These mollusks got their name because they love to eat grape leaves, causing considerable harm to them. In nature, grape snails can grow up to 9 cm, and at home, with good care, they will become even larger. People began to eat these mollusks back in ancient times - they were healthy, tasty and cheap dish, accessible to everyone.
Grape snails - breeding at home
Grape snails are bred from for various purposes. Some keep them as undemanding pets that are fun to watch. Others strive to grow as much as possible more shellfish in order to eat them.
- It is best to use a fish aquarium, terrarium or a fairly large plexiglass container.
- To create conditions for snails that are relatively close to natural, soil should be placed at the bottom of the house. You can use sand, ready-made soil for growing seedlings, purchased in a store, or simply soil taken from your plot. In the latter case, it will have to be pre-disinfected by calcining it on a baking sheet in the oven, or by spilling it with a solution of potassium permanganate. This is done so as not to bring various pests into the house along with the soil.
- You can put leaves and twigs on the ground. Snails will crawl on them with pleasure, and will feast on some of them. From time to time, wilted leaves will have to be replaced.
- Quite large stones and woody branches have no place in the house. If snails begin to crawl on them, they will leave their mucus on them, from which it will be difficult to clean them.
- In addition, you can make a “pool” for snails in the house. It should be shallow - for example, pour a little water into a saucer. Snails do not swim, but in the warm season they will enjoy using such a “pool”.
Nuances of caring for snails
Since grape snails are southern inhabitants, with the onset of autumn they can fall asleep until spring. This will happen if the snail house is in a cold room. If you continue to keep them in a warm room, the mollusks will lead a normal life.
Photo can be enlarged
(see photo in the text) is part of the Helicidae family, which includes more than 300 genera of terrestrial mollusks. The Helix genus is one of the most widespread. These snails live in Australia and in countries temperate zone, including in the south of Russia.
In nature, grape snails prefer to settle in meadows, in small degraded forests with dense ground cover vegetation, in gardens with chalk or limestone soil that has an alkaline reaction. In dry weather, snails hide under stones, in the shade of plants or in damp moss.
The winter dormant period of the grape snail lasts up to 3 months. Under the natural conditions of Belarus - at least 5 months, while mollusks with a period of suspended animation of less than 60 days under experimental conditions were characterized by reduced fertility or did not produce eggs at all.
Photo can be enlarged
In preparation for wintering, the snail attaches itself to the substrate with the lower part of its leg - the sole - and then curls up inside the shell. Still holding on to the surface with the tip of its leg, the snail, with a film of mucus, covers the space between the surface of the substrate and the edges of the mouth of the shell, after which it removes the remaining part of the leg, covering the hole with folds of the mantle. The film hardens, turning into a hard lid.
During hibernation, the snail loses about 10% of its weight, which is restored 4-6 weeks after awakening. In the spring, when the air temperature rises to +6-8"C, the animal awakens and leaves its winter shelter. Grape snail can carry low temperatures, for example, a temperature of -7"C for several hours.
Photo can be enlarged
The round, almost spherical limestone shell of the grape snail reliably protects the soft body of the mollusk from enemies. The spiral whorls of the shell are convex, their outer part is smooth. The last turn is large and swollen. The shell is colored uniformly, usually orange-yellowish. The snail's head stands out noticeably and bears two pairs of tentacles; at the tips of one of the pairs are the eyes of the mollusk.
The leg is large and muscular. The grape snail moves with the help of this leg. With the help of muscle contractions, the animal, sliding, pushes off the surface. When moving, mucus is secreted, which softens friction and facilitates movement along the substrate. The glands that secrete mucus are located in the front of the body. average speed movement is about 1.5 mm per second. It can settle on both horizontal (for example, on the ground under a stone) and vertical (on the walls of buildings, on the side glass of a molluscar at home) surface.
Photo can be enlarged
Natural enemies Snails include hedgehogs, shrews, lizards, moles and some other animals. They are different kinds beetles that can crawl inside through the breathing hole, and some types of predatory snails. This animal is the enemy Agriculture, primarily because it feeds on young shoots of agricultural crops, in particular grapes. In a number of countries it is intensively exterminated, and in some, in particular the countries of North and South America, the import of these mollusks is prohibited.
