How to care for domestic grape snails. Cooking grape snails. Breeding: from purchase to sale

Grape snail has long been considered a delicacy. The French and other gourmets especially love to eat it. However, not everyone knows how easy they are to maintain at home. Naturally, for this it is necessary to create a certain microclimate for the living of the presented animals. However, you don't need any special items or expensive equipment.

First of all, you need to take care of the place where your pets will live. For this you will need a terrarium certain sizes. The dimensions of the container depend on the number of snails being grown. The main thing is that it must be closed, since these animals crawl well on walls and can simply escape from own home. Growing grape snails at home is quite simple and quick.

The height of the terrarium must be at least 50 cm. For care, you need to purchase a regular hand sprayer. Also take care of containers that will contain water and food. The liquid must always be fresh. Do not allow the water in the container to run out. Grape snails grow well at home. To give them something to crawl on, you can additionally decorate the container with moss or some kind of wooden driftwood. At the bottom of the terrarium there should be a special substrate or coconut filler. Its thickness should not be large (about 5 cm).

In order for grape snails to feel comfortable at home, it is necessary to constantly moisten the soil. There is no need for additional lighting. But the temperature should be at least 20 degrees. All containers must be washed and cleaned periodically. As for the soil, it needs to be changed every 6 months.

In addition to regular products, domestic grape snails need special calcium supplements. If you can’t buy them in the store, just chop up the eggshells. Naturally, it must be pre-processed.

As far as this is concerned, everything is quite simple. The main thing is to choose healthy individuals for mating. Naturally, it is better to buy them at a pet store. If all the conditions necessary for them have been created, then you can simply watch how small snails appear in your terrarium, as they themselves breed. Full cycle The growth period of these animals is 2 years.

That's all the features of keeping grape snails. Good luck!

The grape snail is one of the most common land mollusks and belongs to the Helicidae family. This family includes more than 300 different mollusks. In our country this is one of the largest land snails. Representatives of this species live in many parts of the Earth: almost throughout Europe, Australia, southern Russia, the coast Baltic Sea and in most countries temperate zone, as well as in South America.

Grape snails are ancient inhabitants our planet, their age is more than 500 million years. These cute and tiny creatures can carry up to 10 times their own weight.

Description of the mollusk

The body of a grape snail is conventionally divided into two parts: the shell and the body. The body includes a head and a leg. The shell of this type of snail is round and spherical. The limestone composition serves as good protection for the soft body during attacks by enemies. The shell of grape snails is spirally curved in 4.5 turns. Most often colored in a single color, usually orange-yellowish.

The body of the mollusk breaks symmetry, because it has a noticeable head, which carries two pairs of tentacles (one of them has eyes) and a wide flat leg. It is with the help of its large and muscular leg that the snail moves, while secreting mucus to soften friction processes. But despite all this, the grape snail is a very slow animal, because on average its movement speed is 1.5 mm per second. If we talk about the size of this little creature, then the average width adult mollusks reaches 47 mm, and the height of the shell is up to 45 mm, with a weight of 22 to 40 g.

The most attractive thing about the idea of ​​having such a pet is that a grape snail at home is absolutely unpretentious pet. And if you want to train your small child When caring for a living creature, a snail is perfect for this.

Where to get it

Grape snail is sold in specialized stores. This animal can also be purchased from private breeders, who offer individuals at very reasonable prices compared to stores. The private owner will also most likely provide you with further advice on keeping a grape snail at home. If you live in the south of Russia, or are going on vacation to a southern resort city, then finding a snail in its natural habitat will not be difficult.

In order to catch a grape snail in its natural habitat, you will need a juicy, overripe fruit. Leave it in the nearest vineyard and calmly go to rest. The grape snail leaves its hiding place in the late afternoon, so as soon as it gets dark you should check the place where the fruit was left. Most likely you will find several representatives of the species on the fruit. Select medium-sized specimens; you should not take small snails, as there may be sick specimens among them. Pay attention to the shell of your future pet; it should be free of cracks and visible damage.

