# African land snails



## Africandragoncorn (Sep 16, 2012)

Hi guys I got given an African land snail as a present last Christmas and by all accounts he is still going strong and appears happy and healthy except for the fact he doesn't really seem to be growing very well at all. Does anyone have any ideas as to why or how this can be corrected?


----------



## ChelsNLuke (Jun 23, 2012)

Africandragoncorn said:


> Hi guys I got given an African land snail as a present last Christmas and by all accounts he is still going strong and appears happy and healthy except for the fact he doesn't really seem to be growing very well at all. Does anyone have any ideas as to why or how this can be corrected?


Maybe it's just a normal snail?


----------



## Africandragoncorn (Sep 16, 2012)

Haha a possibility but well she looks like a giant African correct colours/patterns lol also my old housemate got one too from same person and so I assume the same batch but his is growing beautifully lol


----------



## ChelsNLuke (Jun 23, 2012)

Africandragoncorn said:


> Haha a possibility but well she looks like a giant African correct colours/patterns lol also my old housemate got one too from same person and so I assume the same batch but his is growing beautifully lol


Ahh god knows mate, I know nothing about GALS, maybe it's just a physically challenged snail and you should not mock it and give it all the support it needs 

-Luke


----------



## lungz (Dec 30, 2009)

I can only think of a lack of calcium or food in general. 

How big is your gal at the mo / was he / she when got it. Do you add cuttlefish or calcium in general to the habitat / food? 

I'm no expert but have had gals for at least 5 years and never seen this myself.


----------



## lungz (Dec 30, 2009)

Ooh, perhaps your gal has been mis identified and remains small by its nature? A pic might help the experts confirm your species.


----------



## Africandragoncorn (Sep 16, 2012)

She has a cuttlefish and the tank is about a 5 gal I would say as an estimate it's definatly plenty big enough for her, I feed her mostly lettuce with occasional bits of tomato and cucumber. She even has a very shallow water bowl which is apparently optional and am using peat soil which a believe is a fairly standard soil substrate and she quite happily burrows into it, I wouldn't say she hasn't grow at all but well I've had since Xmas and she is only really the size of a fairly large garden snail


----------



## lungz (Dec 30, 2009)

Everything sounds ok there from my experience. I wouldn't expect tank size to make a difference in growth and the food is pretty much what I feed. Mind you, I never took notice of the speed of growth. 

All I have left to offer here then is temps. Do you have a heat mat or heat source? Cooler than normal (their normal not ours) temps can often slow down invert development. 

They do have a decent life span though so perhaps a growth spurt is due anytime and you just got him / her straight after the last growth. I wouldn't worry too much if behaviour and feeding seems normal mind.


----------



## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

Have you got any pictures of the snail so we can confirm species, preferably with a 50p or such for size comparison? Since the species is unknown it will probably be Achatina fulica, nine times out of ten unidentified GALS are.

It may just be a runt, often some seem genetically predisposed to be smaller as no other cause becomes apparent, the same as with many other animals. That said lack of space, illness, wrong temperature or humidity, lack of calcium and improper nutrition can all cause very slow or poor growth. Have you seen any new growth (thin, fragile, usually yellow to start with) on the opening in the time you have had it? Generally young snails will grow steadily and the more common species of GALS, Achatina fulica, reaches adult size (average of 12cm shell length) within the first year and a half. 

Ideally they need a more varied diet than mostly lettuce with the two other foods stated, lettuce is not the most nutritional food and they need a good variety to thrive best. 

Is the tank one of the plastic "pet pal" styles with the coloured ventilated lid and have you provided any hides or branches etc? If you can provide plenty of space and surfaces to explore it will encourage the snail to be more active and give them a more natural and stimulating environment. They also prefer to hide away in the wild while resting, either by burrowing or finding an ideal place to sleep, either manmade or natural, that protects them from excess heat and predators so will usually take advantage of any opportunities offered to feel more secure. Avoid anything that is particularly hard or cover it in a thick layer of moss or such, snails often let go of the tank lid or fall and falling from heights or landing on hard objects can cause shell breaks.

Tank size can and often will impact on how well snails grow, especially when overcrowded, i've dealt with a lot that have suffered stunted or deformed shell growth due to this. In this case however although not being exactly huge it should not account for the complete cessation of growth, especially with such a small snail.

What temperature is the tank and how humid? They do need some extra heat to be at their most active, especially in colder weather. The temperature and humidity requirements vary with each species.


----------



## Africandragoncorn (Sep 16, 2012)

Hi guys well lots of questions to answer there the heat thing is a possibility, she doesnt have her own heat mat but is kept in the same room as my other reps so it is a warm room however a heat mat may be worth a purchase. She doesnt have an actual hide but I make sure she has enough soil to burrow. Unfortunately I don't have a computer and it does not seem possible to upload pics on here from an iPad. However thank you all for your help the only thing that appears as so it may be missing is a heat mat so I shall try his and see what happens. Oh and before I forget yes she shown new growth on her shell although not for a couple of months


----------



## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

Africandragoncorn said:


> Hi guys well lots of questions to answer there the heat thing is a possibility, she doesnt have her own heat mat but is kept in the same room as my other reps so it is a warm room however a heat mat may be worth a purchase. She doesnt have an actual hide but I make sure she has enough soil to burrow. Unfortunately I don't have a computer and it does not seem possible to upload pics on here from an iPad. However thank you all for your help the only thing that appears as so it may be missing is a heat mat so I shall try his and see what happens. Oh and before I forget yes she shown new growth on her shell although not for a couple of months



It'd be worth measuring the temperature before investing in a mat, if it is warm enough due to the ambient room temperature there would be no need, although obviously when the weather cools it would need monitoring in case it drops too much. Working on the assumption it is a fulica a minimum of 18c is best although a little extra will often show increased activity etc so may help encourage growth. If you can get a plastic plantpot that is big enough for her to fit in with a little space and put it in on its side it'd be a good cheap and easily available hide. : victory:

I'm not familiar with ipads but I believe you can access sites like tinypic to upload the picture then paste across the







code? Sorry if i'm wrong, apple products are definitely not my forte. :lol:


The fact there has been new growth during the time you have had her is good. Adding in a few new foods to the diet like sweet potato, courgette, butternut squash or even simple stuff like carrot, apple and perhaps pesticide free dandelion leaf may help to encourage growth to start again. An extra calcium source available to her as an option like a dish of limestone flour may also prove beneficial, many snails prove to favour it over cuttlefish and I have had good results using it with rescues that had shell issues.


----------



## Africandragoncorn (Sep 16, 2012)

Yet further useful info so, thermometer, heat mat and a more variable diet are on the shopping list then. Thank you again for all the information it is far too late for me to faff around sorting the pics out atm but I may attempt it tomorrow if I get an opportunity before work


----------



## Africandragoncorn (Sep 16, 2012)

Hey guys so good news Phyllis (the snail) has been burried deep in the soil for the past 3 days she came out again this morning looking a bit bigger I'm not sure what's changed to cause it but I'm happy none the less just hope it continues


----------



## Africandragoncorn (Sep 16, 2012)

I know it's a bit outdated now however I've finally fiqured out my phot issues


----------

