The Idea

I leave in a neighborhood were the African snail is very common, just in front of my yard i can see some snails slowly crawling out at 6pm in the evening to start their very busy snail day and back at 6am in the morning i could still see them crawling back into dark angles to hide from the horrors of the day (sun, predators, etc).

since most of them look alike to their environment (dark brown color) for adaptation reason, my neighbors and others in a hurry hardly notice the tiny ones and will step on them by mistake since they can run (may they RIP).

So this is why i took upon myself to build a Terrarium for them where they will be safe have plenty of food and friends and some branches to climb on, hiding, places etc.

Life Cycle.

A snail may lay five to six clutches per year with a hatching viability around 90%. Adult size is reached in about six months, after which growth slows, but does not cease until death. Life expectancy is commonly five to six years in captivity, but the snails can live for up to 10 years. (source from wikipedia)

Importance of Snails

Snails have a very important role to play in the ecosystem. just to name a few;

-As pets, In Agriculture, As food, Famine food, Cosmetics, Cultural depiction, Textiles. etc we should care for them too.

I hope you find my Idea (terrarium) helpful and may be learned something from it or you can use my instructable to build your own Terrarium for a pet not just snails. Thanks and lets build.

Supplies

Snails (pets)
Large plastic box / container
soil/substrate
Furnishing. (rocks, pebbles, plants, stick,)
An Old jar/jug for snails to hide
Dead snail shells for grave
Plate for food
RIP sign
Paper Tape

Step 1: Get Some Snails

I just walked around my yard and picked up some few young little snails that i want to raise as pets and above all keep them safe from dangers. Theses are African Giant Snails with scientific name (Achatina fulica).

Step 2: Choose Your Contaiener

Make sure you determine the size of the container depending on how many snails you want to house, the more the snails the larger the container and vise versa. I choose this container because i have more than 10 snails to house as my pets it measures 57cm long, 40cm wide & 30cm height.

Step 3: Choose Your Soil/Substrate

I used regular soil from the garden were i got them, this will make a great substrates for the snails since they are already familiar with it. Keep the substrate clean and moist at all times. A spray bottle is perfect to moisten substrates.

Step 4: Furnishings

Snails like to hide in dark places, some like to sit near the lid of the terrarium & others even under the dirt. I made sure they had plenty of places that allow the snails to be happy which is good for your snails. I added a small hand woven basket and a stick for climbing, added some real plants, rocks and some dead snails so they can honor their death ones (RIP)

Step 5: Puting Everything Together (building the Terrarium)

Now add the oil/substrates for the snail Terrarium. It should be added 7 -10cm deep in the container.

Next I furnished the Terrarium with all the furnishing i got (stick, moss rock, plants, black pebbles, woven tiny basket for hiding and the dead snail shells for their grave yard.

Lastly I added a label for their dead ones that says RIP and a plate of fresh tomato cuts and some ripe plantain slices for feeding the snails.