an extraordinary pet

SNAIL...

Besides turtle is one of the slow-motion animals, ever think of snail can be PET as PET too?? Trust me, it is easily taking care of and it doesn't need much looking after and not expensive to feed and house! They are also a lot of fun to watch! *please don't find me weird.. Its true!*

Have you ever think of having a snail as a pet? To most of you, maybe not. But to me... I was once had snail as my pet before-I am seriously serious! And people at my high school back in those days, SAW me had a snail crawling/sticked on my hand before- some went "ewwwwwwwwwwwwww" and some went "you SIAO one ah?"

PS: Snails don't mind being handled as long as you are gentle with them. Just WATCH OUT!!! Snail may leave a trail of mucus on your hand as you handle it. *giggles*

Normally to you people who walked into the pet shop these day will only AIMED at those animals like dogs, hamsters, birds, or cats<---Most basically one!! But lemme give you people a heads up first, they don't have snails for sale. In fact, I don't think they will ever have one! So, don't give up the thought of "wanting a snail as pet", if you have one. Choosing to own a land snail is very straightforward, especially in Malaysia! You can find or spot one snail effortlessly at your garden(its because they eat mainly plants so leaves from the garden make a nourishing meal) every morning or any other times. Those snails are harmless, in fact, they are what you're looking for! DO NOT ever think of that garden snail is un-pet-able even though they don't cost a cent! You're wrong! Anyhow, these slimy, interesting creatures make excellent pets and they don't require much attention. They are quite tough, suffer few health problems and are unlikely to come to much harm, unless YOU DROPPED THEM!!!!!

Although they can retreat into their shell, land snails also need a comfortable, air-conditioned home. DO NOT cage those snails in a wire cage, that would be difficult for the snails to move around those wire mesh. A plastic or glass tank is all that is required to keep them content. The cheapest way to house your snail is to buy a plant propagator (picture below) from a garden centre, they are easy to clean but they are not very robust. (Hint: if you can afford a better one, you can always get a plastic tank from pet centre.) Don't get anything that is smaller than 45x25x25cm, because although snail may be only 5cms long when you get them, but some of the snails (if you're lucky) will grow to six times that length!

How to add the base layer in the snail's hosue? Give your snail a nice thick layer, approximately 2cms of compost. This will hold moisture and help keep the tank humid, and also give your snails something to burrow in. You can use ordinary potting compost bought from the garden centre, but make extra sure there are no added chemicals, such as artificial fertilizers or pesticides, that could make your snail unwell. If you want to make your take look more interesting, it is okay to add in a piece of bark for the snail to crawl over or hide beneath. The temperature that snails like is around 22 Celsius degree, but in Malaysia, it does warmer than that and it doesn't matter so don't worry. The warmer the temperature, the more active the snail will be. This mean, the snail needs more food. So please beware this fact once you are owning a snail!

Feeding your land snail couldn't be easier. It will eat mainly plants. Almost any leafy vegetable is ideal as long as it is fresh. Leaves, grass and fruits will all do down well, but your snail will especially enjoy salad greens. It will also need calcium- you can buy this as a powder from your pet shop or provide it in the form of cuttlefish bones(its a good source of calcium carbonate, which helps the snail grow a good strong shell), which the snail will scrape away at with its rough tongue.

 Snail will get most of the water it needs from its food, but keep some in their home as well- a shallow container of water will do. The tank itself should be kept relatively humid. They are constantly losing water in their slime, so it's important to make sure that they have water to drink and that the compost is kept moist but not wet!

Hmph.... Lemme guess... You don't know how to differentiate a snail as a HE, SHE, or IT ei?? *giggles*  One of the most amazing things about snails is that they are known as hermaphrodites. As a matter of fact, there are no snails that known as male or female, and any snail is capable of mating with each another and lay eggs. This seems bloody incredible ei? But this make perfect sense for snails. So that in the wild, those snails have no need to worry about finding a FEMALE or MALE one out of..... Says from 100 of them (hint: don't forget that they are slow-motion crawler)?

Hope you like snail no matter what.... *giggles* Trust me, it is not gross or whatsoever.

To who those already owned a snail... Have fun and take great care of the snail(s).

Until next time. xxoo