Achatina reticulata: types and cultivation

Currently, many are interested in exotic pets. Therefore, snakes, all kinds of rodents and snails are a serious competitor to cats and dogs. Unusual pets include such a creature as Achatina reticulata - a snail that surprises not only with its size, but also with its devotion to its owners. It should be noted that this is a very interesting and clever creature. However, in order for her to always be active and healthy, she needs the right care.

In its natural environment, Achatina reticulata is most often found in southern Africa. The snail is considered a mollusk. The marine environment prefers dry land with a hot and humid climate. In addition, it can be found in Australia or Asia, where tropical or equatorial zones prevail.

Such a snail will feel great both in a natural environment and in artificially created conditions.

By its nature, Achatina reticulata is very affectionate and gentle. She expects the same from her owners. This mollusk grows very quickly: after 150 days it can grow up to 17 centimeters in length. Adults in some cases can grow up to 35 centimeters, while the shell - up to 25 centimeters.

A deaf snail is born. She breathes with her whole body, including the shell. Her body is beige or even brown in color, while the head is always slightly darker. At the very top of her head there are eyes with which she sees only what is at a distance of no more than 2 centimeters from them. The shell of the snail resembles in its structure a small corrugated house, which is painted brown. However, there are various blotches on it.

The puberty of Achatina occurs only after 11 months. She is able to pick up any aromas, because her sense of smell is quite well developed. She perceives the world around her with her whole body, and not just with her tentacles. But with the latter, she can easily determine both the shape of the object and its texture. In addition, with the help of the tentacles, the snail senses the illumination of the object. So, if the light is too bright, she will immediately hide in her house, and if the light is too dim, the snail will look for a warmer place.

There are curls on both sides of the shell that show the age of such a pet. If there are too many of them, then this indicates that the snail is old. Snails are considered silent pets, but still, in case of danger, they can squeak very loudly. In their natural environment, Achatina are dangerous pests, because they feed on greenery.

In the natural environment, there are up to one hundred species of such huge snails. However, only a few of them are suitable for home keeping. This list includes only 20 varieties. According to the standards, all subspecies have three main shades: it is beige or brown, white and black. In addition, they can only interbreed with representatives of their subspecies.

It differs from other molluscs in its inactivity. Most often, such a snail becomes active at night. But during the day she just sleeps in the most secluded place. Its shell has characteristic features: it can change its color depending on what the snail has eaten for breakfast or lunch.

The body of this mollusk is rather massive and covered with small tubercles. Color - dark brown. In length, a fulica snail can grow up to 21 centimeters.

An albino can be a reticulum, a tiger snail, or a fulica. Their body is light in color, and the shell is yellow. The length does not exceed 16 centimeters.

These individuals have a barrel-shaped shell, the color of which is very bright. In addition, you can see small dark stripes on it. Upon reaching adulthood, snails grow up to 24-25 centimeters. The tiger variety was listed in the Red Book.

An individual of this subspecies has a head painted black. In some cases, the entire body may be black. Young snails of this subspecies have thin stripes and small cherry-colored dots. Subsequently, they acquire a natural color.

Snails of this subspecies have a beige shell. In addition, it is covered with a patterned mesh in a dark shade. They weigh no more than 200 grams with a height of 16 centimeters.

In order for the snail to always be healthy and beautiful, it will need special living conditions. If they are not provided, then the mollusk may simply hibernate or even die. This will not require too large expenditures, because for the snail, the most important thing is communication with its owners, as well as the right choice of food.

First of all, it is necessary to equip her place of residence. A terrarium or a simple resealable container is suitable for this. One adult snail requires a capacity of up to 10 liters, its bottom must be at least 40 centimeters. Therefore, if you buy more than one snail, then the terrarium should be larger.

The lid should not fit too tightly against the container itself, as it requires oxygen. However, it is not worth opening it completely, because the snail can simply run away along the wall of the terrarium. Its bottom can be covered with a special substrate, which can be purchased at a special store. Most often it consists of sand, woody humus, and coconut drag.

For decoration, you can use various driftwood with an unusual shape, or moss, but not pebbles, because they can harm the snail by injuring it. Be sure to put a container with clean water in the terrarium. It should be quite stable, because snails not only drink water, but also bathe in it.

In addition, the terrarium must be humid. To do this, you need to spray its walls every day with a spray bottle. However, all this must be done very carefully so that there are no puddles at the very bottom, because the snail can simply drown in them.

If the pet crawls onto the walls of the container too often, this can only mean one thing - the soil is too wet. In the event that the snail crawls into the shell, the soil, on the contrary, is too dry.

The optimum temperature for evidence is 27-28 degrees. However, if it is slightly lower, then this creature will not feel bad.

Any plant food can be used as feed for Achatina reticulates: vegetables, fruits, as well as any herbs. In addition, you can give the snail leftovers of boiled meat or boiled eggs.

The richer the diet, the stronger its shell will become. For feeding, it is best to cut the food into small pieces so that the snail cannot choke on them. In the event that the pet does not want to eat any of the products, it can be replaced with another one or simply removed from the diet.

For good development, the snail needs to add calcium to its diet. To do this, you can use eggshells or give it a special mineral stone, which is bought by many animals.

If we talk about Achatina, then this is a rather clean snail. She almost always takes care of herself. But at the same time, all food residues must be removed from the terrarium so that they do not succumb to rotting.

Also, care includes cleaning the container in which the snail lives. This should be done once a month. The walls of the enclosure should be wiped with a damp sponge, but without adding any detergent or cleaning agent. In addition, a general cleaning must be carried out once a year. This includes a complete soil change as well as cleaning the tank with clean water.

Your pet also needs to be bathed under running water 3-4 times a month, and its shell can be wiped with a soft brush. While swimming, the snail can stick its head out of its shell and put it under the stream of water.

By their nature, Achatina reticulates are considered hermaphrodites. For reproduction, it is enough just to plant two snails of only one subspecies in one container. Specialists have recorded several cases of self-fertilization.

Those mollusks that are not yet 10 months old cannot become females. They usually perform male functions. Immediately after the fertilization process, the snail digs a hole in which it must lay at least 45 eggs. They all have a transparent shell. When the snail lays them, the owner must move the eggs to another container with a temperature within 28-29 degrees and a humidity of at least 50 percent. However, this is not entirely necessary and is only necessary so that the female does not trample or eat them.

Babies should appear in 21 days. At this time, they are quite mobile and also curious. They crawl everywhere, try everything in the terrarium.In addition, they try to make contact with their owners as often as possible. Babies sleep most often together, forming a small ball.

Adult snails, especially those that are quite large in size, lay eggs several times a year. As a rule, they reproduce from 5 to 9 times. But not so many cubs survive.

See below for details on caring for snails.