CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Are snails poisonous? Can we keep them?

1. Are snails poisonous? Can they be kept as pets?

Most snails are poisonous. They can be kept but not eaten. Snails are invertebrates, belonging to the phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, subclass Pulmonaria, family Helicidae. They like to live in dark, humid, loose and humus-rich environments. They hide during the day and come out at night. They are most afraid of direct sunlight and are sensitive to the environment. Snails are the most common molluscs on land and have high edible and medicinal value.

Additional information

Snail appearance: The entire body of a snail includes eyes, mouth, feet, shell, tentacles, etc. It has a spiral shell on its back. Its shape, color and size vary. Its shells are pagoda-shaped, gyro-shaped, cone-shaped, spherical, pipe-shaped, etc. The white jade snail, the big snail with a cover, the big snail with a scattered cover, the big snail with a bright light, the brown cloud agate snail, etc., which are now cultivated in China, all have their own unique appearance. The eyes of a snail are on the last pair of tentacles on its head.

Main species: There are many types of snails, about 25,000 species, which are found all over the world, and there are thousands of species in my country alone. There are about 11 species with edible value in my country, such as brown cloud agate snail, tall ring mouth snail, Hainan snail, wrinkled scar snail, Jiangxi snail, Ma snail, white jade snail, etc.

Breeding method: Snails are omnivorous animals. Young snails are mostly saprophagous, mainly eating decaying plants; adult snails generally eat green plants, roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. of various plants, especially young shoots and succulent plants, and also eat various waste paper, pig manure, plant residues, etc. When hungry, they will also cannibalize each other.

2. Can I keep the snails I picked up on the roadside?

Yes. The snails you pick up can be kept in a transparent, sealed, breathable glass container. In addition, you can spread a layer of soil on the bottom and keep it moist. You can usually feed them with some clean vegetable leaves or fruits.

Can I keep the snails I picked up on the roadside?

Snails like to live in moist and cool places, with a temperature between 16 and 30 degrees.

When feeding, please be careful that foods containing salt cannot be used to feed snails, because snails will quickly become dehydrated when exposed to salt, which will lead to death.

Snails mainly use their tentacles to sense external objects and dangers. Once they encounter danger, they will immediately retract into their shells to protect themselves.

3. How to raise snails?

First of all, it is best to use wooden boxes to raise snails because they have good moisture retention. Snails cannot dry out. If they dry out, they will shrink into their shells and not come out. But I see that my brothers use fancy cages or glass or plastic tanks to raise snails, which is not good. Cages cannot store water and are very easy to dry out, unless you have the energy and time to spray water. Glass tanks can store water, but too much water cannot be dissipated, which easily breeds bacteria and odors. If you have to use a glass tank for beauty and viewing convenience, you have to design it well.

I'm only talking about wooden boxes here. The wooden box is filled with a mixture of loess and fine sand, with a mixing ratio of about 3 soil to 1 sand. The humidity should be moderate, so that a handful of sand will form a ball when you squeeze it in your hand, and it will not fall apart when you let go, but it will fall apart when you touch it. Don't make it too thin when mixing. Mix the sand and soil well, spray some water on a layer of sand, then spray water on another layer of sand, and repeat this cycle.

The thickness of the sandy soil should be at least 5 cm, but if it is for reproduction, it should be at least 8-10 cm, because snails need to drill holes into the soil to reproduce. It seems that snails always reproduce when the weather is hot. When you see a snail burrowing into the soil after mating - even if you can't see the snail, you can see that it has drilled a hole - it means that it is about to reproduce. Be sure to make sure that it has finished breeding and come out. At this time, you can gently dig the hole, take out the eggs, and place them in a tile flower pot, with 5 cm of soil under the eggs and 1-2 cm of soil covering the eggs. The type and humidity of the sandy soil should be the same as the soil in the box. Pay attention to maintaining humidity. I didn't pay attention to the temperature. Anyway, in the summer, small white and transparent snails will come out after 2 weeks.

Here I want to talk about the issue of snail food. I see some guys only feed vegetables and fruits, which is not nutritionally complete. Snail feed should be a mixture of cornmeal, bran, calcium powder, and glucose. Spread this mixture on a piece of glass, spray it with water, and you can see the snails eating it. In this way, supplemented with vegetables and fruits, your snails will grow big and bright.