Note! The grape snail at home requires juicy food all year round. Therefore, if you live in cold regions, you might want to think about a different type of establishment. pet.

House for a snail

Even before buying a pet, you should think about where your grape snail will live.

Most the best option An old aquarium or a large transparent box will serve as a home for the snail. The snail is a fairly mobile creature, albeit slowly, but the animal is capable of covering relatively long distances. Therefore, choosing new house for a snail you should take a medium-sized or large sizes so that the pet has somewhere to move. Be sure to cover the aquarium or box with a lid to prevent the snail from escaping.

Remember! The lid must have holes for free air circulation to prevent the pet from suffocating!

The soil in a grape snail aquarium performs two functions:

• allows you to maintain moisture in your pet’s home;
• protects the snail from damage when falling into the walls of the cage or any objects.

The soil in the snail's aquarium should be slightly moistened. Don't overdo it, because... Being in damp earth the snail may get sick.

When breeding grape snails at home in a pet's cage, the presence of soil is a prerequisite. Since the snail lays eggs in the ground.

Read more about keeping snails at home and caring for them.

Physiological features

Let's highlight a few points in the physiological characteristics of the grape snail.

Nutrition

Respiratory organ

The grape snail breathes using its lungs. Under normal conditions, the breathing hole (pneumatic bridge) opens approximately once per minute. When the humidity is low, the snail breathes a little more quickly. Observing this behavior of the pet, you should slightly moisten the pet’s home. An increase or decrease in the number of openings of the pneumatic pump directly depends on the content carbon dioxide in the air. Therefore, do not forget that the presence of ventilation holes in the snail cage is mandatory.

Behavior.

The vine snail is a moisture-loving animal, so during the dry period individuals try to hide under stones and plant leaves (in their shade). But in winter, in their natural habitat, snails hibernate, during which the snail loses about 10% of its weight.

In preparation for the winter period, snails attach themselves to the surface with the lower part of their legs, hiding their soft body under the shell. The entire space unprotected by the shell is covered with mucus. After hardening, the mucus turns into a hard pebble, unattractive to enemies.

If you place the aquarium in a cool place, in winter the grape snail at home will also hibernate.

Reproduction.

Grape snails are classified as hermaphrodites. Their puberty occurs between 12 and 15 months of age.

Two breeding periods or seasons can be distinguished:

• the first - from March to June,
• the second - from September to October.

Recognizing the mating period of snails is very simple. Their behavior changes. The snails begin to crawl too slowly and look for a partner. When meeting, they raise the front part of the body, touch with their soles and begin to feel each other with tentacles. The process lasts 2-3 hours. And only after the mollusks exchange male cells does their love play end and they crawl away in different directions to lay eggs. One individual lays an average of about 40 eggs. Their diameter is approximately 4-7 mm. The eggs are laid in a depression in the ground and carefully buried. It is worth noting that on average about 30% of eggs die. After about a month, the young are born.

Snails in cosmetology

Grape snails are used not only as pets, but also in many cosmetic procedures. To improve the structure of the skin, various creams and cosmetic serums are produced based on the mucus of these animals. Also, snail mucus has the ability to produce collagen and elastin, evens out complexion, restores damaged skin after cosmetic procedures and other damage. There is a procedure for rejuvenating and moisturizing the skin, in which large snails are placed on different parts of the body, and the snails envelop the entire body with mucus.

If you decide to have a small snail as a pet, you will never regret it, this pet will never cause you trouble, but in turn will give you a lot of positive emotions.

Watch the video on how to care for grape snails!

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What kind of pets do people not keep at home? Even snails. We have already written about keeping Achatina snails at home on our website - you can read about it here. However, Achatina is not the only snail that can live next to us. There are also grape snails - worthy contenders for a place in our home and heart, and it is them that we will tell you about today. So, about the peculiarities of keeping grape snails and everything that a novice snail breeder needs to know...