Grape snails have been bred since ancient times. According to Pliny the Elder, Fulvius Lippinus was the first to breed them. Now in a number of countries there are so-called “snail farms”, where large quantities, for subsequent preparation or export, these gastropods are bred, creating favorable conditions for them.
Their meat contains 10% protein, 30% fat, 5% carbohydrates, as well as vitamins B6, B12, iron, calcium, magnesium. The air-dry substance of grape snail meat, according to the Institute of Fisheries of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, contains 60-65% protein, about 5% fat, the rest is low-molecular organic matter and mineral compounds - ash.
In Spain, France and Italy, these mollusks are often eaten. In France they are cooked in the shell in vegetable oil, seasoned with parsley. It is believed that its taste is superior to that of other edible snails. In France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, it is considered rare and protected by law, it is imported from Greece and other countries where it is collected, or specially bred on farms. Even in Russia, in the Kaliningrad region, snails are quite widely bred for sale to restaurants, for the pharmaceutical industry, and for sale in stores.
Grape snail - content.
Photo can be enlarged
IN Lately Some hobbyists began to keep more “exotic” animals, such as invertebrates, in their home terrariums instead of the now familiar amphibians or reptiles.
Grape snails are herbivores, feed mainly on living plants, causing significant damage to them. Decaying vegetation makes up only a small part of their diet. The diet of grape snails in captivity can be limited to vegetables and fruits, which must be added to the terrarium as they are eaten. Mollusks have a very long digestive tract and rarely suffer from lack of appetite. Food should be given in small portions, cut into thin slices, and rotting, decomposing food should be removed immediately. Grape snails love bananas, apples, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, radishes, cabbage, beets, dandelion leaves, sorrel, horseradish, burdock and nettle leaves. A special treat for snails is soaked bread, but it is more suitable as a feed.
Photo can be enlarged
For keeping at home, a glass or plastic container with large area bottom, with good ventilation. A mixture of damp (not wet, since the snails can drown) earth and granular activated carbon in a ratio of 6.5:1 is placed at the bottom. Constant cleaning of glass, walls and other objects from mucus is necessary. Recommended daytime temperature is 20-22"C, nighttime - 19"C. When the temperature drops below 7"C, the snails hibernate.
The terrarium is equipped in such a way as to recreate natural living conditions. You can decorate it with green twigs or live plants, on which the snails will crawl, and, if desired, can feast on them. And don’t forget to provide a shallow pond for them to swim in. It would be nice to build a limestone slide, which will provide the snails with the nutrition they need to strengthen their shells. You can also add some damp moss to the terrarium. The terrarium must be tightly covered with a lid to prevent snails from crawling out, but it must contain small holes for air to enter. It is important to constantly moisten the habitat of grape snails; this can be achieved by spraying internal surfaces terrarium from a spray bottle once or twice a day.
Grape snail - breeding.
Photo can be enlarged
Grape snails are hermaphrodites, therefore, for breeding at home, it is enough to have two mature individuals. The desire to mate can be determined by behavior. The animal crawls slowly, as if looking for something, often stops and stands in one place for a long time, slightly raising the front part of its body. If two such snails meet, they immediately begin the “love game”. They stretch upward one against the other and take a position characteristic of reproduction, touching parts of the sole and feeling each other with tentacles. These movements stop after a short time, the snails fall and, pressing their soles tightly against each other, remain motionless for 15-30 minutes. After a period of rest, the game resumes again. This whole process lasts about two hours, until the snail, having achieved greater arousal, inserts a love arrow into the body of its partner, which also increases his arousal. After a short pause, the act of copulation occurs, in which each snail simultaneously plays the role of both male and female. Only after the exchange of spermatophores do the snails spread out in different directions.
Photo can be enlarged
For breeding grape snails in industrial scale needed temperate climate 15 – 24 degrees Celsius with high humidity (75%-95%), although most species can tolerate a wider range of temperatures. The optimal temperature for many species is 21C. At 12C, snails become inactive, and at 10C, they stop growing. When the temperature rises to just over 26 C or conditions become too dry, the animals hibernate.
