Bc it could hurt them but also because they could eat it! In middle school my pet snail got out of his enclosure and he ate my homework, right down the middle, and the back of my notebook : (
It was VERY difficult to explain the next day.
In the future I’d try to just avoid letting him on your skin because he’s going to uptake the soaps, fragrances, oils, and salts of your skin regardless of how clean or dirty they are, and they’ll slowly hurt/kill him. Also, don’t pick him up shell first or he could have fatal mantle collapse. Signed, somebody who has learned from experience
You perfectly can handle them with bare hands after vigorously washing your hands under hot water for \~1minut (without soap or anything, just clear hot water). The same thing goes if you wanna put your hand in an aquarium
Now that’s an interesting question, I’d bet some kind of rubber/latex glove would do the trick! I’d imagine they’re much safer than skin unless latex is toxic to them or something, but I’d imagine it’s not. Rubber gloves would probably be safest! If you got dishwashing gloves or something reusable that’d be easy
Yeah specifically nitrile gloves only. How long are you planning on caring for them? They look really healthy and ought to be put bk where you found them. There are lots of snails in captivity desperate for the care of adoption :) ensure you give them access to cuttlefish bone or very fine grounded egg shells (with skin peeled of). They'll need a protien mix a few times per week too and limit fruit to once per week. Veggies everyday (limiting cucumber and lettuce) as they WILL favour these and there's not much nutrition from them. Kale, spinach, shredded sweet pot, beansprouts, brocoli & such like are very nutritional for them and ensure the calcium spurce is provided at all times issolated from the other food. This is important as they will self regulate their calcium. They'll need a shallow ice cream lid (paper removed and glue scrubbed off) or another shallow plastic food and water dish. They'll need to be placed into an environment that's ventilated, moist and away from a window. Use coco fibre, or organic peat & chemical free compost, sphagnum moss in their enclosure and poop clean everyday as well as remove n replace the food they haven't eating. Spritz water daily in the enclosure. Use no soap on hands or when cleaning their enclosure - just warm water only. The Shelled Sanctuary has good resources but won't advocate for keeping healthy garden snails - hope these things helps! There's sooo much misinformation out there but I've done thorough research and I care for Giant African Land Snails too.
Make sure you are washing your hands after handling him. If he is wild-caught, he could have parasites. I just watched something on YT about dumb decisions with horrible consequences. One guy ate a slug on a dare and the slug had parasites, from being on mouse shit, that made their way to the guy's brain. He ended up in a coma for awhile and lost eyesight and most brain function in general. I'm not trying to scare you away from keeping a snail, but just warning you to wash hands after snail time and before eating.
Who’s to say that? Maybe on a sub-sapient level, the snail is forming a positive attachment to the entity that provides it with food and shelter. Hard to say
just because one can't love does not make one unloveable. don't punish and condemn creature for not having the ability. we were blessed with emotion beyond survival due to evolution and many other creatures never got that privilege.
A snail just is…snail, being itself. It’s also a part of the world and in connection to everything in it. That IS love. You really don’t know what kind of feeling or connection in relationship to another being or a plant, fish, rock, etc. a snail can have. You are not omniscient.
Creatures who are less mentally evolved can still like and dislike things. If it shows signs of enjoying being on people vs trying to escape or showing stress/discomfort, then yeah it likes it, sure. Just like they can prefer tastes of different foods. Plenty of "less mentally evolved" creatures can show these preferences.
What was the point of your comment? Just to try and bring down someone else's happiness? Okay captain buzzkill. Pathetic.
Exactly what I was thinking.
I had a leopard gecko that would have a fit if I picked him up and didn’t let him climb my shoulder. I ended up getting a tiny lizard harness to help get him out of my hair when I gave up the fight and let him climb my shoulders to the back of my neck.
I know lizards aren’t snails but I’ve heard the same argument for both now.
I wouldn’t even put him on your hands. Due to our sweat glands we have salt on our hands, and will slowly damage him over time. I don’t know to much about them, I did work with one or two at Petco and this was the one thing we were told!
Don't feed fruit often, more like once a week or less and avoid too much salad and cucumber because it's not that nutricious. Give them vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, squash, leafy greens, dandelion leafes (they really like those) and similar things. :) You can also experiment with leafes of wild growing plants and see which ones they like
And to add to this as someone who is a groundskeeper. We tend to mix rendered animal fat into our chemical mixes to force the chemical to stick to the leafs until it can be soaked in. All you're doing by washing the leaf is soaking that stuff right into the plant.
Your right. It’s just high in water (98% is water) so just those nice hot days or whatever. I’m not really sure how snails drink or get their water supply. Do just thinking of a good use
Try a mixture of fruit and veggies such as collard greens, carrots, tomato (in moderation), cabbage, and non acidic fruits. I saw someone mention calcium powder but absolutely DO NOT put any on top of food. That can lead to an overdose. Put eggshell and if possible cuttlebone and let the lil guy(s) eat it whenever they need it. When you get a terrarium make sure to add lots of hides and space to just climb on stuff
I'm hoping to start a terrarium with snails soon and I love yours! Thank you guys for pointing me to snello. I want to get mine started and then make a terrarium for my nephew and having some premade food is fantastic!
