Want to have a pet, but feel sorry for the furniture, carpets and your nerves? We present to your attention the Achatina snail. This wonderful creature comes from Africa. It is absolutely unpretentious, does not bark, does not bite, does not spoil things and has almost no smell. The size of the snail can be controlled by a person, which is very convenient. You can grow her as a giant or as small as you wish.
Features of snails
As you know, snails are hermaphrodites. This means that they have both male and female genital organs at the same time. Therefore, there will be no problems with the continuation of the family. But how to choose names for snails, you have to break your head! But more about that later, but now remember - during mating, the role of the female is usually taken by the older snail, and if she does not lay eggs for a long time, this is a clear sign that a fresher snail is needed.
By the way, the average Achatina lives 5 years, but some live up to 10.
Where to settle such a miracle?
Before you buy, take care of the aquarium (terrarium) or a plastic container for keeping the snail. The main thing is that she should be spacious, especially if you want to grow a large individual. There must be a cover. After all, this is not a fish, so she can easily leave her house and travel around the apartment. Do not forget about air, there must be holes in the lid, otherwise your clam will suffocate.
At the bottom you need to lay a special soil, and even better - a coconut substrate. Spread it evenly along the bottom, five to seven centimeters thick. Snails love dampness and humidity, for this every morning spray the soil with water from a spray bottle. And ideally, build a small bath where this gastropod creature will bathe. Just not deep - up to 1 centimeter, otherwise the snail will choke. It is recommended to change the soil every 3 months.
You should not equip the estate with stones, figurines, items that can damage the shell.
How to name a hermaphrodite: names for snails
As mentioned above, snails are hermaphrodites. Therefore, choosing a name for your pet can be quite problematic. Which ones to choose? Names for snail boys or girls? It all depends on your preferences - decide for yourself whether your snail is a boy or a girl. And we will give just a few tips:
- Since any animal is a true friend, names for snails can also be human: Arseniy, Gosha, Vasya, Margot, Nadya.
- These pets are true gourmets, identify their favorite treat and name it after it: Banana, Cucumber, Tomato, Watermelon, Melon…
- Everyone knows that these animals are not very fast, use your sarcasm: Fast,Shustrik, Rocket, Ish-235, etc.
- It all depends on your imagination. Names for snail girls can even be chosen geographically: Russia, Canada, Africa …
- Popular character SpongeBob is delighted with his pet snail Gerry, you can steal his idea and name your own, or you can use other foreign names: Fred, Lola, Steve, John.
- Names for snails can be borrowed from your favorite cartoon characters, TV shows, movies: Pupsen, Vupsen, Harry Potter, Dr. House, Cheburashka.
- And not only for characters, but also for real people, your idols: Eminem, Samuel Jackson, Marilyn Monroe.
- After all, you can name your pet and popular names for pets. It will be very funny: Druzhok, Fluff, Bug, Kuzya.
Getting names for snails is probably the most difficult thing compared to acquiring and caring for them. It all depends on you, your imagination, your desire. Get creative and come up with something original.
What does a snail eat
But whatever you call your pet, she needs to be fed. The diet is selected individually - mainly fruits and vegetables, except for citrus fruits. Also beware of giving sweet peppers. You can mix fish food (some snails especially like it) and crushed eggshells with the soil to strengthen the shell.
Because they are nocturnal animals, they need to be fed in the evening. No need to pile everything on the mountain, it is better to lay out the products around the perimeter. In one corner - a leaf of lettuce, in the other - a couple of slicescucumber or tomato. Food can also be sprinkled with crushed shells. In the morning you need to remove the peel and other waste. It is recommended to diversify the menu for pets, for example, today - lettuce, vegetables, next time - melon, watermelon, then - pear, plum, and so on. It all depends on preferences and the season, of course.
You can feed a snail every evening, you can feed it every other time. The main thing is that the product does not deteriorate in two days. By the way, snails can live without food for two weeks. At the same time, they fall asleep: they hide in the shell and are covered with a film - they turn on the energy-saving mode. Bathe her in warm water to wake her up.
Remember, any food artificially containing s alt will kill the animal.
How to bathe a snail?
It is better to bathe a snail with drinking water, purified by a filter or at least boiled. It should be warm, but not too much. Water the pet in a thin stream, and if at the same time it begins to open and show horns, then she likes the temperature. Wash it very carefully with a stream and make sure that it does not sink into the water, otherwise it may choke. A snail can substitute its head and neck under the jet - there is no danger in this. The animal chokes when it does not expect the air to be blocked by water.
You need to bathe it once a week, but you can do it more often, this is their favorite pastime. If you bathe too infrequently, the mollusk will feel unwell and moody, and this can develop into a disease. You need to bathe for at least 30 minutes. But that doesn't mean that all this timeyou have to keep the snail running. After she has taken a shower and you have washed her shell, feel free to send her to the pool. You can use a disposable plastic plate as it.
That's all - bathe once a week, feed in the evenings, humidify the aquarium and clean up waste. Forgotten - no big deal. Perhaps the most difficult thing is deciding what name to give the snail!