Wind is also harmful to them because it accelerates the loss of moisture, and mollusks must retain it, they need moisture environment. But although snails need high humidity, it is necessary to remove excess water. Snails breathe atmospheric air and may die in an overly humid environment. The most favorable soil moisture level is 80%. At night, air humidity of more than 80% enhances the vital activity and growth of snails.
Photo can be enlarged
After mating, the grape snail can retain spermatophores for a year. To lay eggs, she digs a hole or uses natural shelters (the base of plant stems). After a hole of the required depth has been dug, the snail begins to carefully finish the walls of the nest. They are compacted and the soil is released through the intestines to the surface. The clutch contains about 40 pearly white, shiny eggs (diameter 4-7 mm). After finishing the masonry, the hole is filled up.
After the breeding season, about one third of the producers die. The laid eggs hatch into small snails that look very similar to adults. Young snails have a small, smooth, transparent shell with only one and a half turns. After 8-10 days, young snails leave the nest and crawl to the surface in search of food. At favorable conditions snails grow very quickly - within a month they can become four times larger than at birth. Of all snails born, only about 5% reach sexual maturity.
Cooking grape snails.
Photo can be enlarged
Well, for a snack, here are a couple of recipes for preparing grape snails. The result should be approximately the same as in the photo.
Snails in Burgundy style
100 snails, 1 liter of white wine, 200 g of three percent vinegar, 3 tbsp. tablespoons flour, 2 carrots, 2 large onions, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, salt, 800 g snail oil.
Place the prepared grape snails in a saucepan, add cold water, bring to a boil and boil for 5-6 minutes. Rinse them with cold water, dry them with a clean cloth or towel, remove the snail from the house with a tailor’s pin (in France there is a special “tool for this”, it resembles a tailor’s pin) and cut off its black tip. Wash the snails cleaned in this way again and put them in a saucepan, pour in dry white wine and the same amount of water so that all the snails are covered with liquid. Add 2 chopped carrots, chopped onions, thyme, parsley root, celery stick, green onions. Add salt at the rate of 10 g per liter and cook for 4 hours. Then remove from heat and leave to cool in this broth. While the snails are boiling, wash and boil the shells in soda water. Then rinse them with clean water and dry.
Snail oil: chop very finely (can be grated), 100 g onion, 3 large cloves of garlic, add 80 g chopped parsley, 25 g salt, 5 g ground pepper, 700 g butter soft, but not melted. Mix everything well in a bowl.
Place a nut of prepared oil on the bottom of the sink, then a snail, covering the top with a good portion of the same oil. Place the stuffed shells, oil side up, on a plate and place them in a hot oven for 7-8 minutes before serving. Serve the sizzling, aromatic dish immediately.
Limousin snails
6 dozen Burgundy snails, 1 cup vinegar, 300 g peeled walnuts, 200 g butter, 1 clove of garlic, several sprigs of parsley, salt, pepper.
For the broth: 0.5 liters of dry white wine, 1 carrot, 1 onion, bay leaf, celery, parsley, salt, pepper.
Dip the grape snails, prepared in advance, as indicated above, into water acidified with vinegar. During this time, peel 1 carrot and onion, chop them, and prepare the greens. Now put them in a spacious saucepan, pour in white wine and water so that they are completely covered. Salt and pepper, add chopped carrots and onions, herbs and cook for 3-4 hours. While they are boiling, prepare snail oil, for which you peel the nuts and garlic, wash the parsley, chop everything finely; skip the crumb rye bread through a meat grinder; Put the butter in a bowl, add chopped nuts and other herbs and bread crumbs, pepper and mix everything well to get a homogeneous mass. When the snails are cooked, drain the broth, remove the snails from their shells with a pin, and cut off the black dots on the tip of their body. Stuff the shells in the same way as in the previous recipe: put a piece of snail oil the size of a nut on the bottom of the shell, then a snail and, finally, another piece of prepared butter.
Place the stuffed snails in a refractory dish, oil side up, add a few drops of white wine to each of them and place in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Grape snail - gastropod from the large family Helicidae. They live in temperate countries: North and South America, Australia, and other countries, including the southern regions of Russia.