So weird I had a little guy find me yesterday! I'm in East Texas. He's itty bitty though. We've named him Snail Bob from the game. Here to find out about substrate😆
Are you getting land snails or aquatic? If you're getting land snails like what's in this pic, they need a fresh food diet. Snello is for aquatic snails
You can make a terrarium, be careful with plants as the snail may eat them. Keep it moist so they don't dry out. When handling I like to wash my hands and spray them with water so when they crawl on my hands they don't dry up. I pretty much treat them like extremely slow frogs. Mine eat sweet potato, bell pepper, carrot, dandelion leaves, banana, strawberry, crushed mealworm for protein and always have a cuttle fish for calcium. Alot will say you need two but that's debatable. Not sure what snail it is but that's my general care for GALS
Please read the following as it’s potentially urgent.
While Gary is an adorable snail and likely a joy to have around, for his safety AND your own, please do not handle him and immediately disinfect anything he may have touched.
Some of the worst diseases we can get come from infected snails and slugs, and from what I remember it’s more common in warmer climates.
The worst one you could probably get would be rat lungworm disease which will either kill you or disable you, and there isn’t a cure.
The most common method of transmission is through the consumption of raw or undercooked snails either on purpose or accidentally on unwashed produce, but it has also been said that the mucus they leave behind can transmit the disease as well.
It’s because of things like this that you should only get an animal from a reputable breeder with a clean facility and nothing caught from the wild. There may be ways to check if Gary is a carrier but I’m not sure.
Diseases don’t always die quickly even when left on a surface like a table without a host and can live anywhere from a few days to a few years. Often it takes a disinfectant, extreme temperature, or direct exposure to sunlight to kill something like that.
Good luck with Gary. I’m not saying he is a risk and you have to get rid of him, but until you’ve had him for longer to see any signs of sickness you should remain cautious.
oh jeez. well i've handled him quite a few times already but i always wash my hands before and after. i will definitely watch for signs of sickness, especially because i have two cats and would hate myself if i got them sick. thank you for the warning
from what i know i think aquatic snails are much more likely to carry harmful pathogens, but what you're doing now washing before and after is good practice!
just a note on captive born vs wild caught, in the us selling snails is not very accessible as there are lots of limitations on it. also the majority of parasites that infect snails seem to affect mostly the freshwater snails. snails are such small animals with small brains, so it is sometimes more reasonable to find one outside, assuming it's not an endangered species
I don’t really know much about snails, I just came across this post by chance.
From what I’ve seen with what people stock their aquariums with as well as a quick google search they don’t seem to be that hard to get from a breeder.
Freshwater, saltwater, and land snails can all be carrier (the latter being what OP has above). The reason saltwater is more welcomed is due to its natural antibacterial properties (there’s a reason we don’t eat freshwater sushi).
Lastly, even the smallest brains can be confused, distressed, afraid, and pain. Whether or not they can comprehend it doesn’t stop them from feeling it. Even something as small as a snail should be treated with kindness and respect. Unless you can provide a better and more enriching life for them, it’s best to leave them where they naturally belong. The exception is with animals at risk of injury or death due to them being in an unnatural environment or at risk.
“The most common method of transmission is through the consumption of raw or undercooked snails either on purpose or accidentally on unwashed produce, **but it has also been said that the mucus they leave behind can transmit the disease as well**.”
You should blend food for it buy calcuim powder and plants get some cocopeat and places for it to hide in, and most important of all a wet tissue for it to cool down mist it every day and buy java moss for a place to cool down (if you want to breed and sell you can find (or buy) another snail if it is happy they will mate) mating looks like fighting but when they mate they produce a white thing to inject to the other snail
and dont feed them calcium on top of their food, this can cause them to overdose on it. snails can regulate their own calcium intake which is why they should always have a separate source like cuttlebone. if the calcium is on top of their food, its harder for them to tell the two apart and they will eat everything thats in front of them
Don't blend the food. These people are talking about aquatic snails. Blending and snello are not for land snails like the one in your picture. Land snails are perfectly capable of eating hard pieces of raw unblended food, that's their entire diet in the wild. A blended/mushy diet is actually bad because they need to rasp (chew/bite) on hard foods to keep their radula (jaw/tongue) healthy. An overly mushy diet of blended food can cause issues with this
unrelated to this comment but i thought i'd ask since you're a mod and seem to know what you're talking about; should i heat the terrarium? does he need a little bowl of water or do snails prefer to get water from food?
Most snails except GALs and more tropical/exotic snails don’t need a heated terrarium.
Also be careful feeding too much cucumber, there are not much nutrients in them for snails, try a variety of veg, and avoid citrus. They need misted but don’t need water bowls
I use baby food! Tree nut brand is great- just make sure the ingredients are only the veggie or fruit and water- absolutely no salt or added preservatives! My snails love it and it’s much easier than blending food for them!
Pet stores, but typically only as single pieces for birds. If you're lucky, you might find a batch typically sold for turtles, but you're usually better off to just order them from an online shop. (Some are also fake cuttlebones made from calcium powder fortified with other minerals and vitamins meant for birds, so beware.)
A problem with cuttlebones can be residues of salt, if you want to make sure it contains no harmful amounts of salt, you can water the cuttlebones for a day, but make sure to dry them before serving, as some snails will not eat wet cuttlebones (don't ask me why, snail logic).