Description of the grape snail

The grape snail is a type of land snail and is one of the largest. Its natural habitat is Central and Southeastern Europe, from there it was brought to South America. This terrestrial gastropod belongs to the order stalked, it has an asymmetrical body, a clearly visible head and a flat, wide leg. The grape snail has 2 pairs of tentacles and 1 pair of eyes on its head. The shell of the mollusk is curved in the form of a spiral, and forms 4-5 turns. Snails breathe with their lungs, so they cannot live in water. As a rule, the color of the mollusk is uniform, yellowish-orange. The height of the shell reaches 45 millimeters, and the width is 46-47 millimeters, but the weight is from 22 to 45 grams (it all depends on how and what you feed your grape snail).

At proper care The life expectancy of a mollusk is 6-8 years, however, in Sweden there was a case recorded when a grape snail lived for as long as... 35 years. An impressive age for such a pet.

By the way, grape snails are called large-growing, roof snails, Burgundy snails, apple snails, Roman snails, moon snails and edible ones...

Where do grape snails live in Nature?

If you want to create for your unusual pet comfortable conditions in your home, it won’t hurt you to know where grape snails live in Nature. So, their habitat is valleys and mountains, forest edges deciduous forests, parks, meadows, ravines overgrown with bushes, vineyards, alkaline soils. In dry weather, these moisture-loving creatures hide under stones, in the shade of plants, or bury themselves in moss. If there are abnormally high temperatures outside, then they become lethargic and may even fall into a state of torpor - something akin to hibernation, but as soon as the rains begin, the snail gets out of the shell and becomes active again. So, you will have to try to create similar comfortable conditions for her at home.

Not only can a snail fall into a state of torpor heat, but also its decrease. So, at a temperature of 9-12 degrees above zero Celsius, it can already hibernate, and snails can hibernate either individually or in entire snail colonies, burrowing into the soil to a depth of 5-10 centimeters.

During hibernation, the snail loses up to approximately 10% of its weight, however, it quickly regains the lost grams a few weeks after its awakening.

In the spring, as soon as it gets a little warmer outside, the snails wake up. By the way, according to experts, grape snails can tolerate more low temperatures– they can live for several hours and at temperatures of -7 degrees below zero.

Considering the peculiarities of the comfortable temperature regime for these mollusks, it is not surprising that grape snails most They spend their lives in a state of hibernation and torpor, and are awake only 4-5 months a year.

The enemies of these mollusks in Nature are mice, hedgehogs, predatory insects, toads and frogs, weasels, skunks, birds, lizards and other types of snails - so if one of the above listed potential enemies of your future pet lives in your house, think about it , is it worth getting him, will you be able to ensure his safety, or will he become someone’s lunch or dinner...

What do grape snails eat in Nature?

Similar to the previous point, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the diet of grape snails in free-living conditions. This information will become a kind of guide for you, which will help you find out what you should include in your shellfish menu, and what it is better to refuse. So,

Grape snails are primarily herbivorous creatures, they eat green grass, leaves and can feed on humus.

According to experts, in this exclusively vegetarian diet of grape snails there are more than 30 species of wild ones, as well as cultivated plants. You will have to provide her with a similar diet if you take responsibility for her life. By the way, interesting fact regarding snail nutrition - they prefer to go out to feed at night, and in general, they mainly lead night look life. You will either have to adapt to this feature of snails, or try to rearrange the mollusk’s daily routine to suit you.

So, you finally decided to have this pet in your home. Being next to it has its advantages, and you can’t argue with that - silent, unobtrusive, calm, your snail won’t cause you trouble, spoil your property, and you won’t worry about whether you’ll have time to walk it after work. But such a neighborhood also has its own difficulties. In particular, you should take care of purchasing a special terrarium or aquarium for your snail. It can be either plastic or glass, have large area bottom and well ventilated. Down to the bottom of the terrarium, it is recommended to place a wet mixture of soil and granular activated carbon in a ratio of 6.5 liters to 1 liter. But, make sure that this mixture is slightly damp, but not wet, since the snail can drown in wet and viscous mud.

