I know, this is a strange pet to keep. I however, have a long history of keeping 'bugs' for pets. So when Lorcan (little wild one) came into my life I didn't hesitate to keep him. Back story here: my roommate works in a factory and they get these random crates shipped in for projects, and in one of these crates there were DOZENS of snail shells. Being that I collect shells my roommate brought one home for me. He left this shell in his pocket for 24 before giving it to me. AND I should also mention that they do not know where these crates came from or how long they had been in their factory! Anyways, he gives me this shell, and I tell him I think it's still alive. I set it in a potted plant and within 20 minutes this "dead" shell had moved from the soil to hanging from a plant leaf. I quickly identified him as a Grove Snail and found that while some are in the US they are native to the UK. With that information we made the decision not to release him into the wild and to keep him as a pet (which is common in the UK). Lorcan has been a member of our family for almost a year now. I've kept him alive, AND HE'S GROWN, so I decided a bigger, better, home was in order. Snails can live for 3 to 15 years so I don't know how long we'll have Lorcan for, but I would definitely own snails again. They're a super fun pet with minimal care. And I'd be happy to give you more information if anyone's interested. But for now, I'm going to show you how to set up a snail home. Kids especially love to keep bugs as pets so if you have any little ones you do nature science projects with, they will love to watch their 'slimy' friends in these little homes. Though, for good reason, I stress that parents be active in the handling of such small creatures. YOU WILL NEED:
Let's start with Lorcan's current home. Since he wasn't planned and I didn't even know if he was going to survive/if I would do an adequate job taking care of him, I got a quick cheap home for him. A $5 Betta tank I got at walmart. It's not huge, but he's only one snail so it gave him a decent amount of space. As an upgrade I bought him a MEDIUM sized Kritter Keeper, these boxes are amazing because they can be used for any number of small animals. There was actually a mix up the first time and they sent me an XL Kritter Keeper, it was so big my Yorkie-Pom could fit in it, lol! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002APZOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Once you get your container I recommend wiping it down, same with any decorations you may have bought. You never know what chemicals could be lingering on these items and they could be harmful to your pets. Then start filling the bottom with NON-PESTICIDE Soil. I really emphasize this because to most gardening centers your pet is considered a pest. If you fill it's container with pesticide soil, you're literally killing him. Quick note on snails, they burrow in the dirt. So if you put a LOT of soil in there, be prepared to search for your snail when you can't find him anywhere else. Also snails lay their eggs in dirt so you need to clean their soil regularly if you don't want hundreds of baby snails popping up. I'll also mention for those familiar with the birds and the bees that MOST snails are hermaphrodites so they don't need a partner to lay eggs. In the 9 months (I wrote this back in February) we've had Lorcan he's never laid eggs, so who knows when or if that will ever happen. I also made sure to put enough soil in his new container that I could put in some live plants. This is good for him for a healthy ecosystem, he can climb on them and he can eat them- though so far no eating has occurred. But make sure you look into what plants are toxic to your snail! Spider Plants are safe both to live around and to eat. At the time that I got him I only had one spider plant and it wasn't blooming, so I didn't want to risk him eating it. However my spider plant is booming with new plants and so if Lorcan does eat the plants in his home, I can always plant new ones. It's the circle of life and I feel good about that. And my plants are planted in the non-pesticide soil. This is the soil I currently use. You don't need to plant them super deep, just enough that they can take hold. Spider Plants are also ideal because they need a minimal amount of water. You don't want to OVER water your soil as this is bad for your snail. While you are likely to find him climbing to the top of his container (snails really like to climb), I also mentioned he will burrow. Snails, slugs, worms, and other creatures tend to come out of the dirt after it's rained, this is, to over simplify it, so that they don't drown. Which brings me to their water bowl. They will need one of these but you have to be aware that you can only fill it so much. They can drown in their water bowls! I put the minimal amount in there and just add more everyday as it is likely to evaporate. Finally you can put things in there for your snail to climb on. They should be smooth surfaces so that they aren't hurting themselves. And as snails like damp dark places, a climbing log may be just the thing for them. A lot of snail owners suggest putting a cuttlebone in there for the calcium. Mine seems to avoid it at all costs. But he gets lots of calcium through the egg shells I give him, so I'm not too worried about that. Just be ware that you should make sure your snail is getting the calcium it needs to keep it's shell strong. In case anyone out there didn't know this, their shells are attached to them the same way turtle shells are a part of them. If their shell is crushed or ripped from their body, they will die. THIS is why I emphasize parents being present with your kids and their pet snails. Until they are older and can properly hold them and be aware of the real life and death consequences of mishandling their shells. I will include a link to the UK snail owner site where I have learned most of my information from since getting Lorcan. You should also have a spray bottle for misting their container down. Just simple water, but the moisture is important. I also plan on getting moss for sections of his soil, it's supposed to help it retain it's moisture and be good for your snails environment. But for now, here's some photos of my snail enjoying his new home. http://www.petsnails.co.uk/
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By the way the cutie pictured above is Albion my Yorkie-Pom.
Pets!Alright, we all know that we LOVE our fur babies. And over the years I have had the pleasure to be a fur mommy, and a mommy to turtles, reptiles, and other animals. (And this isn't likely to slow down as my husband and I adore animals.) I've wanted to make a page dedicated to pet projects but at the time that this craft blog really got started we lost our turtle very suddenly and I was too heart broken to make any animal related posts. I think I'm ready to write about my animal babies again and I can't wait to share them with ya'll! ArchivesCategories |