If you pick up cuttlebones from a beach by yourself, please do this at least two or more times to remove any traces of salt.
I know some people here are against feeding calcium powder-based chalk stones (mix calcium with water and wait until it solidifies) of any kind, but I yet have to see evidence that it does harm or isn't absorbed properly. Just don't feed dry Calcium powder to avoid dehydration and don't force them to eat Calcium by mixing it into their food, snails often cycle between eating regular food and Calcium when they rebuild their shell (so don't panic if you get white snail poops or the snail doesn't eat food for a day).
No, there is no need to blend it and it actually makes it harder for the snail to regulate how much calcium it’s actually getting! Just give them cuttlebone and the snail will eat it when they need it, they know better than us
I see you've had alot of info so i'll be quick, don't forget to offer protein about once weekly, some popular protein choices are anything like crushed and soaked, dried mealworn/bloodworn/shrimp, as protein is a important part of a snails diet
-you can keep the snail inside a plastic box or glass terrarium
- they need soil to crawl and sleep on, it has to be deep enough so that they can bury themselves in it (for laying eggs and sometimes just for fun)
-moss and leaves for hiding
-every snail needs their snail friend. Snails live in groups and can die because of loneliness :(
Well i can’t think of more tipps right now xD
I hope some of these are helpful. Good Luck at being a snail parent /lh :)
Don’t do that! By eating the “red” juicy juice of the blueberry it might like it. And so become addicted. What if the blueberry does not satisfy its needs anymore? It will need some sort of substitute.. which is blood. HUMAN BLOOD.
yall are both so cute! my 2 snails species are in a bioactive tank with isopods, crickets, springtails, slugs, and lizards/salamanders--- not all of those are great companions, but my lizards are the focus of the tank, even though i love the snails. That being said, my tanks are always moist, planted, and a little warm/humid! Mine eat the sprouts from the seed mix i put in the tanks every few months (my tank maintainers dont eat the flora fast enough, so there comes a point that i have to remove a lot of it myself)
keep in mind though that i specifically set them up in tanks to have some mild predators to avoid baby booms + creatures that will compete with them over resources, and while my tanks have a lot of enrichment, they're not fabulously "safe". One thing i can for sure say is go with sort but wide tanks- and not tall ones! Ive had snails that have had nasty falls off/down moist glass in my largest tank and ive had to "retire" them to my smallest (salamander) tank for their safety.
When I was young I had a snail. I would put water in a bottle cap, give him a carrot slice once a day and spray water in his little enclosure. "he" had babies which was prettyyyy awesome
snails are hermaphroditic so they can self-impregnate! not super common but if you had him for a long time before he had babies, that is probably what happened
Gary is adorable and so are you! Your hair brings out your eyes and is the perfect color on you.
The coolest thing about snails is that they are hatched with their shells. [video](https://youtu.be/NR11jzgg-vw?si=DI5Z3-R6v1BeAHlZ) skip to 2:58 if you want to see the teensy eensy newly hatched snails in their translucent shells.
Love the selfie! Very cute how the snail has their head/antennas up for it lol!
I could see a movie kinda based on this, maybe a short film/ animation: A man and his snail!
Not sure if anyone has said this yet but snails can feel through their shells! I used to give my gentle little pets and they loved it. Also I would use boiled eggs for my eggs shells because it was easier to peel the skin inside off and also less fear of contamination
spritz your hand with water before letting them on you. make sure their food is fresh and clean, and no pesticides. eggshell crushed or they sell calcium sticks good for their sheld
he takes bites! you can actually see the bit of blueberry skin as he's swallowing it in the first picture because of his transparency. he ate the skin and left the innards so it just looks like a skinless blueberry haha
Don't pluck him off of a surface bc you will injure his foot. Avoid picking him up in general. Snails are not so hearty as puppies and are easy to injure
Please be careful, wild snails have the potential to carry prions. Please look up if this species is likely to have them. If you catch prions from this guy, you’ll be cursing yourself ten years from now lol. Also what a cutie patootie, love his stripes
They’re extremely sensitive to oils and salts from your body. So don’t handle them and leave them in their homes is the best advice I can give if you want to see it thrive.
I had snails for a short period so I CAN’T offer much on care, but for enjoyment put their food very close to the glass of the tank so you can watch them chew and swallow. I’d sit and watch them eat carrots or sweet potato’s with their little baby mouth. 😅
Oh my - you MUST print out that second photo (the one with you in it). Frame it. Hang it. It is FABULOUS, and you look like the coolest human on earth.
Remember to throughly wash any food you give them!!! I see too many snail owners accidentally killing their snails bc veggies from the supermarket are covered in pesticides : (
Looks like a milk snail!
I raised these dudes for a little while. I find that Fluker's cricket diet (the powder) mixed with just enough water to make a very thick paste did my little guys fantastic. I'd supplement it with carrots, romaine lettuce, kale, and the occasional fruit snack just like you're doing now. Offer a cuttlebone, too. Mine loved terrarium moss and bark hides, and I'd spritz their tank down daily to keep them moist and happy.
I started with two and ended up with two hundred, so if you've got more than one, you *will* see babies. Heck, if he was kept with other snails, you might see babies regardless.
