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if you would want to adopt a snail, you would want to make it a 'house'. if you're just gonna adopt some snail and put it in your garden, it will obviously escape.
so, the solution is terrariums or enclousres (im pretty sure theyre the same just different names). a terrarium is a transparent enclousre for creating artifical gardens (for beauty, usually) but they are also used as enclousres for pets. when they are used that way, theyre pretty much just the same as aquariums, but for land pets, like reptiles frogs snakes etc etc.
the recommended terrarium for your snail(s) depends on a lot of factures.
how many snails you are going to be getting? how big are they going to be? what is their species? what is their age? are you going to cull or not? what is the average temperature and humidity in your area? etc etc.
where to begin?
first, i recommend researching about the snail species youre going to be getting. if its a regular garden snail (not a GALS), you would probably not want an enclousre that is too big, since it can be quite tiring for the snail to explore and move around. anyways back to the researching about the species haha
check the recommended humidity level and temperature. ill explain on those right now.
humidity and temperature
the most commonly used method to keep up the right amount of humidity is using a spray/misting bottle. just spray some water between 2 to 3 times a day, depends on the humidity level you need, i think higher than 90% is 3 times and around 75% is 2 times!
signs the humidity level is too low
when soil turning (ill get to that later), the substarte is dry and acts like one block
your snail will spend a lot of time in the hide (ill also get to that later haha :') ) or bury themselves in the substrate
signs the humidity level is too high
when soil turning, the substarte is a bit liquid and when squishing a bit of it in your hand it falls from it (im sorry for my bad english :') )
if the snail youre getting is considered native to your area, you probably shouldnt worry too much about temperature. but, you should still check! there are always exceptions.
im gonna be honest with you i dont really know enough about what to do if you need your enclousre to be hotter or colder :') so just read this guide if you need your enclousre to be warmer! (it also talks about hygrometers, which can be used to modify the humidity of the enclousre but arent a must or anything) by the way ,, an important note on heatmats is that they should always be used in tandem with a thermostat!! its also helpful to insulate the enclousre during the winter/colder months, you may want to put a blanket around the tank! just make sure it doesnt cover or touch the heat source ^^
It's commonly thought that the bigger the housing your snail is in, the better. This is not true. Snails only have so much energy, and if they live in an enclosure that's far too large, they will expend all their energy searching for their food. This is especially important for growing snails. Snails use energy to make their shells grow, and if they're in an enclosure that's too big for them, then they redirect that energy to moving. This causes slower growth and as a result, the snails will end up a lot smaller (Read: Only a few centimetres in shell length) then they would've if they had been in a suitably-sized enclosure. For information on housing for juvenile snails, see parts 2 and 3 of 'The Ultimate Guide to Breeding Land Snails', by Syd#7124.
For mature snails, you can use the following link to help determine the ideal size for your snails:
https://www.petsnails.co.uk/snail-calc.php
While this is a helpful resource, this lists the bare minimum size, so buying ones a little bit bigger than the given measurements can be a good idea. At the end of the day, using your common sense is a helpful thing to do.
This calculator also says that you cannot keep one snail alone, however this is untrue. Snails don't have the brain capacity to have 'friends'. You may notice keeping more than one snail means individuals are more active, however this is due to perceived competition for food more than anything.
substrates is basically just soil. because the entire point of enclousres is to make an artifical sort of natural place that is the best for snails, soil needs to be a part of it.
it is best to not change the substrate youre going to be using in your terrarium.
the substrate depth should be as deep as the length of your largest snail's shell, and two or three inches so they can bury themselves. (they love doing it in order to cool themselves!)
i recommend soil turning every week! this done is for checking for eggs, cleaning and its just healthy and good in general. heres a good tutorial about it!
you may also want some lil helpers to clean up your substrate ! *you also need to clean it by yourself, you can ask someone in one of the forums listed in the info home page
springtails - springtails are probably the most common animal to co-house with snails. they're tiny, white bugs. they live in the soil and are completely harmless for your snail. they eat faecal matter and old food. usually, you just find them in your substrate after a while of snail keeping. alternatively, you can buy boxes of them from reptile shops to release into your setup.
isopods - isopods are also good for keeping in your snail enclosure. they eat decaying and faecal matter and pose no threat to your snails. you can pick them up from your garden, and put them straight into your enclosure without quarantining them. some of the most popular types of isopods to keep with your snails are Porcellio scaber, Armadillidium vulgare and Porcellio pruinosus.
hypoasis mites - hypoaspis mites are predatory mites that are smaller than springtails, and eat harmful parasites in your enclosure, such as nematodes (small white worms). you can buy them from reptile shops or online, however, you should only get these if you have an infestation of nematodes or other parasites as they will eat the harmful things, and then die off.
it is recommended not to use compost or peat as your substrate.
how could you decorate your enclousre?
first of all, i recommend looking and taking inspiration from other people's enclousres. you can do this by joining the r/snails discord server or subreddit! i think you should check the comments though, because if something is wrong it is usually pointed out in the comments so you can learn as well from other people's mistakes.
but - lets learn from me first hahaha
snails love exploring the environment, and they also need a few stuff anyways, so just a flat layer of substrate definitely wont fly.
first of all - your snail needs a hide. something like a small, dark cave it can hide in whenever it wants to. most people just take a flower pot, turn it aruond and bury it a bit in the substrate so it kind of acts like a cave.
leaves are also recommended, and are necessary if you have isopods.
you want to have a thick layer of moss over all the hard places in your enclousre, so your snail wont fall on it and break its shell. (yes that happens a lot, they climb the walls of the enclousre, sometimes sleep in there and when they continue to the roof they may fall)
you also want to have some place where you can put food in, like a lil plate! again i recommend looking at other people's ideas ^^ get creative!
decorative stuff you dont have to add:
moss on soft parts as well (leaves are better if you have isopods! maybe they arent as pretty but they are better for the isopods themselves.), sphagnum moss is highly recommended.
bark, wood, sticks, branches etc
fake plants (make sure they are snail safe!
live plants (make sure they are snail safe! there is an unsafe plants and trees section.)
rocks (cover with moss!!)
if you decide to collect some of these from a local forest, make sure that other animals have not touched them and that they havent been sprayed with fertiliser or pesticide!
unsafe plants
All Succulent/Cactus Species (except Christmas Cactus)
Any plant from which toxic food sources are produced (for example, garlic plants)
Azalea
laurel
Carnivorous Plants
Daffodil
Devil’s Ivy
Lavender
True Lilies (in the family Lilium)
Money Plant
Peace Lily (in the family Spathiphyllum)
unsafe trees
when using tree branches or bark that you've foraged please remember these simple steps:
- collect away from roads, footpaths & anywhere they could have come into contact with pesticides, fertilizers or pollutants.
- make sure the wood is dead as this contains fewer tannins.
- stay away from the trees listed below, as these are unsafe.
Evergreens
Fir
Pine
Cedar
Spruce
Ash
Citrus
Hawthorn
Holly
Horse Chestnut
Juniper
Poplar
Sycamore
Willow
Yew
thank you for reading !! :D
hope i helped ^^ if not ,, check the FAQ page !!
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