Snail Care and House

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.

Comments

[The Mod]

Here's a tip, if you want to pick up a snail, you should put your finger in front of their heads (not touching though), this will be less stressful for them compared to picking them up by their shells. Also if you look at the bottom of their shells, there is a hole that they breathe through (they also poo through those holes, they come out the same color as what they eat!)

[Mamamia04]

I have 4 garden snails. They seem to be healthy and today I saw them mating... How do I make sure they lay eggs and the eggs hatch? Please help. Also there is a snail that is alive but I never see it out of its shell, how do I set it to come out??

[The Mod]

Baby snails are more prone to insects/other creatures to eat them so make sure you keep them as clean as possible

[Saved_By_Bugs2057]

Your snail may need a little moisture. Spray him gently and he should wake up. Hope this helps.

[izzayzayy123]

Hello. When the eggs have been layed, carefully put them into a separate container with lettuce and climbing areas for when they hatch. regularly spray the tank. Spray the snail with water for it to come out. It may have something wrong with it but they can sleep for up to 3 years at a time so he may just be sleeping.

[LindaA148]

What is the best location in her house to keep the snail habita? I know it shouldn't be where it gets sun. Is a bright window where there is never any sun a good spot or should it be away from much light entirely? Thanks! I'm really enjoying the articles about snail care on this website!

[Saved_By_Bugs2057]

A window would not be the best option as the moisture in the enclosure can evaporate quickly, letting your snails dehydrate. I personally keep mine outside, in their enclosure, on bench that doesn't get too much sun. They can get a morning sun, but not afternoon sun as it is too powerful and will dehydrate them quickly. Hope I wasn't too late in responding.

[jmcdowell15]

Also I use milk powder for calcium, how often should I put it in and how much?

[jmcdowell15]

I love gardening and snails are a pest but I pick them off and put them into a habitat.

[Pug owner life]

Where can I find snails? I live in California and I barely see any snails. I love how cute they are though

[Arbormakes]

Will a snail get lonely if I keep it alone?
If I put many snails together they may lay eggs, and snails can lay many eggs at a time!

I don't want too many baby snails slinking around.

[NastassiaH]

I have calcium vitamins. . can I put them in for my little guy to chew on ??

[Mamamia04]

It is better to crush some left over egg shells and put them in the tank or you can buy some cuttlebone from a pet store,

[Aidanandalfred]

grind or crush some egg shell from raw eggs and make sure it is powders before spreading it in the tank

[BlueGap]

how should I pick up my snail? tips for choosing one? how deep does the compost have to be fore them to lay eggs? how do I clean their tank?

[Mamamia04]

The compost/moss should be at least 3 inches thick to lay eggs

[Onixgato]

I wet the walls of my container and then use a small brush, the tipe they use for painting, to push them gently around. Generally, when I open the container, a tupperware type of box, some of them come outside to see what's going on. I just present them my finger and they just slide into it and I can put them back inside or move them when I clean their home..

[19SnailGirl]

I keep my snails in a glass jar. It kind of curves a little when the jar is getting bigger near the bottom. I have the same question as BlueGap. How should i pick up my snails (especially when they are in the curve) without hurting them? Sometimes the snails have bugs on them and i dont want to touch the bugs if they might be dangerous. How should i get the bugs off? PLease answer asap beacuse i need to know soon. Thank you.

[Mamamia04]

If the enclosure is moist(like mine always is) you can just gently pull them off by the shell- and if the bugs are dangerous to you they will definitely be dangerous to the snails. Maggots got inside one of my snails and it died.

[Mamamia04]

Sometimes I get bugs too, you should bathe the snails in clean water(don't drown them) and if the bugs are still there I use a soft paint brush to scrape them off. You should then clean out the entire tank, change bedding and get rid of any food.