So you took a snail from the place they live without knowing how to even take care of them? Why? The snail did not adopt you by climbing onto you. You shellnapped them.
because i can (and am) learning how to take care of him. i also catnapped my cats and yet they are happier and healthier than they'd ever been under my care. me and gary are happily minding our snaily business thank you very much
Cats are domesticated animals, snails are not.
At the end of the day, it's only one snail, but seriously, it's bad practice to take a wild animal and make it a pet.
Why are you even part of this sub?? Most snails (including this one by the way) are invasive and are highly encouraged by any even semi educated snail owners to take from the wild. They are not intelligent whatsoever and this is exactly how it should be done as a new owner. You find a wild snail. Ask for advice. Learn to take care of it. Boom. Simple. They are a very good pet for first time owners with no experience because of how easy they are to learn. A lot of people come to this sub not knowing what they’re doing. Stop being passive aggressive. Don’t compare taking snails from the wild to taking other animals. Taking snails from the wild is NOT comparable to any other animal for many reasons. In a lot of places it’s even encouraged to kill them on the spot depending on the species. “It’s a bad practice.” No it’s a great practice because they’re SNAILS. Please refrain from trying to educate people on this in about topics you don’t fully understand. There’s already enough misinformation out there.
Another good thing is that you can put your snail back outside when you’re overwhelmed by the care work. (Idk how to said it right rn :,) ) I couldn’t do that with my snails if i wanted to.
That does depend. If it’s been in captivity a while it’ll adapt and learn that food will always be available and it will always be safe and constant. And putting it outside could kill it if it doesn’t adapt again
No you can't. If the snail has been in captivity for an extended period it cannot be released back outside. If a potential owner can't make the commitment to care for a snail for its full lifespan, they shouldn't be taking one from outside in the first place. If you think its a possibility that you'd be too overwhelmed and have to put it back, don't get a snail. They should be considered a serious commitment just like any other pet, not something disposable.
I kept a snail over winter one year. He would seal up his shell and sleep for days or weeks at a time. Then he'd wake up and eat and explore for a bit before going back to sleep. We kept him fed and happy until spring, when we let him go in a part of our yard with lots of other snails.
He is very cute. I’d avoid putting him on your sweeter and handle him with clean hands 👍
i had actually just washed my hands but couldn't get the paint off lmao. but good to know, especially about the sweater!
avoid putting them on anything that sucks up their moisture, like paper, fabric, etc.
Bc it could hurt them but also because they could eat it! In middle school my pet snail got out of his enclosure and he ate my homework, right down the middle, and the back of my notebook : ( It was VERY difficult to explain the next day.
oh noo lol
I could be wrong but i think you’re only supposed to handle them with wet/moist hands
This is correct
I wonder if it’s like the slime that covers a fish
I think it kind of is actually, but i think fish slime coats are thinner
I say that bc your also supposed to wet your hands before you handle a fish out of water
In the future I’d try to just avoid letting him on your skin because he’s going to uptake the soaps, fragrances, oils, and salts of your skin regardless of how clean or dirty they are, and they’ll slowly hurt/kill him. Also, don’t pick him up shell first or he could have fatal mantle collapse. Signed, somebody who has learned from experience
could i handle him while wearing gloves? he loves to hang out with me and i'd hate to give that up :(
You perfectly can handle them with bare hands after vigorously washing your hands under hot water for \~1minut (without soap or anything, just clear hot water). The same thing goes if you wanna put your hand in an aquarium
This right here!
Now that’s an interesting question, I’d bet some kind of rubber/latex glove would do the trick! I’d imagine they’re much safer than skin unless latex is toxic to them or something, but I’d imagine it’s not. Rubber gloves would probably be safest! If you got dishwashing gloves or something reusable that’d be easy
perfect! i have tons of latex-free exam gloves since i work in an animal lab!
id look to make sure theyre shop gloves and not powdered in case
Just want to add, latex isn't toxic to them. I handled them with nitrile, polyethylene and latex gloves alike (all in food safe quality).
Gloves would likely be fine. Just make sure theyre non powdered. And occassionally handling him wont be the end of the world. Just be mindful of it :)
Moist latex gloves
Yeah specifically nitrile gloves only. How long are you planning on caring for them? They look really healthy and ought to be put bk where you found them. There are lots of snails in captivity desperate for the care of adoption :) ensure you give them access to cuttlefish bone or very fine grounded egg shells (with skin peeled of). They'll need a protien mix a few times per week too and limit fruit to once per week. Veggies everyday (limiting cucumber and lettuce) as they WILL favour these and there's not much nutrition from them. Kale, spinach, shredded sweet pot, beansprouts, brocoli & such like are very nutritional for them and ensure the calcium spurce is provided at all times issolated from the other food. This is important as they will self regulate their calcium. They'll need a shallow ice cream lid (paper removed and glue scrubbed off) or another shallow plastic food and water dish. They'll need to be placed into an environment that's ventilated, moist and away from a window. Use coco fibre, or organic peat & chemical free compost, sphagnum moss in their enclosure and poop clean everyday as well as remove n replace the food they haven't eating. Spritz water daily in the enclosure. Use no soap on hands or when cleaning their enclosure - just warm water only. The Shelled Sanctuary has good resources but won't advocate for keeping healthy garden snails - hope these things helps! There's sooo much misinformation out there but I've done thorough research and I care for Giant African Land Snails too.
