Which one to choose a primer for a snail. Akhatin: housing and care

The health and longevity of the ahatina, as well as its ability to reproduce directly, depends on the conditions under which the shellfish will be kept, how correctly the terrarium and the primer for the snail are selected. Therefore, today we will understand the issue of arranging a dwelling for this pet, which should be as safe and comfortable as possible.

A few words about the snail

Akhatin is the largest land mollusk, individual specimens of which can reach 30 cm. It is widely distributed in countries with tropical and subtropical climates and is capable of causing significant damage to agricultural plants, in particular sugar cane. Due to a lack of calcium, the mollusc can scrape the lime plaster from the walls of the building with a shell, which causes serious damage to the light shelters in the tropics.

In European countries, including Russia, akhatin can not survive in the natural environment, and they are often kept in terrariums, because they are unpretentious in care and multiply easily. Of course, this is not a cat or a dog, capable of caressing its master. Nevertheless, ahatina is good in its own way. She is quiet and does not need regular walks. In addition, the cost of its maintenance is minimal. This mollusc is active in the dark, although it can crawl in the daytime in wet weather. During the daytime, he hides in some secluded place, buried in the soil, and only after a couple of hours after sunset begins to intensify. At an ambient temperature below 9 ° C, the snails are hibernating.

Due to the high rate of reproduction and growth, large quantities of achatinum are imported to France and, along with grape snails, are used for food.

Home maintenance home

As a terrarium for ahaatin, you can use both a small glass aquarium and a plastic tank with a ventilated lid. The heavy upper lid will not allow the snail to escape, and the available openings will ensure the supply of fresh air. Since mollusks love to climb on the walls and lid of the terrarium, make sure that the holes do not exceed the size of the cochlea. Otherwise, such a window, she can use as a way to escape from home. Box of cardboard - not the most successful option for settlement, as it will be impossible to observe the mollusk, and even such a house it can easily gnaw out.

Priming

When choosing the soil in the first place, it is necessary to focus on its looseness. It is a loose composition that allows the cochlea to burrow into the ground and receive a sufficient amount of air.

Often akhatin breeders use coconut ground for snails, which can be as loose or in briquettes. Briquettes from coconut are poured with boiling water, cooled, the substrate is washed with gauze or a sieve, dried and covered in an aquarium.

Some recommend using as soil for snails ahaatin flower earth mixture. However, often such substrates contain fertilizers that can damage ahitin.

It is undesirable to fall asleep in the terrarium wood chips, because snails are tender enough creatures and, creeping over such a coating, they can be scratched or get a splinter. Also mollusks are contraindicated in pebbles and other stones that can damage their shell.

The thickness of the ground layer should be 5-10 cm. Thus, the snail buries into the ground completely. The loose composition does not let it suffocate. In addition, the snails in the soil of the aquarium lay eggs. But for newborns Akhatin it is not needed, since it can provoke the death of babies.

As decoration, you can use various twigs, picturesque snags and bark of trees. Of course, all this must be previously decontaminated. If you want to decorate the soil with moss, then such a litter before use should be soaked in water for a day to get rid of any harmful living creatures.

The role of the litter can play large leaves of cabbage or salad, which also serve as food for gastropods.

The house of Akhatina needs regular cleaning. Dirty soil for the cochlea should be discarded and replaced with fresh. Coconut substrate or bark of trees can be washed, dried and reused.

Microclimate

Since the ahatina is a tropical animal, it feels most comfortable in warm and humid conditions. The optimal temperature for the content of the cochlea is 25-28 ° C. At a lower temperature, the mollusk will live, but its activity will be reduced.

To maintain moisture, regular spraying of the terrarium and soil from the sprayer is performed. There should be no water under the soil. The need for snails in moisture is determined by their behavior. If achetins sit on the walls for a long time, this indicates an excess of water, and if they hide in the sink, then it is too small. Reduced humidity can be used if necessary to send snails into hibernation, for example, if you need to leave the apartment for a while. In order to wake a pet, you should hold it under a small stream of warm water or increase the humidity in the terrarium.

As for direct sunlight, the ahatines do not like them at all.

Food

Akhatin's favorite food is herbal products, in particular, soft and decaying parts of plants. Nutritional preferences depend on age: young individuals prefer live plants to the taste, and dead rotting plant remains to adults. At home, the most common snail food is zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin, champignons, cabbage and salad leaves and other soft vegetables.

In the diet of ahaatin it is necessary to include animal products with protein and calcium content. Therefore, small quantities of snails are given boiled chicken without salt. Sometimes they are fed with boiled cereal from a mixture of cereals.

Smoked and salted foods are strictly prohibited for shellfish. Small ahatinam is undesirable to give a lot of soft food at the same time, as they can burrow into food and suffocate.

Care Tips

In the terrarium, where the adult live, it is desirable to place a flat and stable bowl with water.

Do not forget to cover the aquarium with a lid so that the gastropod does not run away at night. In addition, it will help maintain the humidity at the required level.

For a constant circulation of air in the cover there must be holes.

Once or twice a week, clean the aquarium with a damp cloth without the use of chemicals.

Periodically wash the snail under a light stream of warm water.

At least once a year, change the primer to a new one. And he must be of such a composition, to which akhatin is used.

Avoid direct sunlight on the aquarium so as not to damage the health of the shellfish.

To maintain the required temperature, use special heaters.

As you can see, caring for a snail with ahaatin does not take much time and even a child can do it.

We hope that the article was useful and now you probably know how to properly care and what to choose a primer for a snail. Let your pet give you only positive emotions.