Snail Lady

05/05/2022

Queens are all cleaned out (food / old moss etc) & fed / misted.

On the menu:
Green Cabbage 🥬
Broccoli 🥦
Green Beans
Apple 🍏
Rocket Leaf Salad 🥗

Eggs checked & Fulica hatchlings (from the Jades due to the fact they’re all siblings) crushed & fed back as protein.

Time taken: Just over an hour or so. This is because of having 5 enclosures.

03/05/2022

So when I rescued Kim, Chi & Vanjie I found these as little babies inside the enclosure they had so I took them also as they would’ve just been binned otherwise. Yes, you heard that right, binned. These are NON NATIVE SNAILS to the UK, fine as pets but NOT to release. Therefore I had to save them all from being thrown out like rubbish.

They’ve come on leaps & bounds. I’ve no idea when these guys hatched, which is highly annoying for me as a breeder, but I got them before Christmas so they’re definitely of the age for rehoming.

I’m unable to comment on whether they’re all albino fleshed or not as 3 were not wanting to come out this morning. The one that isn’t fully out looks like it could be leucistic but I’m not 100% yet.

Now, with these being baby O**m’s they aren’t your “small” or “medium” sized snail when they grow up. They’re very chunky & a little heavy. Due to this, they’re not ideal for small children to handle on their own without adult help.

O**m info will be posted to throughout the week & if anyone’s interested in becoming an O**m parent, please do let me know! 🐌💚

30/04/2022

So I’ve been away for a while, leaving my family to care for all the Queens whilst I’ve been gone. I do apologise for the silence! But look what Kim, Chi & Vanjie have left me with as a surprise!! 42 eggs 🥚

The eggs are back buried in the substrate to see how they do as every clutch of theirs previously that I’ve taken out of their enclosure and put into incubator tubs haven’t hatched. But I know they definitely can have babies…

BECAUSE I HAVE SOME GORGEOUS BABY O***S AVAILABLE SOON!! 🐌 O**ms, as you can see, are chunky and heavy. So please be aware of their size before enquiring. All their info will be available on my page soon enough 🤞🏻🥰💚

25/02/2022

Meal Prep… For the Queens obviously 👏🏻

Each tank has it’s own tubaware box of food. Each one has the same food but on a different sized scale. Few buts to add from my next food shop, but I adore doing this for them all!

25/02/2022

On the menu:

Carrot 🥕
Spring Greens
Cabbage 🥬
Broccoli 🥦
Runner Beans
Cauliflower
Courgette

25/02/2022

Hi everyone!

So sorry for being MIA for so long, been a lot going on & then myself, my Mum & my daughter all got really poorly.

I had the last cull at the end of January which went well. We had 25 from the previous cull & the last cull left us with 6. Reason being, Fulicas don’t have a great gene pool which comes from accidental breeding / people not culling when they should be. I have done everything to ensure healthy babies and even I ended up with a very small amount. The 6 are doing well, but I will be keeping hold of them just a little longer to make sure they’re 100% & also to allow any future owners to get their enclosures etc ready.

I will not be breeding Fulicas again, this is the first & last breeding from my Fulica Queens because of the crazy amount they can produce but also the incredibly small amount you’ll be left with. But I can 100% say, the babies I’ve got are healthy and doing everything they should be 🥰

23/01/2022

On the menu tonight:

Cabbage 🥬
Ghost Pumpkin 🎃
Broccoli 🥦
Cauliflower
Asparagus
Sprouts
Baby Corn 🌽
Pepper 🫑

20/01/2022

Greedy GALS having protein mix 🐌💚

17/01/2022

INSIDE OF THE ENCLOSURE.