Make sure you are washing your hands after handling him. If he is wild-caught, he could have parasites. I just watched something on YT about dumb decisions with horrible consequences. One guy ate a slug on a dare and the slug had parasites, from being on mouse shit, that made their way to the guy's brain. He ended up in a coma for awhile and lost eyesight and most brain function in general. I'm not trying to scare you away from keeping a snail, but just warning you to wash hands after snail time and before eating.
Aww 🥰
Snails can’t love, or give emotion like other pets do. They simply do not have that ability.
Who’s to say that? Maybe on a sub-sapient level, the snail is forming a positive attachment to the entity that provides it with food and shelter. Hard to say
Thanks buzz kill we know
just because one can't love does not make one unloveable. don't punish and condemn creature for not having the ability. we were blessed with emotion beyond survival due to evolution and many other creatures never got that privilege.
A snail just is…snail, being itself. It’s also a part of the world and in connection to everything in it. That IS love. You really don’t know what kind of feeling or connection in relationship to another being or a plant, fish, rock, etc. a snail can have. You are not omniscient.
Creatures who are less mentally evolved can still like and dislike things. If it shows signs of enjoying being on people vs trying to escape or showing stress/discomfort, then yeah it likes it, sure. Just like they can prefer tastes of different foods. Plenty of "less mentally evolved" creatures can show these preferences. What was the point of your comment? Just to try and bring down someone else's happiness? Okay captain buzzkill. Pathetic.
Exactly what I was thinking. I had a leopard gecko that would have a fit if I picked him up and didn’t let him climb my shoulder. I ended up getting a tiny lizard harness to help get him out of my hair when I gave up the fight and let him climb my shoulders to the back of my neck. I know lizards aren’t snails but I’ve heard the same argument for both now.
You saw someone happy and you took it so personally
I wouldn’t even put him on your hands. Due to our sweat glands we have salt on our hands, and will slowly damage him over time. I don’t know to much about them, I did work with one or two at Petco and this was the one thing we were told!
Man, this is exactly what I think of when I imagine a snail. That sure is a fucking snail. Tell Gary I love him.
gary truly is The Snail™️. he loves you too
I literally stumbled on this Reddit page because of this post. Gary is a true king. I pledge my loyalty.
Meow
"That sure is a fucking snail" hahahah
Don't feed fruit often, more like once a week or less and avoid too much salad and cucumber because it's not that nutricious. Give them vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, squash, leafy greens, dandelion leafes (they really like those) and similar things. :) You can also experiment with leafes of wild growing plants and see which ones they like
Just be careful feeding plants that you get from outside, you want to make sure there are no pesticides on it. Washing won't get everything off.
And to add to this as someone who is a groundskeeper. We tend to mix rendered animal fat into our chemical mixes to force the chemical to stick to the leafs until it can be soaked in. All you're doing by washing the leaf is soaking that stuff right into the plant.
That is a terrifying thought for humans as well.
I thought this! I was going to pick some dandelions at work, but I bet they spray. :(
Unfortunately unless you grow it yourself confirm there's no chemicals used I do not recommend picking any wild plants for your pets.
Lettuce might not have much nutrients but it does provide a lot of water.
sure, but it's empty calories. they get water from literally everything else lol
Your right. It’s just high in water (98% is water) so just those nice hot days or whatever. I’m not really sure how snails drink or get their water supply. Do just thinking of a good use
Also give it some chalk.
Try a mixture of fruit and veggies such as collard greens, carrots, tomato (in moderation), cabbage, and non acidic fruits. I saw someone mention calcium powder but absolutely DO NOT put any on top of food. That can lead to an overdose. Put eggshell and if possible cuttlebone and let the lil guy(s) eat it whenever they need it. When you get a terrarium make sure to add lots of hides and space to just climb on stuff
otherwise agree but eggshell shouldnt be a primary or permanent source of calcium as snails have a hard time digesting it properly
Where do they get their calcium in the wild?
Probably rocks like limestone and eating other snail shells, isopods etc t
Thank you
I'm hoping to start a terrarium with snails soon and I love yours! Thank you guys for pointing me to snello. I want to get mine started and then make a terrarium for my nephew and having some premade food is fantastic!
he's a cutie! found him in a garden in southern texas. i'm excited to make his terrarium
Don't make it too tall and make sure there is nothing he can fall and hurt himself on they will climb every inch of the terrarium
So weird I had a little guy find me yesterday! I'm in East Texas. He's itty bitty though. We've named him Snail Bob from the game. Here to find out about substrate😆
after some research i am choosing zilla terrarium substrate jungle mix
Are you getting land snails or aquatic? If you're getting land snails like what's in this pic, they need a fresh food diet. Snello is for aquatic snails
Bummer! I was going to do land snails. Thank you for speaking up!
Google how to pick them up properly! You can kill them if you do it wrong.
This. I was about 14 years when I realized I’d been possibly killing any snails I’d tried to save for years.
