# Albino Achatina Reticulata Care



## MissMenagerie

Okay so I am going to be getting my first Giant African Land Snail soon  
I am going to buy myself a Albino Achatina Reticulata because they just look so adorable 

Can people who have cared for/are caring for snails give me tips/advice/ANYTHING 
I have researched on the internet but I want to make sure I know everything I can before getting my GALS. I used to care for one when I was 9 (It was a class pet) but that was a while ago :blush:

So yes, as I was saying, anything you feel I should know. Tank set up, food, general care, anything 

Thankyou very muchly x


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## MustLoveSnails

MissMenagerie said:


> Okay so I am going to be getting my first Giant African Land Snail soon
> I am going to buy myself a Albino Achatina Reticulata because they just look so adorable
> 
> Can people who have cared for/are caring for snails give me tips/advice/ANYTHING
> I have researched on the internet but I want to make sure I know everything I can before getting my GALS. I used to care for one when I was 9 (It was a class pet) but that was a while ago :blush:
> 
> So yes, as I was saying, anything you feel I should know. Tank set up, food, general care, anything
> 
> Thankyou very muchly x


 You want a decent sized tank, start out smaller/divided off if you get a baby, but the adults need plenty of room to move around and they do need enough when growing or it can stunt the growth or impact on the shell quality. Substrate, personally I prefer using coir as it is easier to store and i've had nothing but good with it, although some people use the sterilised chemical and pesticide free topsoil. Mixing limestone flour or powdered cuttlefish bone into the substrate is good as they absorb calcium through the foot. You need a decent thickness as they like to be able to burrow, particularly if they lay eggs. Branches, plants (organic non poisonous ones if real, although these will most likely be bulldozed and/or eaten), part buried plantpots on their sides, various hides, corkbark, lots of decor is good, and changing it around regularly will help encourage them to stay active and healthy. You do need to make sure they can't fall onto anything hard from a great height as their shells may chip, crack or smash, especially when young as the shells are very fragile. Covering hard serfuces in a thick layer of moss helps and they enjoy hiding in it. A shallow dish of water is optional, best with large snails only and they can drown so not to deep. 

Lightly mist the tank daily/every other day with warm water, and retics need slightly above room temp. Its best to play with how warm it is as individual snails have different preferences. Bathing can be beneficial, shallow warm water, every now and then. The older they get the more they enjoy it. It also helps keep the shells clean, but don't scrub them as this may fade or scratch the colour.

Calcium constantly available is vital, and please do not feed them just on lettuce or mostly on, they need a good varied diet to encourage healthy growth. I like to provide at least two calcium sources but just cuttlefish is fine.

This is a rough food and calcium list:
Food list:

Sweet potato
Courgette
Cucumber
Carrot
Apple
Pear
Honeydew melon
Mushroom
Bean sprouts
Cauliflower
Sweetcorn
Watercress
Dandelion leaves (make sure no pesticides or chemicals near and well washed)
Pumpkin
Peas
Sprouts
Kale
Green beans
Parsnip
Butternut squash
Papaya
Apricot
Peach
Plum
Broccoli
Swede
Turnip
Lettuce (not iceberg)
Common plantain
Mango
Sweet pepper

Use vegetables, root vegetables and leafy greens mostly, with fruit added as treats and supplements. Not all snails will eat all foods, they have likes and dislikes just like humans. 

Seeds:
Ground hemp seed (good for healthy shells)
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds (act as a dewormer)
*Ground and mushed together with lukewarm water into a paste, these three seeds are very popular with snails, especially with well soaked and mushed oats added in small amounts, and limestone flour.

Calcium sources:

Cuttlefish bone
Limestone flour
Limestone chips
Powdered oyster shell
Exo terra liquid calcium in baths/water sprayer

Limestone flour can be mixed into the substrate, mixed with water and set to make to make powdery blocks, or offered in a dish as powder/sprinkled over food. The chips are a natural extra source they can rasp on. Oyster shell powdered is good to add to seed mix.

With breeding, you usually need two but as they are hermaphrodites its not a case of you can get two males/females, and one mating will provide fertile eggs for a long, long time. Once they reach sexual maturity check the substrate at least once a week for eggs, freezing then crushing any unwanted ones after a day. Eggs vary in how soon they hatch but if you let them all even the ones that sell will soon overrun you, and rehoming can be a very time and money consuming process. 

Snails do interact with each other and seem to benefit from company so getting a pair would be what I would suggest, although they do fine alone it is far more interesting to watch them interact and they seem to just generally do better. Some species need to be kept just with their own kind but retics are fine with others, such as Achatina fulica. If you get more than one choose two of the same species or two species that need the same temp and humidity.