You will have to constantly clean such a terrarium, especially paying attention to glass and other decorative items that will be covered with grape snail mucus. In order for your pet to feel comfortable in his home, you will need to provide him with proper temperature regime – During the day, the temperature should be 20-22 degrees above zero Celsius, and at night it should drop to 19 degrees. If you forget to regulate the temperature and it drops below 7 degrees inside the terrarium, your snail will go into hibernation, from which it will be difficult to bring it out. It is better to use fluorescent lamps for lighting the terrarium, with the help of which you will create a 12-hour day of daylight for your pet, thereby adjusting the snail’s daily routine to suit you. The humidity inside the terrarium should be between 85-95%.

Concerning interior design and mandatory decorative elements, then in addition to plants, stones, pieces of limestone, halves of pipes (they will become a refuge for the snail), it would not hurt to place a small artificial pond, in which you will change the water at least once a day.

What to feed a grape snail at home

You can safely feed your pet clam fruits, vegetables, plant leaves and grass. In principle, grape snails are omnivorous in their vegetarian diet. The main thing is to remove food debris from the terrarium in a timely manner so that it does not spoil or begin to rot. As for additional vitamins and mineral supplements, be sure to put calcium in the terrarium - the snail needs it for health, and without it it will not be active.

Breeding grape snails

First of all, you should be aware of the fact that grape snails are hermaphrodites by nature. Based on this information, you don’t have to worry too much about whether you have a male or a female, and which one you need to purchase in order for you to have a family of snails. By the way, after mating, grape snails can retain their spermatophores for 12 months.

Their breeding season begins in March-June, however, sometimes snails lay eggs again - this happens in early autumn.

They reach puberty at 12-18 months of life; you shouldn’t think about offspring from your snails before that.

Necessary conditions for the reproduction of grape snails

If you decide to start breeding grape snails, then you will need to get not only a male and a female mollusk, but also organize a special breeding terrarium in which the thickness of the substrate at the bottom will be at least 7 centimeters, and the soil humidity will be 80%, at a soil temperature of 21 degrees. In order to stimulate the breeding processes of snails in such conditions, you can increase their duration daylight hours until 18 o'clock. True, you can’t count on the fact that you will witness how this all happens. Mating itself, and even the laying of eggs, which occurs through the intestines into a natural shelter or into a pre-dug hole, occurs at night. At one time, a snail can lay up to 40 pearl-white eggs with a diameter of 4-7 millimeters. After finishing the laying, she fills the hole and from that moment the incubation period begins, which lasts 3-4 weeks.

It is noteworthy that many snail breeders note that the breeding season exhausts the body of the snails’ parents, and after the end of the clutch, up to 1/3 of the mollusks die.

Grape snail- a mollusk of the Gastropod class of the Pulmonary order, which, in comparison with other representatives of this type, is the largest in Europe. Its length is on average 4.5 cm, and its lifespan can reach 20 years. The habitat of snails is not only vineyards, which is clear from its very name, but also forests where streams, lakes, rivers and other bodies of water are nearby. To date gastropods bred, propagated in enclosures in industrial scale on farms for business and further sale or kept at home as pets. In our article we will tell you how to care for grape snails at home, what to feed them, how to arrange housing and other secrets of raising a home, how to catch shellfish, what are their benefits to the human body, what harm they can cause, why they are used in cosmetology, as well as what dishes you can prepare with your own hands.

Interesting fact! The grape snail is often used as bait for catching crayfish and large fish, as well as food for hedgehogs and poultry, such as chickens and geese.

What does a mollusk look like and where does it live?