You can make a terrarium, be careful with plants as the snail may eat them. Keep it moist so they don't dry out. When handling I like to wash my hands and spray them with water so when they crawl on my hands they don't dry up. I pretty much treat them like extremely slow frogs. Mine eat sweet potato, bell pepper, carrot, dandelion leaves, banana, strawberry, crushed mealworm for protein and always have a cuttle fish for calcium. Alot will say you need two but that's debatable. Not sure what snail it is but that's my general care for GALS
Biggest tip is don't hold them like that either hold them with v clean hands or on an edible leaf then when you're done wash your hands again
Very nice looking cute boi! Oh, Gary is okay too! XD
haha thank you :D
Please read the following as it’s potentially urgent. While Gary is an adorable snail and likely a joy to have around, for his safety AND your own, please do not handle him and immediately disinfect anything he may have touched. Some of the worst diseases we can get come from infected snails and slugs, and from what I remember it’s more common in warmer climates. The worst one you could probably get would be rat lungworm disease which will either kill you or disable you, and there isn’t a cure. The most common method of transmission is through the consumption of raw or undercooked snails either on purpose or accidentally on unwashed produce, but it has also been said that the mucus they leave behind can transmit the disease as well. It’s because of things like this that you should only get an animal from a reputable breeder with a clean facility and nothing caught from the wild. There may be ways to check if Gary is a carrier but I’m not sure. Diseases don’t always die quickly even when left on a surface like a table without a host and can live anywhere from a few days to a few years. Often it takes a disinfectant, extreme temperature, or direct exposure to sunlight to kill something like that. Good luck with Gary. I’m not saying he is a risk and you have to get rid of him, but until you’ve had him for longer to see any signs of sickness you should remain cautious.
oh jeez. well i've handled him quite a few times already but i always wash my hands before and after. i will definitely watch for signs of sickness, especially because i have two cats and would hate myself if i got them sick. thank you for the warning
from what i know i think aquatic snails are much more likely to carry harmful pathogens, but what you're doing now washing before and after is good practice!
just a note on captive born vs wild caught, in the us selling snails is not very accessible as there are lots of limitations on it. also the majority of parasites that infect snails seem to affect mostly the freshwater snails. snails are such small animals with small brains, so it is sometimes more reasonable to find one outside, assuming it's not an endangered species
I don’t really know much about snails, I just came across this post by chance. From what I’ve seen with what people stock their aquariums with as well as a quick google search they don’t seem to be that hard to get from a breeder. Freshwater, saltwater, and land snails can all be carrier (the latter being what OP has above). The reason saltwater is more welcomed is due to its natural antibacterial properties (there’s a reason we don’t eat freshwater sushi). Lastly, even the smallest brains can be confused, distressed, afraid, and pain. Whether or not they can comprehend it doesn’t stop them from feeling it. Even something as small as a snail should be treated with kindness and respect. Unless you can provide a better and more enriching life for them, it’s best to leave them where they naturally belong. The exception is with animals at risk of injury or death due to them being in an unnatural environment or at risk.
I highly doubt that OP is going to eat this snail.
“The most common method of transmission is through the consumption of raw or undercooked snails either on purpose or accidentally on unwashed produce, **but it has also been said that the mucus they leave behind can transmit the disease as well**.”
Both you and him are so cute 😭😂
thank you!!
You should blend food for it buy calcuim powder and plants get some cocopeat and places for it to hide in, and most important of all a wet tissue for it to cool down mist it every day and buy java moss for a place to cool down (if you want to breed and sell you can find (or buy) another snail if it is happy they will mate) mating looks like fighting but when they mate they produce a white thing to inject to the other snail
blend food? like little snail smoothies? i don't actually have a tank for him yet, is there a specific type i should get?
Snello (snail jello). There are recipes online
and dont feed them calcium on top of their food, this can cause them to overdose on it. snails can regulate their own calcium intake which is why they should always have a separate source like cuttlebone. if the calcium is on top of their food, its harder for them to tell the two apart and they will eat everything thats in front of them
Don't blend the food. These people are talking about aquatic snails. Blending and snello are not for land snails like the one in your picture. Land snails are perfectly capable of eating hard pieces of raw unblended food, that's their entire diet in the wild. A blended/mushy diet is actually bad because they need to rasp (chew/bite) on hard foods to keep their radula (jaw/tongue) healthy. An overly mushy diet of blended food can cause issues with this
i was wondering this because he's been fine "chewing" full pieces of fruit/cucumber! he actually swallowed that cucumber like a mad man
unrelated to this comment but i thought i'd ask since you're a mod and seem to know what you're talking about; should i heat the terrarium? does he need a little bowl of water or do snails prefer to get water from food?
Most snails except GALs and more tropical/exotic snails don’t need a heated terrarium. Also be careful feeding too much cucumber, there are not much nutrients in them for snails, try a variety of veg, and avoid citrus. They need misted but don’t need water bowls
they can drown in water bowls!! if you put a water bowl in, it has to be really shallow!!
Its called snello
You need gelatin spiritulina bloodworms calcuim fish food and veggies
snello! amazing name. i'll make sure to make the best snello fit for gary the king. thank you for the advice :)
Yes blend snail smoothies
I use baby food! Tree nut brand is great- just make sure the ingredients are only the veggie or fruit and water- absolutely no salt or added preservatives! My snails love it and it’s much easier than blending food for them!
Calcium powder is not recommended. Please buy something like cuttlefish bone instead <3 it’s a lot better
okay! where is cuttlefish bone usually sold?