⚠️ This is to help anyone who may be wondering what to put into the enclosure once it’s bought or even for those who wish to upgrade the inside ⚠️

SUBSTRATE:
Coir is the most popular substrate used in a snail enclosure because it holds the heat & humidity well. You can buy this online or in pet stores all year round but it’s always handy to keep an eye out in the likes of Poundland come spring/summer as it can be found in stock there for potting soil for plants! Top Soil can also be used as long as it doesn’t contain fertiliser or water retaining crystals. As you can see in my photo, I’ve currently got the Coco Fibre Substrate on the go. Very easy to use & have no complaints.
⚠️ Always research the snail species you’re getting as some snails need a form of sand or clay mixed into the already mentioned substrate ⚠️

DECORATING/ENRICHMENT:
As shown in my photo, you have options!

Moss - Helps with humidity and provides a damp area for the snail. You can buy this from your local garden centres, pet stores & online or alternatively, you can collect it from outside! However, if collecting from outside MAKE SURE it is not near roads or paths and hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals!! It’s also recommended to rinse the moss before placing it into the enclosure with water.

Branches - Ideal climbing for the snails but also helps to fill “empty spaces”. You can buy branches or collect them from outside, but the same rules of collecting from outdoors apply! In my photo you can see I have Cork Bark pieces, these smaller pieces are ideal for those little gaps.

Leaf Litter - The perfect way to make an enclosure look natural. They also help provide food for your CUC (Clean Up Crew - I’ll talk about this in another post). Remember the rule for collecting from outdoors.

Plastic Plant Pots - I haven’t pictured these, however if you or your Mum are anything like my Mum, you’ll have tonnes of these in the garden that aren’t being used. After a good clean I like to use these as hides for my snails, they’re ideal as they’re soft plastic and come in a range of sizes / shapes. Simply bury part of it in the substrate and then cover the top with your substrate or moss and you’re good to go!

Fake Plants - Easy to get hold of, you’re not having to worry about keeping them alive & they’re usually very cheap! I have two options shown in my photo, a couple of coloured fish tank plants which I bought off of Amazon in a huge pack or a fake vine which you can get in most, if not all, reptile shops.

You CAN use real plants, but there are a lot of the you can’t use. Info on real plants will be provided in the guidance leaflets with your snail from me. These posts are just to show what’s needed to set up your enclosure before you get your snail. 🥰🐌💚

16/01/2022

“A snail and it’s young” Beatrix Potter 1898 🥺🐌

16/01/2022

16/01/2022

HOUSING.

⚠️This is to help anyone who may need some inspiration/advice in regards to enclosures. Please remember, enclosures must be bought & set up before purchasing a snail.⚠️

As you can see in my photo, these are just two options you can use successfully.

🐌 Option 1: Storage Tubs (RUBS)
Easily bought in the likes of B&M / The Range etc, usually labelled “under bed boxes”, and are great for people who don’t have a huge amount of space for tanks. They hold heat & humidity well, but you will have to adapt them by drilling ventilation holes in the lid or sides. Drill from the inside out and remove any sharp edges once drilled. Due to them coming in a variety of sizes, they’re suitable from juvenile to adult obviously by upgrading size as & when you need to. The only downside I’ve found is the fact you can’t quite see into them as well as you can with a tank.

🐌 Option 2: Exo Terra Tanks
Easy to get hold of as you can purchase them brand new online or in most pet stores or even secondhand off of the likes of Marketplace. Comes in a few different sizes which is handy, but what needs to be remembered is floor space is much more important than height. The only downside I’ve found with using these is that most of the time they need adapting slightly to help keep the heat & humidity in but this can be done with either radiator foil / Perspex etc.

🐌 Option 3: Fish Tanks
Possibly the cheapest way of getting a tank as most of the time you can find them advertised for free on Marketplace / local selling groups etc. However these will need more adapting than an Exo Terra as the lids on Fish Tanks aren’t ideal but an easy way is by getting Perspex cut to fit as a lid with some ventilation holes. Something to remember though is the fact that more often than not, they come with light fittings in the original lid and lights aren’t suitable.

⚠️ Please be aware, wooden vivs are NOT suitable as they can’t hold humidity well and tend to rot or warp after a while due to the humidity. Not to mention they can’t hold heat well for snails & don’t allow for a deep enough substrate to be in place.