What does a mollusk look like and where does it live? We will provide the answer in the description. External and internal structure snails - shell, mantle and body. The body has symmetry, elasticity and mobility. There is also a hard shell, which in diameter ranges from 3 to 5 cm. This size is enough for the snail, twisted into a spiral, to fit completely into the shell and spend the winter in this form, hibernating. The color of the “house” can be different: white with brownish tints or olive with yellow accents. That is, the shell does not have a uniform color, but, on the contrary, it has stripes, where light and dark alternate. The surface of the grape snail’s “house” is not smooth, ribbed.

As already noted, the body of the mollusk is elastic, and therefore the average size, which we indicated above, can vary and reach 10 cm in length when extended. Regarding body color, it is often gray, beige-brown. The body is designed so that it can retain moisture. Rough to the touch, wrinkled.

On the head of a grape snail there are two pairs of tentacles, which are popularly called antennae. They are sense organs: those in front are intended to perform the function of touch, while those in the back are their “eyes”. Mollusks breathe through tracheas. Also on the body is a mouth with rows of sharp teeth. It moves with the help of a body, the abdomen, hence the name “gastropod”.

Those interested in biology, including the anatomy of grape snails, will be interested to know how many chromosomes they have. The answer is 24, which specialized literature will tell you in more detail.

It differs from some other mollusks, for example, toothless, slug, in the choice of habitat. As a "home" in wildlife grape snails choose green meadows, forests, where there are not too many trees, when they grow sparsely, and the grass is thick. Chalk or lime soil, which has an alkaline reaction, is the best place for gastropods.

Interesting information! It is impossible to establish a correspondence between male and female individuals, because gender is not determined: the grape snail is a hermaphrodite, that is, the reproductive system contains simultaneously organs of both sexes and snails reproduce regardless of which mollusks live in the same terrarium. After a kind of mating, the parents give birth - they lay eggs, burying them in the ground, and after some time ( incubation period eggs approximately 20-30 days) the “snails” hatch.

How to keep grape snails at home? Many factors influence. There are some peculiarities of care, which we will briefly discuss. In order to acquire such a pet, you first need to buy it or find it, catch it. The first method is quite simple: grape snails are sold in many pet stores, since these mollusks are found throughout Europe and are not unique. You can also search for sales advertisements on the Internet and place an order. There are also regions in which snails simply live in dachas in gardens and vegetable gardens, where you can easily catch them and care for them at home, arranging the necessary housing in the apartment and providing proper nutrition. The price for these animals is average: depending on the type, size, weight of the snail, the cost can fluctuate from low to high and vice versa. Houses also contain other breeds, for example, African Achatina, but the cost of these mollusks is higher.

Catching snails will be very simple if you go out “hunting” in the spring after warm rain. In Russia in dense thickets herbs in the garden you can easily find at least one shellfish.

If you decide to keep and raise live grape snails as pets, you must provide them with acceptable housing. For this purpose, a regular container made of plastic or glass is quite suitable, which must be closed so that the snails do not crawl out and roam freely around the apartment or house. The height of the container walls may be small, but the bottom must be wide so that the mollusks can move comfortably.