Grape snails are quiet, very interesting creatures, whose life is quite entertaining to observe. Therefore, many people keep them at home as pets (they can be bought at a pet store). They are easy to care for, since mollusks are very unpretentious creatures, and they have enough space to live even in the smallest room. With good care at home, they can live up to ten years.
These mollusks have been used in cooking since ancient times. Their meat is considered very healthy, and the mucus they produce is used in cosmetology for active skin rejuvenation. Of course, eating pets is not at all necessary. For this purpose, you can buy frozen or canned snails in the store. Well, the mucus can be used for home cosmetics.
Today we will talk to you about these interesting creatures. We will also find out why grape snails are useful, discuss breeding at home, and consider the maintenance of these gastropods. We’ll also talk about their culinary merits and prepare shellfish according to the simplest recipes. Well, let's start our conversation with home care and snail breeding:
Grape snails - keeping at home
Clam house
Keeping a grape snail at home is not difficult, but it is responsible. Therefore, before you bring them home, you need to decide where they will live. To make your pets feel good and comfortable, you can use an aquarium or a transparent plexiglass box as a house. You definitely need a lid with holes so that they don’t crawl around the apartment and can breathe normally. Snails definitely need enough space to move around properly, so don't put them in a jar or small box.
When a container for living has been selected, evenly sprinkle garden soil or special soil purchased at the store onto the bottom. Such a covering is necessary so that if the snail possibly falls from the wall of the aquarium, it does not break the shell. In addition, the presence of land brings home conditions closer to natural ones. In addition, when snails reproduce, they lay eggs there.
You can put leaves, soft grass, small twigs on the surface of the soil - snails will happily crawl on them. Do not place stones or dense, heavy branches in the snail house, as they will need to be constantly cleaned of accumulated mucus. When the conditions for keeping are created, you can settle your pets.
Grape snail at home - requires daily care
The walls of the aquarium where pets live should be regularly wiped of mucus. They love water very much, so you need to install a small bathing container. It should not be deep, since snails cannot swim. In nature, they prefer damp grass, protected from the sun, where they actively crawl from evening to morning. Therefore, protect the aquarium from the bright sun and spray the walls, soil, and the pets themselves daily with a spray bottle.
Feeding
At first glance, it may seem that these small gastropods eat practically nothing, and if they do eat, it is only soft, ground food. However, this is not so - grape snails are very voracious and happily consume plants, the pulp of fresh vegetables and fruits. Since they have something like teeth, they independently gnaw and grind plant food.
At home, the grape snail happily eats apples, nibbles vegetables, and loves fresh, juicy young dandelions and other edible plants. In winter, you can use frozen vegetables, previously thawed. In addition to plant foods, pets need calcium. Therefore, periodically put dried eggshells on them.
In general, in winter, if you put the aquarium in a cool room, the snails will hibernate until spring and there is no need to feed them. If you leave them in a warm room, they will not sleep, but you should feed them as before.
Do not leave uneaten food for a long time; remove it from the aquarium in a timely manner so that flies do not appear. For convenience, place a special feeding saucer on the bottom and periodically throw away the remains of old food.
How to breed grape snails?
Breeding grape snails is a simple matter. To start increasing the number of snails, it is enough to purchase two adult snails. Mollusks are hermaphrodites and one pair is enough. To start breeding, the snails must first spend several hours in hibernation. winter months.
In the spring, when your pets wake up, watch them carefully. Their behavior indicates their readiness to reproduce: they crawl slowly along the walls of the aquarium, often stop, stay in one place for a long time, and at the same time slightly raise the front part of their body. Then mating and fertilization occur.
After this, the snails dig small holes in the ground where they lay their eggs. After the laying is completed, the adults are temporarily removed. After about a month, small mollusks will hatch from the eggs and climb to the surface of the soil. After six weeks, when the snails have grown up, the adults can be returned to the aquarium.
Newborn snails feed on the shell of the egg from which they hatched. While they get to the surface, they feed on substances found in the soil. Then the babies are fed fresh fruits and vegetables, only finely grated. They also need mineral supplements, which can be purchased at a pet store.
Why are grape snails valued, what are their benefits?
