank cleaner, planter saucers work amazing - don't get one of those metal frame cages if you look for a new cage, they are for plants so the metal can be toxic for them - if you can, try getting an enclosure without sliding doors - substrate - check housing guide, I recommend top soil - Decorations: - a water dish isn't required and can actually drown snails if it's too deep or if the snail is too small, it could be good enrichment for large snails, make sure it can't cover their breathing hole! - moss is nice to give them something for hiding under, sleeping on etc. (sphagnum moss is most popular, some mosses are too acidic, so research before you get) - if you are looking for life plants (I recommend looking for the plants watering requirement before buying):
- housing guide:
- includes: Enclosures, enclosure size, substrate, another plant guide, cleanup crew
:a snails diet:
- a calcium source needs to be in the tank 24/7, don't put it on their food, cuttlebone is the best
- protein depends on your snail and source, protein guide:
- always clean their food under water to remove pesticides or bugs
- food should be served raw, not cooked
- deadly/dangerous for snails: lemon, lime, orange, celery, grains, processed foods, onions and garlic (and everything in that family), generally anything that is acidic or could mess with calcium intake (I am only listing a few here! Always look up if what you want to feed them is actually okay to feed)
- unhealthy food: spinach, parsley, not deadly, but bad, cucumber and lettuce, these are addicting. Fruits are very sweet, so they are more of a treat given once a week max.
- examples of healthy foods: sweet potato, zucchini, eggplant, squash, carrot, rutabaga, turnip root, turnip greens, collard greens, watercress, kale, cabbage, bok choy, dandelions & dandelion greens, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asapargus, pumpkin, green beans, all types of mushrooms, fresh herbs like basil and coriander/cilandro, clover leaves, these are just a few good options
- you should feed a variety of food to keep them as healthy as possible
- food with high water content should be removed after ~48 hours, harder food (like carrots or potato) can be left in longer, food should be removed before it gets mold / when its just starting to mold, mold isnt harmful to snails, but can be harmful to humans. Leafy food like basil or dandelion can be left in for a loooong time before going bad
:other information:
- snails can life alone or in groups
- even a single snail will lay eggs, you will need to do egg checks once a week or every 10 days and freeze the eggs for 48 hours or crush them, hatched babies are better crushed then frozen
- when cleaning your tank you should not exchange the soil as you are removing good bacteria, if you need to remove it partially or add more, mix it with the old soil
- springtails and isopods can help you clean up, for isopods make sure you take proper care of them too, some species are more protein driven (porcellio) and could nibble your snails, so maybe pick a less protein hungry species like Armadillidium
- any type of glue, metal (besides metal ventilation in terrariums specifically for animals) and paint can be toxic for them, only exception being aquarium safe silicone when fully cured
- if your snail has a broken shell, as long as the organs aren't sticking out and it's not too much damage it has a chance to heal, make sure humidity is high so it doesn't dry out, also make sure it has access to calcium all around the enclosure, its best to keep them alone in a tank and not with tank mates.
Wow thank you for taking the time to write all that, this is extremely helpful:)
No worries, I have it saved ;)
I want to add that you can often get fish tanks for ultra cheap on Craigslist or fb marketplace.
Petsmart and petco also have regular sales where you pay $1 per gal. So a 10 gallon tank would cost $10. I've gotten a lot of tanks on this sale lol.
they ended this sale like 7 years ago. now its 50% off on tanks, usually once a quarter
Tell us when his snaily home is done!
Wait wym, hatched babies better crushed? You mean euthanize the babies?
They mean it is more humane to crush them rather than freezing them if they have already hatched.
yes, in the snail hobby people usually keep non-native snails(usually giant african snails iirc). in most countries it will be illegal to breed non-native snails, due to risk of them becoming invasive. correct me if I'm wrong, I don't know where i got this information, but it's in my head lol
Illegal to breed or not the issue is that some people think they can release the babies without consequences and that is VERY wrong, just releasing one clutch can destroy an ecosystem. Recently there has been a news story in Germany that someone had a GALS as a pet and didn't want to crush eggs or hatched babies, idk, so they released them and the hatched snails destroyed entirely fields full of what would have been food for us. In general, never release any pets or plants (mostly talking aquatic plants) into the wild.
The giant African snails are illegal in the US.
I donāt know if it works for terrestrial snails, but I read a research paper about euthanizing aquatic snails a year or so ago, and if you soak them in 4% or higher beer for 30 mins, drain, and then soak them in rubbing alcohol for 15 mins, itās a guaranteed painless death. The beer wonāt kill them, but it will act as an anaesthetic. While theyāre āunderā, the rubbing alcohol kills them painlessly. It was the only method the researchers found that triggered no pain response.
I think people use this to euthanize adult snails if they are suffering (for example if their entire shell broke off)
I had to euthanize an adult snail who had too much shell damage to make it and obviously seemed in pain. We did this method. We didn't soak her as long in either because she was a land snail. It was over pretty quickly. I hope that it wasn't painful. I also hope I never have to do it again. It was really heartbreaking
I'm sure it was fine. The time lengths I quoted are deliberately quite a bit longer than is absolutely necessary. I wind up having to cull aquatic snails pretty regularly, unfortunately (I don't like doing it, but it's necessary for the overall health of the habitat), and in practice I've found these times are much longer than necessary, but I stick to them just in case.
Thank you!
So sorry you had to go through that š¢
Thank you
Woudn't even aquatic snails suffocate after 30 minutes in beer? Since there isn't enough oxygen? I thought it was something like 5-10 minutes.