When you handle be careful with babies, their shells are extremely thin, and make sure you clean your hands thoroughly with plain warm water, as chemicals can effect them from soap and such. Also don't hold them to high up as they may fall and damage themselves.

I like to give ground pumpkin seed as a dewormer every six months or to new snails, and hemp seed mixed with limestone flour then made into a paste with warm water every now and then as this promotes strong shells. Hemp seed is very, very good for the shells. If snails get mites regular bathing and the use of hypoasis miles will treat that, as well as removing any of the tiny black flies or other small bugs. They are a predatory mite and do not harm the snail, simply preying on the snail mites and other pests on the snails and in the substrate.


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## MissMenagerie

Thankyou for that incredibly detailed answer 

I have calcium powder for my bearded dragon, would this be a suitable source of calcium sprinkled on food or should I just stick with the cuttlefish bone?


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## MustLoveSnails

MissMenagerie said:


> Thankyou for that incredibly detailed answer
> 
> I have calcium powder for my bearded dragon, would this be a suitable source of calcium sprinkled on food or should I just stick with the cuttlefish bone?


 No problem, I added a bit to the bottom I forgot. XD


Personally I have not used reptile calcium powders, it would depend on the ingredients, its best to always have cuttle (from shops not shore gathered as it may be salty/contaminated) in the tank, but the more kinds of calcium you offer the more variety the snails will get. I sprinkle limestone flour on mines food, but I would think reptile calcium dust would be ok. :hmm:


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## MissMenagerie

Thankyou, I may try the calcium powder as well as some other form of calcium & see how, if ever, it affects my snail


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## MustLoveSnails

MissMenagerie said:


> Thankyou, I may try the calcium powder as well as some other form of calcium & see how, if ever, it affects my snail


 If you have any questions you know where I am, and make sure you post pictures when you get the little guy. : victory:


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## MissMenagerie

MustLoveSnails said:


> If you have any questions you know where I am, and make sure you post pictures when you get the little guy. : victory:


I will do  Thankyou for being so friendly :2thumb:


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## MissMenagerie

Oh, I meant to ask & forgot lol, when do they reach sexual maturity age? And also how long on average do the eggs take to hatch?
I've decided that I will get two albinos & I hope to have babies in the future, I might even ship eggs to people who want them (if anyone asks) lol


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## MustLoveSnails

MissMenagerie said:


> Oh, I meant to ask & forgot lol, when do they reach sexual maturity age? And also how long on average do the eggs take to hatch?
> I've decided that I will get two albinos & I hope to have babies in the future, I might even ship eggs to people who want them (if anyone asks) lol


It varies from species to species, with retics usually by a year, you will see them mating or a small white dot that may change appearance just behind the head once they start too. Once they reach about 6 months start checking for eggs maybe twice a week, some are far faster developers than others. Egg hatching also varies, just keep them in a tub, same temp and humidity as the adults, shallow buried, and try not to disturb them to much as it may kill the embryo. Check the tub each day for surfacing babies, make sure you provide airholes, and within a few weeks you will have young. Baby snails shells are very very fragile and they need lots of calcium. 

Eggs don't usually post well, its better to hatch the babies and sell once they are a few weeks old and stronger for travelling. Also don't hatch to many at once or you may end up with loads you cannot rehome. You can freeze unwanted snail eggs overnight then crush, and I believe some turtle keepers use snail eggs as treats. : victory:


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## MissMenagerie

MustLoveSnails said:


> It varies from species to species, with retics usually by a year, you will see them mating or a small white dot that may change appearance just behind the head once they start too. Once they reach about 6 months start checking for eggs maybe twice a week, some are far faster developers than others. Egg hatching also varies, just keep them in a tub, same temp and humidity as the adults, shallow buried, and try not to disturb them to much as it may kill the embryo. Check the tub each day for surfacing babies, make sure you provide airholes, and within a few weeks you will have young. Baby snails shells are very very fragile and they need lots of calcium.
> 
> Eggs don't usually post well, its better to hatch the babies and sell once they are a few weeks old and stronger for travelling. Also don't hatch to many at once or you may end up with loads you cannot rehome. You can freeze snail eggs overnight then crush, and I believe some turtle keepers use snail eggs as treats. : victory:


Thanks  That's good news, I can give my turtles the eggs I don't want to hatch


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## MustLoveSnails

MissMenagerie said:


> Thanks  That's good news, I can give my turtles the eggs I don't want to hatch


 They should be fine, just maybe check with the shelled section as I am not turtle keeper and don't know what species take them. : victory:


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## MissMenagerie

MustLoveSnails said:


> They should be fine, just maybe check with the shelled section as I am not turtle keeper and don't know what species take them. : victory:


I will, thanks :]


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