As we already mentioned at the beginning of our conversation, grape snails are very useful product for human health. In many Asian and European countries They are considered a delicacy and people know how to cook wonderful dishes from them.
If you want to taste them, you don't have to use your pets. It is better to buy frozen shellfish in a store or fresh at the market or from farmers. They are quite easy to prepare, the dishes are very tasty, and most importantly healthy, because the dietary meat of grape snails is considered healing.
Meat contains a large number of healthy, easily digestible protein, large amounts of amino acids, which are very important for the body. In addition, it is rich in microelements, containing a lot of iron, calcium and magnesium. Contains collagen, alontoin and elastin - substances necessary to maintain youthful skin. Grape snail meat is hypoallergenic, so it can be consumed even by allergy sufferers.
Separately, it is necessary to dwell on healing properties mucus, which is secreted in large quantities by mollusks. This thick liquid contains no less amino acids, vitamins, biologically active substances than meat. It also contains natural antibiotics.
Mucus has a pronounced healing, restorative effect, as it is a natural antiseptic. Therefore, it is still used for the speedy healing of skin injuries: wounds, cuts, burns, etc. Moreover, after treating the wound, its inflammation stops and does not recur.
Doctors of Tibetan medicine use ashes from mollusk shells to treat tumor diseases.
Grape snail in cosmetology
Snail mucus in cosmetology
Since grape snail mucus contains natural antioxidants, highly effective anti-aging cosmetics are made from it: creams, lotions, tonics, masks, etc.
Snail slime for face
To rejuvenate the skin, it is quite possible to use domestic snails. For example, oriental women They simply plant the mollusk on clean skin, after which the snail slowly crawls, leaving a trail of mucus. After 15-20 minutes of such exposure, the snail is returned to the aquarium, the skin is washed and cream is applied. For a sustainable effect, three months of daily procedures are required.
If you don’t really like the feeling of a live mollusk on your face, make a mask based on the mucus collected in the aquarium.
Face mask with snail mucus
In total you will need 0.5 tsp of the substance. Place it in a cup, add 2 tsp clean, not cold water. The mucous secretion does not dissolve well, so mix everything thoroughly with a fork for several minutes. Now add 1 tsp. cosmetic or green powder), stir again. Apply the mixture to clean, scrubbed skin. After 20 minutes, wash your face.
The result is noticeable after the first use. To get a pronounced anti-aging effect, you should use the snail mucus mask 3 times a week. In a month, the skin will noticeably tighten, wrinkles will smooth out, the skin will become smooth, tender, and velvety.
Cooking grape snails at home
Grape snails have been used as a culinary product since Ancient Rome, where they were part of the normal diet of ordinary residents. Only in the last century they began to be considered a delicacy, and dishes from them are included in the menu of expensive restaurants.
Large specimens are prepared in various ways and served directly in their shells with garlic sauce, onions and parsley. Small ones are often used to make soup or stew.
Residents of our country can buy fresh frozen snails in supermarkets or purchase live shellfish in markets in the southern regions. They are easy to prepare at home and enjoy the pleasant taste of tender meat. Here are the recipes that even a novice cook can handle:
Preparing frozen fillets
The simplest thing you can do is place the finished semi-finished product on a baking sheet sprinkled with salt. Sprinkle with your favorite seasonings, then bake in an oven preheated to 200-230ºC, just 5-10 minutes.
If you want to receive gourmet dish, prepare Burgundy-style snails:
For the recipe you will need: half a kilo of shellfish without shell. If you bought them in shells, boil them for a few minutes first. Then cool and remove the fillet using a toothpick. You will also need a piece of softened butter (100 g), 50 g. For flavor, you need to take 2 cloves of garlic, ground nutmeg, finely chopped fresh parsley, and salt to taste.
Preparation:
Combine the oil with parsley, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well until smooth. Place snail fillets in small muffin tins. Place a spoonful of butter mixture on top and sprinkle with chopped Parmesan cheese. Place in an oven preheated to 200-230 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. It is usually served with a fresh baguette and a glass of dry wine.
However, real connoisseurs advise cooking live shellfish. These are the types of dishes served in expensive restaurants. So, if you want to prepare a real delicacy from live grape snails, do the following:
Preparing fresh snails
Before cooking, they should be cleaned of toxic substances harmful to humans. To do this, place the shellfish for 10 days on flour mixed with bran and aromatic herbs (any will do, such as thyme, marjoram or fennel with basil).