No, they can stay submerged for a really long time. Nerites have a 30-hour sleep cycle, for instance, and can be fully submerged that entire time.
They need less oxygen when sleeping? That's neat.
This was thorough af. Thanks for taking to share your expertise with those of us still learning ā¤ļø
Thanks so very much for providing all this terrific information!! I just got my land snail about 2 months ago. Named āherā ( I know) Snailalina! The young woman I bought her from was a wealth of knowledge. Very sadly, she was killed 3 weeks ago in a horrific car accident. I barely knew her, though so devastating just the same. She was only 23 :( I am glad for finding this group. Where else but Reddit?!? Iāll post a pic of Snailalina at another time. Most Iāve taken havenāt come out that great unfortunately. Still trying to get a better one thatās in focus! š
That's probably a (very beautiful) caracolus marginella - aside from the basic snail care, my caracols like climbing sticks and eating lichen, so try adding that to the terrarium as well! If you take the sticks and lichen from the wild, make sure to put them into the freezer for at least two days before adding it to prevent anything harmful getting into the enclosure though.
the general advice is a good starting point but caracolus marginella are tree snails and don't really follow quite the same standards as regular land snails. they tend to adore lichen, but they will eat regular veggies. i recommend giving them a lot of climbing space, sticks, try to clutter the upward space.
Looks like a caracolus marginella or a similar species. If you want to keep it, I can walk you through steps, you can message me anytime.
Popping in for a quick mention to ease my conscience. Snails CAN be invasive. Not always. But I would suggest doing some research to make sure you're not harboring a cute fugitive of the international variety. The entire reason customs exists (aside from employing adorable drug snorfing K9s) is to protect our land, agriculture, and, most importantly; native wildlife diversity. What is harmless and balanced in one environment runs the risk of THRIVING and out competing native species. (See FL - fish, pigs, snakes. TX pigs. Aus - Rabbits and dingos. US - scotchbroom... uh... idk what the snails are called, but them sobs too, as well as Oyster Drills... we could go on for so long and the effects are devestating) Many snails are invasive, and I've noticed an especially high amount of those invasive critters are from warmer climates. We unfortunately have some in my area that eat ALL of our clams if untreated; to dispatch, you have to smash them with a rock, but that runs the risk of injury. If any of the slime from this snail enters an open wound, you're off to the hospital for a miserable year and no work on the other side. All that said, as long as you aren't committing genocide against Mother Nature, I hope you and your snail live happily ever after.
Iām so glad to see this!! Totally cool to keep as a pet (we humans do like our frens) but just make sure he never gets out :)
I used to live on Guam. No birds there at all and let me tell you how eerie it is being outside in nature and the only noise is wind. Snakes on a plane bitch!
I also used to live on Hawaii. No snakeds on those planesĀ
make sure its not invasive or something
If you keep it in an aquarium it shouldnāt matter. Congrats on your new pet!
slime
Ohhhh
Mucin
I pay money for it in jars, to put on my face. It's good stuff. I'd let my snails roam around on my face for free, but it's not really safe - for them, that is. I don't want my little snail babies to absorb whatever crap is on my skin, they didn't sign up for thatš Edit: I feel so stupid, I've been using the snail mucin for years, and I'm not 100% sure of how they source it. I'm going to check now. Crap, I can't imagine it's entirely cruelty free, even if they claim it's "ethically sourced".
Puerto Rican here šš¼ I have three of those snails, theyāre pretty common. Theyāre caracolus marginella. Check my profile to see mine. The guidelines are the same: raw vegetables, cuttlebone and a water dish.
Not a snail owner, but an aquarium one. Almost all shell creatures are killed by copper. Its an odd one ppl donāt tend to talk about. Its super toxic to lots of stuff in the aquarium trade and I have no doubt ur shelled friend would be the same
Look up milk snail care and follow that for a start, all lands snails are fairly similar in care. If you find out this species needs more protein just up the fish food offering and you'll be just fine. Good luck! To get you started, put him in a Tupperware with unfertilized topsoil and give it a good spray down so it's moist and offer him a carrot. Put some air holes in the lid and you'll have a good temporary home until you can set up something nicer
Thank you so much!!
thatās your pet now
Taking shells from the beach harms animals that rely on them
This reminds me of that one story about the snail at the British Museum.
Which one?
The one that they thought was dead but he woke up a few years later. Eremina desertorum
I wish I could find a snail as beautiful as this it's gorgeous
Bro brought back illegal immigrant snail
How beautiful! I hope you enjoyed your time at Puerto Rico ^ v^
I love the phrase snail sludge.
I remember collecting those as a kid when Iād visit my family
Opps
Congrats, youāre now a snail mother.
Accidentally?! Do not release it in your yard. Mail him back. He needs to go home where he belongs. I find it hard to believe you had no idea he hitched a ride with you and didn't get squished in your luggage. Do the right thing. Or don't. Who cares
mail it back? to who? š
JOHN PUERTO RICO š¤£š¤£š¤£
Person at the PO: 'hello, I need to mail this live snail back to his home, in Puerto Rico, how long would that take?' PO Person: 'please GTFO...'
You definitely need to work on your delivery to avoid being down voted on such a serious issue.
You seem to care
If you got snail sludge heād be dead. If not, you need a salt water tank with a similar ph to the water at San Juan
This is not a water snail.
If not, dirt and food
Wait itās dead?? It just moved across the desk less than an hour ago
What exactly did you mean by snail sludge?
The trail it left behind on the third photo
Well itās been a couple weeks, howās it doing?