		Characteristic
	Ventilation	It is imperative that the container that will serve as a new home for the snail must have ventilation. Despite the fact that mollusks breathe not so often - only once a minute, if the humidity is average, they still need fresh air. Make small holes in the walls of the vessel or use a special mesh lid. This will allow air to ventilate freely in the container.
		Grape snails love moisture and even more - they need it. Dryness drives them into hibernation, that is, suspended animation, after which it is almost impossible to wake them up - the snail freezes in one position and sleeps. Therefore, creating a small reservoir will make your stay in the “aquarium” as comfortable as possible. There is no need to place a deep bowl, since the snail will not be able to get out of it on its own or will drown. An ordinary plastic lid in which you will collect chilled water will be quite sufficient.
		Since in the wild, grape snails live mostly in the ground, then in order to keep them in “captivity” at home, you need to make the right bottom in the container. However, any soil will not be suitable for these purposes. Take soil from the garden and one tablet of activated carbon. Crush the coal and mix with soil in a ratio of 1:7, where 7 is soil. You can also place live moss at the bottom or purchase coconut shavings from a pet store, which is considered a good bedding for snails. Be sure to moisten the bottom of the “house” with water from a spray bottle at least once or twice a day.
		The regime for keeping grape snails at home should coincide with the natural one, which is observed in nature, so as not to disturb the time for anabiosis. That is, if it is dry or humid outside, it should be the same in the container. The correct regime is the key to health and long life shellfish Only a device with the right “routine” will have a beneficial effect on pets.
		In terms of light, grape snails do not have special requirements. Regular daylight is enough for them. The only condition is considered to be this fact: direct Sun rays should not fall on the container. This will raise the air temperature in the container and increase dryness.
	Temperature	The temperature at which the snails will function normally ranges from 15 to 25 degrees. Such indicators will also encourage mollusks to reproduce and lay eggs. If you lower the temperature to 11 degrees, the activity of the snails will drop and growth will stop completely. If, on the contrary, the temperature is raised above 26 degrees, the snails hide in a shell and fall into a state of suspended animation. The best level is 19-22 degrees.
		You need to clean the container often. And if you consider that snails are active at night, then best time for cleaning - this is the morning. Clean the walls of the terrarium from mucus, get rid of any remaining food, and remove spoiled “decorations”.
	Decoration	You can decorate a clam house in many ways, including with handmade crafts, but at the same time you need to arrange the container in such a way that the conditions are as safe as possible for snails: without objects that could injure the clams shell or mucous body - sharp or It is better to exclude solid ones from decoration. Place bark or tree branches, leaves in the “house” garden plants, grass and other things that are safe and beneficial for shellfish.

Important information! If your snail's shell is broken, it is almost impossible to save it, however, you can try giving it more chitin. In case of minor damage, the mollusk will be able to grow the shell back.

As for food, grape snails are not so picky in this regard: give them fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, weeds, or buy special compound feed. Before being sent to the container, all products are first cut into medium-sized pieces and poured into the container in small quantities. It is recommended to do this in the evening, just at the time when the snails begin to be active. In more detail, in the table we will share with you which foods can be fed with shellfish and which cannot.

Unsuitable food causes problems in the digestive organs and circulatory system and the snails die. Adhere to the listed systematics and conditions so that your pets are active, pain-free, and have a long and healthy life.

Benefits and harms

The grape snail has both benefits and harms on the human body, and this is no longer a secret, but a proven fact.

If speak about beneficial properties, then they are determined by the composition of the snails. The meat of these shellfish contains vitamins A, B, K and PP, which improve vision, strengthen the immune system, and also normalize work nervous system humans, so these gastropods must be eaten.

Regarding the micro- and macroelements that are part of grape snails, these are potassium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus. These shellfish contain slightly less iron, calcium, selenium and zinc.

Interesting fact! A lot of experiments were carried out, after which scientists came to the conclusion: neurons of gastropods easily take root in the human brain. Therefore, thanks to the medicinal properties of grape mollusks, it is possible to cure epilepsy and relieve other serious diseases of this kind. Snails are excellent donors.

The calorie content of shellfish as an independent dish is low: 100 grams of the product contains only 90 kilocalories. For this reason, the grape snail is considered not only an exotic delicacy with an unforgettable taste, but also dietary product, and therefore you shouldn’t be afraid to gain a couple of extra pounds, but feel free to eat it. Doctors also recommend eating for people with problems with normal functioning. gastrointestinal tract, with vision problems, as well as to stabilize the musculoskeletal system. In addition, it has been known since ancient times that snails have medicinal properties, which manifest themselves in the ability to cope with diseases respiratory tract, namely, they fight bronchitis, whooping cough and silicosis.

