(Images are form Website4stuff, istockphoto, and toonpool. Do not graffiti your snail)
A little while ago, Lily found a tiny garden snail on the sidewalk and wanted to make it her pet. At first my response was that she couldn't bring it into our house, it could live in the garden outside. However, I did an internet search and discovered that garden snails are relatively easy to keep as pets.
We carefully washed out the plastic tank that was once home to a beta fish. They sell these tanks for betas as well as small reptiles and amphibians. They are made of clear plastic with lids that have breathing holes so they can work for either air or water-breathing creatures (just don't fill it with water for an air-breathing creature such as a garden snail!)
If you don't have such a tank I also found many other suggestions of what to use for your snailarium on the web.
I filled 2 pie plates with potting soil and baked the soil (without the snail in it, of course) for 20 min at 350. I allowed the soil to cool completely and then moistened it with tap water.
Every few weeks I take off a layer of soil and replace it with some new soil, baking it first and moistening it as above.
I would caution when you are using anything garden related to be aware that some things are designed to kill or deter snails as they are seen as garden pests.I read the soil package carefully for this reason and it appeared to be fine.
Snails like to hide in and under things. The links at the end of this post have many suggestions. I tried a small plastic cup intended for a doll but the snail never showed interest in this. I have just bought a plastic boot-shaped thingy meant for aquariums.
Everything I have put in the snailarium I have rinsed carefully with hot water. I don't like to use soap for animals (other than humans, that is) because I feel it can never be completely rinsed out. Others feel differently.
You will notice from the sites below that there are many different and sometimes conflicting ideas and, as always, it's up to your common sense.
Snails need calcium to build their shells and I read many ideas. One site said to use eggshells and another recommended against it because of bacteria and jagged edges. We finally bought a cuttle bone from the pet store that was intended for turtles. I peeled off the rough outer edge and placed a small piece in the snailarium. I also rubbed calcium dust from cuttle bone and spread it around the snailarium. My daughter thought that the dust was parmesan cheese and put more cheese into the snailarium which I removed, not sure if that's good for them or not.
Snails don't require a water dish, actually it's not recommended unless the dish is shallow enough as not to drown in it if you were the size of a small garden snail. We have a plastic doll plate that we keep wet with some tap water (incidentally one of the sites below cautions against tap water for snails. We have been using it to no ill effect.)
Regarding the above, I am talking about garden snails that breathe air. Aquarium snails, that you get at an aquarium store and NOT in your backyard, breathe with gills which is why they don't drown in an aquarium.
Snails absorb fluid from being in a moist environment and you can keep the snailarium moist with a spray-bottle of water, spraying daily so the snailarium is moist but not wet. I would not use a bottle that had ever been used for hairspray or another chemical. I rinse our bottle out daily and replace the water.
Also, a site I read said to be careful even using hairspray or another chemical in the same room as the snails since they can absorb it.
Additionally, I'd be careful about letting the snails get to near to salt because that can drain moisture out of their bodies (initially I put a sea-spnge in the snailarium because I thought this could add moisture but I removed it when I smelled how salty it was)
Snails eat fruit and vegetables. I cut small pieces and rinse carefully with cold tap water to remove any possible pesticides. I usually cut a bigger piece than what the snail can actually eat because I am afraid it will get lost otherwise. Snails seem to like to hide under lettuce leaves as well. And they really seem to like strawberries. Every day I take the old food out, put it in the compost, and put new food in. Sometimes I dust the food with calcium from the cuttle bone.
Snails don't like environments that are too hot or sunny or dry. Notice how they come out when it rains. Keep the environment moist and don't put the snailarium right near a window.
If the environment is unfavorable, the snail can often survive for a time by crawling into its shell. It can even do this to preserve energy when food and water are scarce.
Yesterday it rained again and I found another snail down by the grocery store in our town. I introduced it to the snailarium and the two snails seem to be getting along alright. Perhaps one of them will eventually lay eggs. Not sure if the small one is mature enough to yet. Oh yeah, they can both lay eggs because snails are intersexual, but you still need two snails for them to lay eggs.
well here are some links
this got us started
this one is from someone who had pet snails and slugs as a child and now sells cyber-slugs
and try this one
more pictures
close-ups!!
educational resources
more education
fun educational resource
very informative, intended for giant african landsnails but some of the information is still relevant
this site tells you how to GET RID OF snails. I linked so you would all know what NOT to do! I know the pic at the beginning is cool but would also caution, again, against graffiti on a snailshell (graffiti anywhere else is cool by me)
