Introduction: Snail Care and House

About: My name is Izzy and I have tonnes of pets. 1 lizard, 2 mice, 2 guinea pigs, 1 hamster, 4 fish, 4 snails and a parrot.

Hi!!! This instructable is going to tell (and show) you how to create a snail house and care for your snails. Snails are really cheap or free to look after so they are the perfect pets if you are on a budget...

Step 1: Equipment

1) A large container depending on how many snails you have. You could find one around you house or you could go to a charity shop/thrift store and get one for a few £'s.

2) Substrate which could be potting soil with no added chemicals, soil from your garden (put this into the microwave after you wash it for 1 minute to get rid of any bugs) gravel (they don't LOVE this but it works) compost/soil. DO NOT USE SAND OR SHARP GRAVEL as this annoys/injures them.

3) Rocks and sticks. Snails love to climb so rocks and sticks are always needed. You also need to include a hide stuffed with soil/hay or something that they can dig in. Your hide could be an old flower pot or something similar.

4) Food and water. We will get into detail later.

5) You may also want to include moss and some real plants.

6) And of course some Snails!! I have garden snails as this intractable is aimed at garden snails.

Step 2: Container

1) Take your container and wash it out with water.

2) Take your substrate and line he bottom with it. If you are using soil make sure that it is at least 4 centimeters deep so that they can burrow.

Step 3: Decorations

Add some decorations to your habitat to make it more natural and interesting for your snails. These could include fake plants (don't buy them if you don't have them) plant pots, real plants, hides, stones/rocks/pebbles, bark/wood that is decaying and some decaying leaves.

Step 4: Care!

Caring for your snails is a big part of keeping them. Without substantial care, your snails will die.

Step 5: Food

There are many foods that your snails can eat. These include:
Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Blackberry, Butternut Squash, Dragon Fruit, Grapes, Kiwi, Mango, Melon, Nectarines, Orange, Papaya/Paw-paw, Prickly pear, Peach, Pear, Physalis, Plum, Raspberry, Satsuma, Sharon fruit, Strawberry, Tomato, Aubergine, Bean Sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Courgette, Cucumber, Green beans, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Mushroom, Parsnip, Peas, Potato, Pumpkin, Spinach, Sprouts, Swede, Sweet Corn, Sweet Potato, Turnip, Watercress, Dandelion leaves, Common Plantain.

Snails favourite foods include lettuce, cabbage, spinach and cucumber.

Step 6: Calcium

Calcium is an important part in a snails diet. It helps to build their shell. The calcium can be given in many forms but the best way is a cuttle fish bone. You can buy these at you local pet shop for about £1. The snails will eat this and as it is made completely out of calcium. It is the most efficient way of giving your snails calcium. Other ways include crushed up egg shells, calcium powder, limestone and powdered milk.


Step 7: Water

You can provide water in a shallow dish and they will drink from this. The best way is to mist/spray their habitat daily with a water sprayer. They will really appreciate this as it keeps them moist and helps them to move across the ground more easily.

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