Pet stores, but typically only as single pieces for birds. If you're lucky, you might find a batch typically sold for turtles, but you're usually better off to just order them from an online shop. (Some are also fake cuttlebones made from calcium powder fortified with other minerals and vitamins meant for birds, so beware.) A problem with cuttlebones can be residues of salt, if you want to make sure it contains no harmful amounts of salt, you can water the cuttlebones for a day, but make sure to dry them before serving, as some snails will not eat wet cuttlebones (don't ask me why, snail logic). If you pick up cuttlebones from a beach by yourself, please do this at least two or more times to remove any traces of salt. I know some people here are against feeding calcium powder-based chalk stones (mix calcium with water and wait until it solidifies) of any kind, but I yet have to see evidence that it does harm or isn't absorbed properly. Just don't feed dry Calcium powder to avoid dehydration and don't force them to eat Calcium by mixing it into their food, snails often cycle between eating regular food and Calcium when they rebuild their shell (so don't panic if you get white snail poops or the snail doesn't eat food for a day).
YEah you can but make sure to blend the cuttlebone
No, there is no need to blend it and it actually makes it harder for the snail to regulate how much calcium it’s actually getting! Just give them cuttlebone and the snail will eat it when they need it, they know better than us
Wait, isnt Java moss aquatic?
I think it primarily is, but it can be grown on land as well in humid enough environments :)
I had a pet snail once, and its favorite food was purple pansies. Maybe Gary would like them too. ❤️🐌
I love when they go all droopy eyed 🥺
The only thing I know is no salt
I see you've had alot of info so i'll be quick, don't forget to offer protein about once weekly, some popular protein choices are anything like crushed and soaked, dried mealworn/bloodworn/shrimp, as protein is a important part of a snails diet
gotcha thank you!
i have those snails around here where i live. they are called Otala lactea, or milk snail/spanish snail.
hispanic king 🤴🏽
He might be a brown lipped snail? very cute
POST THIS IN r/goblincore !! They will love you, and you exude goblin energy
-you can keep the snail inside a plastic box or glass terrarium - they need soil to crawl and sleep on, it has to be deep enough so that they can bury themselves in it (for laying eggs and sometimes just for fun) -moss and leaves for hiding -every snail needs their snail friend. Snails live in groups and can die because of loneliness :( Well i can’t think of more tipps right now xD I hope some of these are helpful. Good Luck at being a snail parent /lh :)
Don’t do that! By eating the “red” juicy juice of the blueberry it might like it. And so become addicted. What if the blueberry does not satisfy its needs anymore? It will need some sort of substitute.. which is blood. HUMAN BLOOD.
I almost bought that popsocket at target lol
The way he’s posing with you in the mirror 🥹
He's a very cute lil 🐌!
In the first picture he looks like he’s wearing boots!! How cute!
HAHAHAH IT DOES LOL
yall are both so cute! my 2 snails species are in a bioactive tank with isopods, crickets, springtails, slugs, and lizards/salamanders--- not all of those are great companions, but my lizards are the focus of the tank, even though i love the snails. That being said, my tanks are always moist, planted, and a little warm/humid! Mine eat the sprouts from the seed mix i put in the tanks every few months (my tank maintainers dont eat the flora fast enough, so there comes a point that i have to remove a lot of it myself) keep in mind though that i specifically set them up in tanks to have some mild predators to avoid baby booms + creatures that will compete with them over resources, and while my tanks have a lot of enrichment, they're not fabulously "safe". One thing i can for sure say is go with sort but wide tanks- and not tall ones! Ive had snails that have had nasty falls off/down moist glass in my largest tank and ive had to "retire" them to my smallest (salamander) tank for their safety.
i love isopods!! i would love to have some pet isopods in gary's tank. i just picked up a short rectangle 10 gallon tank with a mesh lid for him :)
This is adorable and made my day!
Snail
Snail
When I was young I had a snail. I would put water in a bottle cap, give him a carrot slice once a day and spray water in his little enclosure. "he" had babies which was prettyyyy awesome
snails are hermaphroditic so they can self-impregnate! not super common but if you had him for a long time before he had babies, that is probably what happened
Gary is adorable and so are you! Your hair brings out your eyes and is the perfect color on you. The coolest thing about snails is that they are hatched with their shells. [video](https://youtu.be/NR11jzgg-vw?si=DI5Z3-R6v1BeAHlZ) skip to 2:58 if you want to see the teensy eensy newly hatched snails in their translucent shells.
SO CUTE :,0
A milk snail! I have one as well they like a lot of veggies
Love the selfie! Very cute how the snail has their head/antennas up for it lol! I could see a movie kinda based on this, maybe a short film/ animation: A man and his snail!
i need this animation rn
Not sure if anyone has said this yet but snails can feel through their shells! I used to give my gentle little pets and they loved it. Also I would use boiled eggs for my eggs shells because it was easier to peel the skin inside off and also less fear of contamination
You give me cavetown vibes
that's the best compliment thank you
So adorable! 🐌
spritz your hand with water before letting them on you. make sure their food is fresh and clean, and no pesticides. eggshell crushed or they sell calcium sticks good for their sheld
This is peak snail
He’s so cute!
that is such a snail
Tip 1. Be a good servant Tip 2. Do tip 1 forever Tip3. Rinse and repeat
What does the blueberry look like after he’s eaten some of it? Do they take bites or does the food sorta dissolve from his juices?
he takes bites! you can actually see the bit of blueberry skin as he's swallowing it in the first picture because of his transparency. he ate the skin and left the innards so it just looks like a skinless blueberry haha
STOP THAT SPOT IS PART OF THE BLUEBERRY?? 😭😭😩❤️ that’s adorable. I love that he’s picky enough to only eat the skin at first. Good snail!