After the set time, wash them well and then fill them with water.
Remove dead shellfish. They cannot be cooked. Boil the remaining ones together with the shells (3 minutes), cool and rinse again. Now you can cook, for example, “in Maltese”:
We will need: half a kilo of blanched snails, a glass. You also need aromatic herbs: basil and marjoram, and salt to taste.
Preparation:
Fry the shellfish and shells over a well-heated stove. Pour wine, salt, sprinkle with herbs. Reduce heat, simmer covered for 10 minutes. Serve on serving plates, topped with the remaining sauce. Remove the meat with a special fork or use toothpicks.
Well, if you are not going to eat snails, but prefer to keep them at home as ordinary pets, you can use them to find out your future. For example, this is how in some countries girls use shellfish for fortune telling:
In the evening, place the snail on a dish sprinkled with a thin layer of flour and cover with a large lid. In the morning, remove the mollusk, and according to the pattern of the paths that she left overnight, read your future, or, for example, the initials, or the name of your future husband.
Svetlana, www.site
Google
- Dear our readers! Please highlight the typo you found and press Ctrl+Enter. Write to us what is wrong there.
- Please leave your comment below! We ask you! We need to know your opinion! Thank you! Thank you!
Who has the most teeth? Certainly, maximum number the grape snail boasts - 25,000!
An unusual delicacy, a rural pest, a pet - this mollusk is known to everyone.
It is difficult to get rid of snails that have settled in garden beds; they are very prolific. But what about reproduction in a home aquarium?
Structural features
The grape snail is a land mollusk. It is believed that she does not see, but only distinguishes between light and shadow. Why does she hide when approached? The mollusk catches the outline of a bulky object and the shadow falling on it.
Most often there are individuals with a yellow-brown, striped shell, the stripes alternate, and the shades of color change. The color of the shell may depend on the habitat, feeding habits and even the age of the mollusk. The older the snail, the closer the color of the shell is to a gray, whitish tint. In dry areas there are mollusks with yellow shells, in humid areas - with brown shells.
The size of the shell, as well as the number of turns, changes with the growth of the snail. In a small individual, the diameter of the shell is 0.5 cm and consists of two turns. An adult grape snail is placed in a shell with a diameter of 4 to 5 cm. The spiral of the shell is twisted by 4-4.5 turns. The composition of the protective shell is porous limestone, it weighs a little, but is quite durable. The drier the area where the mollusk lives, the stronger the shell.
The shell contains the soft body of the mollusk. The animal moves with the help of a muscular leg: the muscles contract, making wave-like movements with the sole, the mollusk glides along the surface.
The grape snail is able to move along both horizontal and vertical surfaces. In the front of the body there are glands that secrete mucus. Mucus helps the animal slide along the ground, walls, trees, and grass.
There are two pairs of “horns” on the head of a grape snail. The upper pair are eyes, the lower pair are labial tentacles. The head, like the leg, is usually slightly grayish, yellow. The sole is much lighter.
All internal organs(intestines, kidneys, lungs, etc.) are hidden under the shell; if it is damaged, the animal dies. The grape snail is a hermaphrodite. This animal really has a lot of teeth, but they are located on the tongue, helping, like a brush, to wash and grind plant food.
Snail habitat and nutrition
Recently, snails can be found not only in rural areas, but also in the alleys of city parks, on the sides of highways, and in flower beds near high-rise buildings. The animal likes light forest edges and dense thickets of bushes.
The main conditions for the habitat are high humidity and a large amount of greenery.
Limestone and chalk soil is suitable for them to live. It is convenient for laying eggs; if necessary, the gastropod can immediately replenish its reserves of limestone and strengthen its shell. The grape snail is a nocturnal animal; at night it begins a period of active wakefulness, feeding, and reproduction.
Natural enemies of the mollusk:
- Lizards.
- Shrews.
- Moles.
Some types of insects that can penetrate the breathing hole are also dangerous. Life expectancy of sexually mature individuals at natural conditions– from 8 to 10 years.
