How to raise colorful snails to keep them alive
Let me share with you how to raise colorful snails to keep them alive and the correct methods for raising snails. Next, the editor will provide you with detailed answers.
Snails are common terrestrial mollusks, and their market demand is increasing due to their high medicinal and edible value, which has attracted many breeders to specialize in snail farming. Below, I will introduce the breeding techniques for snails, let's take a look.
Site Selection
For indoor breeding, choose a room that is conducive to insulation and moisture retention, with the size of the space depending on the scale of breeding.
Walls with ventilation facilities should be covered with plastic foam board to help with insulation. Moisture retention facilities can include wooden boxes or foam boxes, using concrete slabs in layers for breeding, with a height not exceeding 30 centimeters. The specific setup method depends on the scale of breeding, and the breeding soil should be fertile garden soil or fermented soil, which can retain moisture without becoming compacted.
Species Selection
White jade snails are large in size and grow quickly, but the temperature must be kept above 20°C during winter.
Bright snails and scattered large snails are cold-tolerant and do not require heating in winter, they can naturally overwinter indoors; however, they will aestivate during hot summer temperatures.
Suitable breeding sizes: white jade snails 30 to 50 grams, bright snails 15 to 30 grams, scattered large snails 8 to 18 grams. Beginners should adjust according to local climate conditions, not盲目ly introduce breeds, and understand the specifications required for each breed before considering large-scale breeding. Feed Preparation
Snails are omnivorous animals with a wide range of feed sources.
Common Feed
Green feed, also known as basic feed, contains a lot of chlorophyll, various proteins, minerals, and vitamins, it is fresh and tender, and easy to digest. It includes various vegetables, certain leaves, and aquatic plants. Snails love to eat lettuce leaves, dandelions, and various melon and bean leaves. Juicy feeds include pumpkin, watermelon rind, gourd, sweet potato, cucumber, etc. Grain feed
Includes grains and their processed by-products. Grain feed is rich in starch, phosphorus, sulfur, and vitamin E, it has a pleasant aroma and good adaptability, such as wheat, rice bran, corn meal, beans, millet, etc.
Animal characteristic feed: high in protein, rich in calcium, phosphorus, B vitamins, and essential amino acids are relatively complete, such as fish meal, bone meal, silkworm chrysalis powder, earthworm powder, eggshell powder, shell powder, etc.
Feed Combination
Green feed 80% to 90%, concentrated feed 10% to 20%, the specific proportion should be adjusted according to the different growth stages of snails, and the same formula should not be used for a long time, otherwise, it may lead to僵 snails and reduced yield.
Feeding Management
Prepared feed, concentrated feed, and protein feed must be ground, fruits, and tubers should be sliced or shredded.
Mix the concentrated feed with water to make a paste and stick it on the green feed for feeding. Feeding should be timed, usually between 5 to 6 p.m., once a day or every other day.
Temperature Control
Suitable temperature is a prerequisite for the normal growth of snails, the temperature should be controlled between 20°C to 30°C, with the best temperature around 25°C.
When the temperature drops to 15°C, heating should be carried out, and the upper limit temperature should not exceed 35°C. In hot summers, the breeding room should be ventilated frequently, and the indoor temperature should be reduced by increasing the number of sprays. Bright snails and scattered large snails are best kept in air raid shelters during the summer.
Humidity Control
The level of humidity directly affects the growth and reproduction of snails.
The soil should be mixed with organic garden soil and fermented soil, as this type of soil easily retains its original moisture. In winter, attention should be paid to the sealing of the box to prevent the moisture in the soil from escaping. When feeding, the amount of water to be sprayed should be determined based on the actual situation, keeping the soil moist without积水.
Management of Breeding Snails
For strong breeding snails, pay attention to the ratio of green feed to concentrated feed, and increase feed with high protein content, such as fish meal and silkworm chrysalis powder accounting for 20% of the total, and bone meal, old lime, and concentrated feed accounting for 20%. However, the proportions should be adjusted based on the snail's feeding habits.
The environment should be clean, the soil should be loose, and the breeding soil should be changed in time. Soil with an unpleasant odor can affect the breeding effect and hatching rate.
Breeding snails are weak after laying, during the laying period, it is important to feed antibiotics, generally twice a week, at a ratio of 0.7% to 1%, to help the breeding snails recover after laying and prevent diseases. Hatching is done using the natural hatching method, placing the eggs in a hatching box.
The ecological environment inside the hatching box is basically the same as the original environment, covered with a layer of moist fine soil, taking care not to break the egg blocks to prevent the premature drying or damage of the mucous membrane on the surface of the eggs.
The hatching box should maintain suitable temperature and humidity conditions. After a week of hatching, the snails will naturally emerge from the shell. The method to maintain humidity is to spray water, with the amount of water depending on the humidity conditions.
Management of Young Snails
After young snails emerge from the shell, they initially depend on the nutrients in the eggs for survival and do not need to be fed during this period. After 3 days, a small amount of tender leaves or flowers can be fed.
The normal feeding time should not be too early, starting with feeding once every 2 days, with the feeding amount based on the amount eaten.
Young snails have a weak resistance to external environmental conditions and special attention should be paid to temperature and humidity control. The temperature in the shed should be controlled between 25°C to 30°C; the moisture content at the bottom of the soil should be 30% to 40%, and the relative humidity of the air should be 80% to 90%.
The growth of young snails requires a relatively stable temperature and humidity, with daytime and nighttime differences not too large, as sudden highs and lows can easily cause death.
The above is the complete introduction on how to raise colorful snails to keep them alive and the correct methods for raising snails, for everyone to learn and understand!