The care of Giant African Land Snails

Giant African land snails are the perfect pets for people of all ages. If you're not so keen on them now, they'll soon win you over and you might even get your own! These cute creatures are a perfect pet for a child, but are also often kept by adults as a hobby. But before you get your own little pet, you need to know the proper care and keeping of an African Land Snail. They're more complicated than you may first think!

Feeding
GALS (Giant African Land Snails) eat a wide variety of fruit, veg and even meat! Snails should be fed once every two days or every day, depending on how fast your snails finish their food. You must remove old food before replacing it so that it doesn't go mouldy. Fruit and veg must be washed thoroughly before feeding, and organic is best because pesticides are harmful to snails. Here is a list of foods that your GALS can eat:

Apple, Apricot, Aubergine, Avocado, Banana, Bean Sprouts, Blackberry, Broccoli, Butternut Squash, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Courgette, Cucumber, Dragon Fruit, Grapes, Green Beans, Kale, Kiwi, Leek, Lettuce (Romaine), Mango, Melon, Mushroom, Papaya, Parsnip, Peas, Prickly Pear, Physalis, Pumpkin, Plum, Rasberry, Sharon Fruit, Spinach, Sprouts, Strawberry, Swede, Sweet Corn, Sweet potato, Tomato, Turnip, Watercress, Dandelion Leaves,

They can also eat small amounts of raw mince meat and raw egg. Fish flakes, dog/cat biscuits, brown bread and dried mealworms can also be soaked and fed to your snails.
Avoid foods in the onion family, normal potatoes, citrus fruits, salty foods and processed starchy foods like pasta.

Snails must have a constant supply of calcium to keep their shells healthy, and they can get this from a cuttlefish bone placed in their tank and calcium powder sprinkled on their food every now and again.

Housing
GALS should be kept in a tank that is big enough for them to move around in and climb around. This means that it has to have a large area of floor space, but it doesn't need quite as much height. The more snails you have, the bigger your tank should be. Tanks can be glass or plastic, but avoid some wooden vivariums as the heat from the heat mats cannot get through (i will explain heat mats later on). A cheap alternative to a glass tank is a box with a lid that clips on top. The lid must be secure, as your snails can push up lids and escape if not!
A peat and pesticide free coir substrate should be used in your tank, and must be at least 3 inches deep so that your GALS can bury themselves. This must be kept damp at all times, although some
breeds of snail like it wetter than others.
The temperature of your tank is determined by the use of a heat mat and thermostat. You must look into the temperature that your breed of snail is best kept in, and set your thermostat to this temperature. This also means that you should have a thermometer in your tank, to ensure that the temperature is correct. The heat mat should not cover more than half of the side of your tank, so that your snail can escape from the heat if it wishes. You must also ensure that the humidity is correct in your tank, again this changes depending on the breed of snail but you can buy a hygrometer to measure the humidity of your tank.
Avoid putting ceramic objects in your tank, as these can crack your snails' shells if they fall on it. Instead, use a plastic plant pot for your snail to hide in and plastic plants that you can find in a reptile/fish shop.
You can plant basil in your tank, which snails love and keeps the flies away, and watercress. Sphagnum moss is also good to put in because it can hold a lot of water and up the humidity in your tank.
Remember to spray your tank regularly!

Reproduction

Snails aren't any particular sex, as they have both male and female reproductive organs. They can even reproduce on their own, although they seem to prefer having a partner. This means that you must be on the constant lookout for eggs, because it is illegal in the UK and many countries around the world to let GALS out into the wild, as they are an invasive species. If you find eggs, many cannot be rehomed very easily, so must be disposed of. You may keep any that you can, but don't let yourself become overrun! Instead, freeze the eggs for 48 hours and then crush and throw away. You could also crush the eggs without freezing and feed them back to the snails as a source of calcium. If you are raising your own baby snails, hatch the eggs in a smaller tub that you can place inside your tank, so that they're kept at the same conditions as the adults.

Handling

Snails should be handled gently, and should not be pulled off the sides of their tank by their shells. In some cases, this can harm your snail or even pull them out of their shell, which will be fatal. Instead, mist your snail with water and gently slide your finger underneath them to release the vacuum between the snail and the glass/plastic. The snail can then be safely lifted out. Spray your hands with water as well before handling so that your snail is more comfortable.

Which snail?
The most popular breed of snail for beginners is the Achatina Fulica. Their requirements are easy to meet as they only need to be kept at about 20-23oC, and a humidity level of 60-80%. These are also
the breeds of snail that you are most likely to find in a pet shop. Snails can be bought from pet shops, eBay, Facebook groups and many other places, but it is very important to make sure that it is legal to own and ship them to your country. Pet shops often don't take proper care of their snails, so you can either rescue those from a pet shop or buy them from experienced breeders.


I hope that this has been a helpful guide for any future snail owners to be, and remember that snails shouldn't be treated differently to other pets! They are just as important!

Catherine xx