How to choose a terrarium for snails: tips

A few decades ago, the phrase "My pet - land snail" could cause a real stir. And today this phenomenon has ceased to be nonsense. Akhatins are the most popular among domestic snails. They give the owners a great pleasure from communication and aesthetic pleasure. Those who were lucky enough to get acquainted with these mollusks, certainly did not remain indifferent to them.

Of course, houses contain other breeds of snails. But most of them live in aquariums, often with fish. And the arrangement of the terrarium has a completely different specificity. About this and talk.

A terrarium for a snail of ahaatin is not just a pet's house. If properly arranged, taking into account both the needs of the animal, and the aesthetic side of the issue, it will become a wonderful decoration of the interior. Let's try to understand all the subtleties.

Scope

The very first thing to remember when choosing a terrarium for a snail is the norms of space per animal. Calculate in such a way that each individual would have at least 10 liters of volume. Otherwise your golden pupils will start to wither and suffer.

Material

The most popular materials from which terrariums are made are Plexiglass, Plexiglas, plastic, glass. Each of them has its own characteristics, but all of them are quite suitable for a lodge.

Surfaces made of plexiglas and plastic slowly cool and heat up. In such a terrarium, snails will not be subject to temperature changes. But glass has more transparency and less susceptible to mechanical damage. In addition, it is neutral to most reagents. For snails living in a glass house, it is more pleasant to observe, and more light penetrates through transparent walls. Consider material features. This will help you decide which snail terrarium to choose.

Priming

If you are building a terrarium for a snail-ahatin with your own hands, take care of the substrate. As a primer, it is strictly not recommended to use sand, shellfish, sawdust, pine needles and land brought from the street. Small particles of the substrate will adhere to the tender leg, trailing behind the cochlea, traumatizing its sensitive skin. And in the soil contains a huge number of living organisms that will harm your pet.

Use a coconut substrate or pure peat. Such soil is safe and ideal for the life of adult individuals and the breeding of their offspring.

Air and water

Always remember that akhatins are terrestrial beings. There is no need to water them every day with a hose. But too dry climate does not suit them. If you decide to provide the golden pupil maximum comfort, equip the terrarium for the snail with a humidity level sensor and a thermometer. Follow the indications of the devices, maintain the necessary indicators. Remember: the moisture level should fluctuate within 75-90%, and the optimum temperature for achatin is +25 ... +27 ^о С.

Take care of the influx of fresh air. To do this, cover the terrarium with a net stretched over the frame. Ideally, the grid should be fixed with the help of latches, otherwise curious snails will get out and find themselves some troubles.

Objects and plants

Not only the comfort of a pet is important. An interesting terrarium for the snail of ahaatin (photo presented in the article) is more like a tropical garden, and therefore is a wonderful decoration of your house.

Therefore, think carefully about how you will equip it. Just remember a few taboos:

• Ceramic cups;
• Locks and driftwood from clay;
• Stones;
• Pots for plants;
• Any decor of solid material;
• Metal objects.

All of the above put in the terrarium in any case impossible! Snails will certainly figure out how to wrap all this beauty not for good. At best, they will get hurt and get scars. In the worst - they will break the shells, which will lead to death.

The thing is that the ahatines are very active, mobile and curious. They like to crawl on walls and sometimes break. A fall on the stone, even from a small height, will inevitably result in injury. But soft surfaces for them are safe.

Unlike rodents and fish, snails do not need any shelter at all, because each of them has its own house, curled on the back. Therefore, cluttering the terrarium simply does not make sense.

What then is it to decorate? The answer is simple: plant the plants. Succulents (for example, money tree) will live happily ever after, while such "plantings" look very beautiful. Yes, and break his snail is not easy due to a strong stalk and thick leaves. It's a good idea to plant a leaf salad or sprouted wheat in the ground. Of course, sooner or later all this will be eaten. But some time will still please the eye with the color of ripe greens.

Admire how beautiful the plant-inhabited terrarium is for snails! The photos give an idea of the aesthetic side of the question, but it looks even more impressive in the live. And for the health of kids, plants are useful.

Feeders, drinking bowls, pools

Akhatiny - cleanliness, but by carelessness can arrange a terrible mess. Therefore, everything that you install in the terrarium for a snail, must be securely fixed. For food, a small bowl is densely dug in the ground. And in huge reservoirs for water, like, for example, a turtle, this animal does not need. For the terrarium with the family of snails there will be enough small capacity from which they can drink and where the "horns" will be wetted.

Bathing, by the way, delivers great pleasure to the Achatins. Take the pet in your hand and put it under a stream of warm water (about 30 degrees). He will become animated, he will begin to stir actively and place the head under the jet. But he does not need to trust such a thing himself, so he does not need any pools in the terrarium.

Place in the interior

It is important not only to equip the space inside the terrarium, but also organically fit it into your interior. Usually for snail homes choose a corner of the room near the window. Organize everything so that the shells do not get direct sunlight, but the light was enough.

Excellent looking terrariums, installed on shelves or cabinets with shelves. On these shelves you can put curly houseplants.

Do it yourself

Sometimes there is no possibility or sense to acquire an expensive terrarium. For example, if the owners of snails live in a rented apartment or a student hostel. In such cases, you can make a terrarium for snails with your own hands made of plastic. This will significantly save the budget.

We will need a purchased container of the right size. It's great if he also has a lid. It remains to simply drill the holes in the lid and add the primer.

It is also possible to make a terrarium from an aquarium that has failed. It will not be filled with water, so the tightness does not play a special role. The most suitable aquarium has a rectangular shape, a relatively spacious bottom and a small height.

Other breeds of snails and lodges for them

In our country are very common meadows and grape snails. Some children, and adults, too, it is difficult to pass these striped or amber-golden handsome. Often they are brought home and try to keep in captivity. It is worth saying that they can live in a large bank, but their age is not long even in their natural habitat.

If you decide to settle in a small local snail, equip her nest in a transparent pitcher or a 3-liter jar. Strew the bottom with moss or peat, add a few branches and a vine, plant the plant in the ground. Such a small terrarium will brighten up the interior and bring a lot of joy from the contemplation of the pet.