CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Common knowledge about raising snails

Common sense of raising snails

Before raising snails, you must first prepare a suitable living place for them, and also feed them reasonably according to their eating habits. During the breeding process, you must do a good job of managing temperature, humidity, hygiene , etc.

1. Feeding box

Snails can be kept in boxes made of glass, plastic or other materials. The best ones are transparent, so that it is easy to observe the snails in the box. The size of the box depends on the size of the snail. Generally speaking, it is best to choose a larger box to allow the snail to have a certain amount of space to move around. The box cannot be sealed, but must have a gap to allow air circulation inside the box.

2. Spread the breeding soil

After choosing a box for snails, you need to spread a layer of sterilized soil in the box. The soil can be some soil dug from the vegetable field and spread on the bottom of the box, with a height of about one-fourth of the box. Because snails like a humid environment, the soil must be kept moist and not too dry. Therefore, according to the dryness of the soil, spray the soil with water.

3. Feeding

Snails are omnivorous animals, and they like to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, melons, etc. In daily feeding, you can feed snails with a variety of vegetable leaves, some rotten fruits, wheat flour, white beans and other foods. You can feed snails in different ways, and you don't have to feed them a single food. But you should pay attention that snails are afraid of salt and salty foods, so you must not let snails eat salt.

4. Breeding environment

Snails are most afraid of direct sunlight and are sensitive to the environment. The most suitable temperature for snails is 16-30℃ (they grow fastest at 23-30℃), air humidity is 60-90%, soil humidity is about 40%, and pH is 5-7. They hibernate when the temperature is below 15℃ and above 33℃, and may be frozen to death or killed by heat when the temperature is below 5℃ or above 40℃. In cold weather such as winter, snails will hibernate.

5. Hygiene and cleaning

Snails like a clean environment, so you should pay attention to the cleanliness of the breeding box. Generally, you should clean it every 3 to 4 days to remove the food residues and snail feces in the box to provide the snail with a clean environment. In addition, you should also put some leaves, branches, etc. in the box for the snails to crawl and play on. But be sure to spray water on the box to keep it moist.

What should you pay attention to when raising snails?

1. Pay attention to the feeding method

Snails are nocturnal animals that live during the day. It is best to feed them in the evening, especially in summer, when the moisture in some vegetables, wild vegetables, fruit peels, and plant leaves evaporates easily. Feeding them in the evening can shorten the storage time and ensure the freshness of the feed. Feed them with concentrated feed such as rice bran and sweet potato powder, which can be put into the feeding trough or food tray together with water for them to eat.

2. Pay attention to feed matching

Green fodder and concentrated feed should be reasonably matched. Attention should be paid to the supplementation and supply of calcium, phosphorus and vitamins. Reference feed formula: 70% rice bran, 10% semolina, 10% wheat flour, 5% broad bean flour, 5% potato flour, add appropriate amount of calcium powder. Before feeding, spray clean water to lure snails to forage.

3. Pay attention to suitable temperature and humidity

Temperature and humidity are one of the keys to the success of artificially breeding snails. The temperature of breeding snails should be controlled at 25-30℃, and the optimal growth temperature is around 25℃. In winter and early spring, it is necessary to prevent sudden temperature drops to avoid the death of snails. During the breeding period, it is best to spray water once in the morning and evening every day. Do not spray water directly on the snail's body, let alone soak it in cold water. In order to maintain a certain humidity in the breeding environment, the relative humidity of the breeding box and soil cannot be lower than 30% or greater than 50%.

4. Pay attention to cleanliness and hygiene

Snails and earthworms can be mixed and raised. The fruits, plant stems and leaves left by snails should be removed in time. The remaining rice bran and bran flour can be left on the soil surface for earthworms to eat. This can avoid feed waste and prevent the remaining feed residue from rotting and moldy, which will pollute the environment and affect the growth of snails. For simple box breeding, snail feces and feed residues should generally be removed every 2 to 3 days. Then wash the box with clean water.

5. Pay attention to prevent pesticide poisoning

Green fodder such as vegetable leaves, melons and fruits should be cleaned before feeding. Green fodder that is contaminated or has pesticide residues must be soaked and washed before feeding to prevent the snails from being poisoned and dying or from having pesticide residues in their bodies that affect their edible value.

6. Pay attention to prevent escape and natural enemy attack

In open outdoor breeding, you must always pay attention to the escape of snails and the invasion of natural enemies. If electric fences are used to prevent escape, the power supply should be checked regularly and the escape prevention facilities should be repaired. Before breeding, the site and breeding utensils should be cleaned and disinfected to kill various mites, parasite eggs and pathogens.

7. Pay attention to seed preservation during winter

Wintering seed preservation is an important part of snail farming. In areas with large temperature differences between day and night, especially in late autumn, early winter or early spring when the climate is changeable, insulation and anti-freeze measures should be taken in time. If the place does not have the conditions for wintering, you can stop spraying water before wintering, make the breeding site dry, and let the snails hide in the soil to hibernate, but the indoor temperature must not be lower than 10℃. Snails in a dormant state can survive for at least half a year without dying, but before dormancy, you should increase the supply of nutrients and fatten them to facilitate a smooth wintering.

8. Keep good feeding records

During the breeding process, breeding records should be kept, and the snail's eating habits, food intake, growth, mating, egg-laying, hatching, indoor temperature and humidity, as well as soil temperature, humidity, pH value, etc. should be observed and recorded regularly, so as to summarize the breeding experience in time, check for existing problems, and improve the breeding management work at any time.