Cases of longevity have been recorded - 20 years, but they live that long rare individuals. At home, these pets live longer, up to 15 years. In captivity, the oldest clam died at the age of 35 years.
During drought, the gastropod loses activity and goes into suspended animation, as at low temperatures.
If there is wind outside and the air temperature does not exceed 7 degrees, the snail closes the entrance to the shell with special mucus, which hardens and becomes as strong as the shell. In this state, the animal can overwinter, enduring frosts down to -10 degrees. open area. To avoid cold weather, for the winter snails are buried in the ground to a depth of 10 cm to 30 cm. colder temperature, the deeper the gastropod will lie underground. It will only be dug up by April warming.
The grape snail is a herbivorous mollusk; it feeds on the succulent leaves of grapes, cabbage, and other green plants. In nature, this animal eats:
The gastropod gives preference to young shoots. Sometimes the mollusk eats soil to compensate for the lack of calcium in the body. The snail may also eat animal food, bread, but this happens rarely.
Features of snail reproduction and breeding
This mollusk is a hermaphrodite, individuals perform both male and female functions. The breeding season usually occurs in spring and early summer. Two snails that begin to have intercourse first perform a love dance. Then the clams are pressed against each other with the sole of the foot. The dancing and touching (that is, sexual intercourse) can last up to two hours. The snails exchange spermatophores and disperse.
The spermatophore can be stored in the body of the mollusk for a whole year. Having chosen a convenient place, the snail lays eggs - it digs a hole in the loose soil and carefully compacts the walls of the storage room. The gastropod lays 30-40 eggs at a time white, their diameter is approximately 0.5 cm. How long will it take before the offspring appear? The babies hatch after 25 days and remain in the nest. They leave it after reaching the age of one week, when the shell is sufficiently strong.
The grape snail is easy to grow and maintain at home. Gastropods are also bred on special farms for sale in the food industry.
The grape snail is excellent as pet– she eats everything and does not require special maintenance and care.
On an industrial scale
These shellfish are harmful to agricultural crops, but their meat is a delicacy. In addition, the snail dish turns out to be unusual and very nutritious; the meat contains 70% protein, 30% amino acids.
There are several ways to grow a grape snail:
At home
If you wish, you can try breeding grape snails at home, not for sale, but for pleasure, using the mollusk as a pet.
To keep a gastropod, it is best to place it in an aquarium. The bottom must be covered with earth mixed with granulated activated carbon. If desired, green plants are planted on the ground of the container. When leaving, it is necessary to provide the animal with water - install a shallow pond. The fluid is replaced every day.
High humidity and air temperature of 20-21 degrees are maintained daily. Do not allow the soil to become too moist - the grape snail breathes lightly and can drown if the soil becomes liquid. It is imperative to take care of the aquarium and clean the walls of mucus. When the container is dirty, the animal goes into hibernation - the pet will sleep until the conditions become acceptable for life.
In summer, the mollusk can be fed with freshly picked grass, vegetables, and fruits. Snails feed on waste from cooking - potato, carrot peelings, cabbage leaves, as well as any other plant food.
Sometimes gastropods are given bread, but this product is harmful to them. Rotten food remains are removed.
In order for adults to begin to reproduce when home care, you need to lengthen their daylight hours. This can be done using ultraviolet lamp or an ordinary high-wattage incandescent light bulb. It is advisable to provide the animal with the opportunity to fall into anabiosis - a period of rest. It is better to do this in autumn or winter so that the snail’s rhythm of life does not lose track.
Many people wonder: what benefit or harm does a snail bring? The snail is harmful to gardeners. Mollusks are omnivores, feeding on young cabbage, ripe tomatoes and small cucumbers. It is very difficult to get rid of an animal, no matter how much you throw away the shellfish. Even after selecting all the gastropods on his site, the gardener will still find snails later - they will crawl away from the neighbors or crawl out from under the ground.
At the same time, one cannot deny the undoubted benefit of snail - nutritious meat. In addition, sometimes snail mucus is used in medicinal purposes: to eliminate warts, heal burns.
People who decide to keep snails at home speak well of them - these pets are absolutely unpretentious in food and care.
Loading...
