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Viv Wray · 05-12-2021, 04:14 AM

Hi, I suppose you might call me a little bit weird too or just plain animal mad but I just adopted 6 juvenile ALSs from a friend who had missed removing some eggs!

I had to wait for a few days for the heat mat I'd ordered online during which time they were quite slow and only came to life when having a warm spray or shower (my hand being the rain cloud). The mat arrived yesterday and they are more active since I put it into their tank. To be honest they are very easy to keep and I have spent much more time than I expected I would simply watching them and trying to improve their surroundings.

My 7 month old ham, Mister Merlin, doesn't appear at all interested but as he is a free roamer I was concerned about contamination and I discovered they can carry some nasty bugs and more but just like when we wash our hands and surfaces thoroughly after handling raw chicken it is very important to always do the same before and after handling the snails and their water dishes, waste food, etc. - not a problem right.

Only thing I can add is that I used coir substrate and it's clean, cheap and very satisfying to break up with water. The substrate doesn't need to be deep, they don't dig (do they?). Mine is 1.5" depth only at it's shallowest but the coir is also great for forming hills and other features. It's easy to get lost in their world. I was stroking the tummy (foot?) through temporary plastic sheet cover and the little snail was eye-balling me in the cutest way! Not as cute as MM hammy though!!

Anyway, bye for now from us all (Ham, snails and me) and good luck! Enjoy!

05-12-2021, 04:14 AM
Viv Wray Newborn Pup Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Leeds, England Posts: 9	Re: does anybody have an african land snail? Hi, I suppose you might call me a little bit weird too or just plain animal mad but I just adopted 6 juvenile ALSs from a friend who had missed removing some eggs! I had to wait for a few days for the heat mat I'd ordered online during which time they were quite slow and only came to life when having a warm spray or shower (my hand being the rain cloud). The mat arrived yesterday and they are more active since I put it into their tank. To be honest they are very easy to keep and I have spent much more time than I expected I would simply watching them and trying to improve their surroundings. My 7 month old ham, Mister Merlin, doesn't appear at all interested but as he is a free roamer I was concerned about contamination and I discovered they can carry some nasty bugs and more but just like when we wash our hands and surfaces thoroughly after handling raw chicken it is very important to always do the same before and after handling the snails and their water dishes, waste food, etc. - not a problem right. Only thing I can add is that I used coir substrate and it's clean, cheap and very satisfying to break up with water. The substrate doesn't need to be deep, they don't dig (do they?). Mine is 1.5" depth only at it's shallowest but the coir is also great for forming hills and other features. It's easy to get lost in their world. I was stroking the tummy (foot?) through temporary plastic sheet cover and the little snail was eye-balling me in the cutest way! Not as cute as MM hammy though!! Anyway, bye for now from us all (Ham, snails and me) and good luck! Enjoy!