How to raise snails

1. Temperature is an important factor affecting its growth and activities. It has the characteristics of preferring warmth to cold and heat, which is determined by genetic factors. Because snails are cold-blooded animals, that is, cold-blooded animals, their body temperature changes with the change of environmental temperature, so temperature is particularly important for the growth and reproduction of snails. The most basic temperature requirement for the growth and activities of snails is 15-39 degrees. The best temperature is 25-35 degrees. When the temperature drops to 8 degrees, they gradually enter a dormant state. There is a risk of freezing to death below 0 degrees. When the temperature rises to 40 degrees, it will cause summer hibernation.

2. The living habits of snails depend on suitable temperature and humidity. This is because the daily activities of snails are all based on the secretion of mucus with high water content to keep the body moist. On the other hand, snails rely on the mantle to breathe air and cannot live completely immersed in water. Therefore, snails have formed the habit of loving tides and hating immersion.

3. Strong light stimulation is not good for the growth of snails. Snails are mainly active at night and are afraid of direct sunlight during the day. They like to live in dark and humid environments. Snails have poor and abnormal vision. They can only see objects within 6 cm in strong light, but can see farther in weak light, and can see objects within 20 cm.

4. Generally speaking, snails are afraid of direct sunlight, and the temperature difference is small at night, the air humidity is high, and the light is dim, which is not conducive to the loss of water in the snail's body, so they usually move and feed at night. The activity pattern is to start around 6 pm, reach a peak between 8 and 12 pm, and gradually weaken after 12 pm until it basically stops completely around 8 am the next day and starts to rest.

5. Snails need to burrow into the soil during their growth and development. The first purpose is to absorb nutrients such as humus, organic matter, and calcium from the soil; the second is to regulate humidity; the third is to resist enemies; and the fourth is to lay eggs.

6. Hibernation is a habit of snails to resist adversity, protect themselves, and thus maintain life. When snails encounter adverse conditions such as high temperature, low temperature, lack of food, and lack of water, they will automatically secrete mucus to form a membrane to seal the shell opening until the adversity is lifted, then they will gradually wake up, break the membrane, and continue to move. The snail's hibernation period can be as long as 6 months, which means that a snail can hibernate for 6 months without eating or moving and will not die.

7. Snails are omnivorous animals. They mainly feed on the roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits of green plants, such as lettuce leaves, cabbage leaves, pumpkin leaves, loofah leaves, endive leaves, sweet potatoes, carrots, and various fruits. However, they do not like to eat irritating plants, such as leeks, garlic, onions, peppers, and salty foods. In addition, they also eat some sand and soil, because the soil contains humus. Young snails mostly eat humus and fully decomposed plant fallen leaves.

1. Open-air farming method

You can use farmland, plow the soil to make it fine, plant broad-leaved trees around to provide shade, and use nets to prevent snails from escaping. You can also use the roof of a flat house, pad it with more than 10 cm of loose soil, plant a few grapes around, build a frame to provide shade, and use nets to block the surroundings. The advantage of this breeding method is that the air is fresh, the humidity is good, the snails grow fast, and the disease is less likely to occur. Pay attention to timely watering during droughts to keep the soil moist. Drain water in time when there is a lot of rain. Pay attention to the harm of natural enemies and wild animals, especially those who keep dogs and cats at home.

2. Indoor farming method

There are two types of flat farming and three-dimensional farming. For flat farming, bricks are used to build a 2-3 square meter square indoors, about 25 cm high, and covered with loose soil of more than 10 cm. For three-dimensional farming, wooden boxes and shelves should be prepared first. More than 10 cm of loose soil is placed in the box, and layers are placed on the shelf. The box is about 25 cm high, and the length depends on the needs. Note: Open the doors and windows for ventilation every day. Pay attention to adjusting the temperature and soil humidity, and keep the soil clean and indoor hygiene. Both the box and the pool should be covered with a breathable net to prevent the snails from escaping.

3. Plastic greenhouse farming method

Choose an open space of 30 meters long and 6 meters wide, and plow it once. Build a 30-centimeter-high wall around it, and build a bow-shaped greenhouse on it with doors at the front and back. After the plowed soil in the greenhouse is leveled and fine, it can be raised. The advantage of this breeding method is that it is easy to adjust the temperature and prevent natural enemies. However, it should be noted that in the hot season, shading equipment should be added to keep the soil moist and air convection, so as to discharge carbon dioxide in time.