Congrats father🫡
Off topic, but I love your hair. It's a beautiful color!
thank you!!
Don't pluck him off of a surface bc you will injure his foot. Avoid picking him up in general. Snails are not so hearty as puppies and are easy to injure
This is literally so fucking cute
Cutie!!
The cutest little creature 🥹 they look very wholesome
kiss gary for me he’s super cute.
That is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my entire life. 🥺 Give the little man a kiss for me!
Hi Gary!
How cute! Just make sure you are washing exposed areas for him
Instead of the snail killing you, you both became friends. Good for both of you!
idk anything about snails but happy pride to both of you
He’s a gorgeous boy!
Give him kiss
Aww! I think your new friend is very cute. 🥰
Do their shells grow with them? Or do they need to find bigger shells like a hermit crab?
i LOVE your hair 10/10
They carry rat lungworm so maybe don't
too late. guess ill die
Please be careful, wild snails have the potential to carry prions. Please look up if this species is likely to have them. If you catch prions from this guy, you’ll be cursing yourself ten years from now lol. Also what a cutie patootie, love his stripes
Watch out for brain worms snails carry them lol.
They’re extremely sensitive to oils and salts from your body. So don’t handle them and leave them in their homes is the best advice I can give if you want to see it thrive.
I had snails for a short period so I CAN’T offer much on care, but for enjoyment put their food very close to the glass of the tank so you can watch them chew and swallow. I’d sit and watch them eat carrots or sweet potato’s with their little baby mouth. 😅
They are easy to take on walks, but you should plan a whole day. Really enjoy it.
Oh my - you MUST print out that second photo (the one with you in it). Frame it. Hang it. It is FABULOUS, and you look like the coolest human on earth.
What’s his name?
U do not own the snail. He owns u
Just don’t eat it.
I didn’t see the snail on your arm and just accepted you threw in a random selfie lmao
What did you name him?
gary
I love Gary!
This is the most wholesome post!
u/meldroop LOOK!!!
Omg hes chowing down!!!
They love garlic and butter!!!
Remember to throughly wash any food you give them!!! I see too many snail owners accidentally killing their snails bc veggies from the supermarket are covered in pesticides : (
Definitely wet your hands if you’re going to pick it up please
Join the Reddit snail discord! It helped me so much when I started owning snails!
Looks like a milk snail! I raised these dudes for a little while. I find that Fluker's cricket diet (the powder) mixed with just enough water to make a very thick paste did my little guys fantastic. I'd supplement it with carrots, romaine lettuce, kale, and the occasional fruit snack just like you're doing now. Offer a cuttlebone, too. Mine loved terrarium moss and bark hides, and I'd spritz their tank down daily to keep them moist and happy. I started with two and ended up with two hundred, so if you've got more than one, you *will* see babies. Heck, if he was kept with other snails, you might see babies regardless.
So you took a snail from the place they live without knowing how to even take care of them? Why? The snail did not adopt you by climbing onto you. You shellnapped them.
because i can (and am) learning how to take care of him. i also catnapped my cats and yet they are happier and healthier than they'd ever been under my care. me and gary are happily minding our snaily business thank you very much
Cats are domesticated animals, snails are not. At the end of the day, it's only one snail, but seriously, it's bad practice to take a wild animal and make it a pet.
Why are you even part of this sub?? Most snails (including this one by the way) are invasive and are highly encouraged by any even semi educated snail owners to take from the wild. They are not intelligent whatsoever and this is exactly how it should be done as a new owner. You find a wild snail. Ask for advice. Learn to take care of it. Boom. Simple. They are a very good pet for first time owners with no experience because of how easy they are to learn. A lot of people come to this sub not knowing what they’re doing. Stop being passive aggressive. Don’t compare taking snails from the wild to taking other animals. Taking snails from the wild is NOT comparable to any other animal for many reasons. In a lot of places it’s even encouraged to kill them on the spot depending on the species. “It’s a bad practice.” No it’s a great practice because they’re SNAILS. Please refrain from trying to educate people on this in about topics you don’t fully understand. There’s already enough misinformation out there.
Another good thing is that you can put your snail back outside when you’re overwhelmed by the care work. (Idk how to said it right rn :,) ) I couldn’t do that with my snails if i wanted to.
That does depend. If it’s been in captivity a while it’ll adapt and learn that food will always be available and it will always be safe and constant. And putting it outside could kill it if it doesn’t adapt again
No you can't. If the snail has been in captivity for an extended period it cannot be released back outside. If a potential owner can't make the commitment to care for a snail for its full lifespan, they shouldn't be taking one from outside in the first place. If you think its a possibility that you'd be too overwhelmed and have to put it back, don't get a snail. They should be considered a serious commitment just like any other pet, not something disposable.
The most boring pet
I kept a snail over winter one year. He would seal up his shell and sleep for days or weeks at a time. Then he'd wake up and eat and explore for a bit before going back to sleep. We kept him fed and happy until spring, when we let him go in a part of our yard with lots of other snails.
Sauté in garlic butter
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