Hopefully this will help those of you wishing to set up an enclosure ready for your slimey arrival! I will post more useful info over the next few days in order to help new snail parents 💚

12/01/2022

04/01/2022

The last cull happens at the end of this month. After that, the Fulica babies will be looking for their new homes!

If you are local, you can either collect or I can drop off.
If you’re further a field, I can post! However, I will not be posting snails in this temperamental weather / post delays. Posting should be available from March 🤞🏻

04/01/2022

On the menu tonight:

Mushroom 🍄
Carrot 🥕
Raspberries
Aubergine 🍆
Baby Corn 🌽
Baby Cucumber 🥒
Cabbage 🥬

03/01/2022

Hatchling Cull

29/12/2021

On the menu:

Broccoli 🥦
Cauliflower
Grapes 🍇
Sprouts
Mushroom 🍄
Asparagus
Dried Soaked Mealworm 🪱
Rose Petals 🌹

29/12/2021

From 48 to 25!

12 week cull done ✅
One last cull to do before homes will be needed.
Please, if you are interested, message from NOW to make sure I know who is awaiting a Fulica. Guidance leaflets will be provided with each home to follow. If you are yet to sort an enclosure, please message if there is any questions you may have about this, I’m happy to help. Snails cannot be rehomed unless an enclosure is set up! ⚠️

24/12/2021

Super cheap fruit & veg haul from Aldi! That’ll keep the Queens happy 🐌🥰

24/12/2021

Miss Vanjieeeeeee ✨

Merry Christmas from all of my Queens to all of you, whether you’re already a Snail Parent or not! Have a fantastic Christmas & all the best for the New Year 💚

23/12/2021

On the menu tonight:

Purple Broccoli 🥦
Baby Corn 🌽
Courgette 🥒
Basil Leaves 🌿
Asparagus
Carrot 🥕
Parsnip
Sugar Snap Peas

23/12/2021

One little baby excited for Christmas 🥺🎄

The Fulica Clutch have come on really well, they’ll eat anything that’s given to them so there’s no excuse for fussy eating here! 2 more culls left to do until they’re ready for Rehoming 🐌💚

20/12/2021

My daughter has a toy Snail so obviously the Elf On The Shelf had to do something related to Mummy’s favourites! 🐌💚

12/12/2021

Ru, Paul & Tia accompanied by Woodlice all sharing their Aubergine 🍆
Kofi was off on a slimey adventure across the back wall!

12/12/2021

Feeding time at the Snoo (Snail Zoo) complete ✅ 😂

On the menu:
Corn 🌽
Sugar Snap Peas
Courgette 🥒
Aubergine 🍆
Banana 🍌

Everyone’s been egg checked & misted also 💦

07/12/2021

Keep seeing pet shops advertising GALS as only needing to eat lettuce/cucumber or very vaguely saying “salad/veg”

There is a load of foods that are toxic or should only be fed in moderation. Lettuce & cucumber has hardly any nutritional value so it’s like a McDonald’s to GALS and should only be fed as a treat occasionally.
They can & will eat fruit but again, there’s some that are toxic. They need protein provided, either twice or once a week depending on the %.

Please do your own research into who to buy off of, too many pet shops just want to get rid & make money, with this half the time it means they don’t cull babies either so it means there’s a huge risk of getting a poorly snail.

02/12/2021

8 weeks old 🐌
2nd cull done ✅

I’m now left with 48 healthy babies, how crazy is that!? Everyone’s enjoying some protein whilst I sort their fresh food out.

Next cull at is at 12 weeks, then the very last cull at 16 weeks. There will be a very small amount of babies to rehome, but they’ll be healthy & happy!

02/12/2021

The difference in growth at 8 weeks

This cull was crazy! I’ve gone from such a large amount right down to having a very small % of healthy babies! This is why culling is SO important!

02/12/2021

Well done Chester Zoo 👏🏻💚

17/11/2021

Chi & Vanjie having a nose about this morning 🥺💚