Shellfish meat also contains a lot of biologically active substances, for example, alontoin, collagen, elastin, which are natural antibiotics that resist viruses, bacteria and others infectious diseases, and therefore it is really recommended to eat them.

Grape snails are rich in protein. There is many times more of it than in chicken eggs. And if you take into account the advice of doctors, snail meat is more dietary than chicken breasts, so it can be eaten by pregnant women and nursing mothers.

The mucus of mollusks also contains substances, thanks to which wounds and burns heal quickly if they are treated in time with the liquid secreted by the snails.

In addition to its benefits, the grape snail can cause harm to the human body if eaten in unlimited quantities. It is contraindicated to eat these shellfish for people with protein allergies, gout, or those with joint diseases. Proteins cause lactic acid to accumulate in the joints, causing painful sensations are intensifying.

The use of snails in cosmetology

The use of snails in cosmetology is quite widespread. The mucus of mollusks contains a large number of natural antioxidants. That is why this extract has great importance, being the basis for the manufacture of many cosmetic preparations, the action of which is aimed at rejuvenating facial skin. Special balms, creams, lotions, masks and tonics containing snail mucus have long been used in many countries around the world.

Some beauty salons include treatments that include facial massages using snails. In addition to the fact that it is very pleasant, the mollusk leaves its mucus on the face, which heals minor damage to the skin after procedures, for example, after peeling. Masters in elephants clean the skin first by special means, and then put it on the face big snail. The mollusk crawls for 15-20 minutes, then the cosmetologist removes it, rinses the skin and applies cream. It is worth noting that the price for these procedures, which, by the way, are in demand, is not so low, but the reviews are extremely positive. For these purposes, snails are specially prepared.

The optimal solution to the problem and cheaper in cost is the process of preparing an anti-aging mask with your own hands at home. This can be done if you breed snails at home or keep them as a pet. In this case, in the morning you can easily collect the mucus in the terrarium and cook necessary remedy. Pour 0.5 teaspoon of mucus with 2 teaspoons of water room temperature, stir thoroughly so that the secretion is completely dissolved in the liquid, add 1 teaspoon of cosmetic clay (green or blue), stir the composition again. Wash your face with a special cleanser and only then apply a mucus mask to your face. Keep it on for 20 minutes and then rinse with water.

To achieve results, you need to regularly carry out procedures with snails. Apply a mollusk mucus mask several times a week and notice the effect within a month: wrinkles will disappear, the skin will be soft, tender, smooth, velvety and acquire an even color tone.

Shellfish in cooking

Shellfish and their caviar have long been used in cooking by chefs in many countries. The grape snail is a real exotic edible delicacy of French cuisine. For serving, restaurants use various sauces: garlic, cream, white wine and others. Serve large ones directly in the shells (without opening) along with onions and herbs. Small snails are used as a minor ingredient in soups and many main courses, such as stews or potatoes.

How many dishes to prepare? There are many recipes, as already noted. Grape snails can be fried in oil in a frying pan or in a slow cooker, baked in the oven, or boiled on the stove. Shellfish are marinated for a special barbecue, and also stuffed and canned.

Marinated, boiled, fried, baked snails make delicious salads, snacks for beer and other drinks, which all gourmets have a positive attitude towards.

Cooking at home

Cooking grape snails at home is not particularly difficult, but the result will appeal to all gourmets. There are countless recipes, for example, Burgundian, Korean, Chinese, however, shellfish have their own characteristics, which must be adhered to during cooking so that the dish turns out not only tasty, but also healthy.

Today, grape snails are freely available for sale. They can be purchased fresh or frozen.

To properly prepare shellfish with your own hands at home, you need to follow these recommendations:

• Live snails must be “disinfected” before cooking, since they feed on substances that are toxic to humans. Therefore, after catching mollusks, they need to be planted in a special container, cared for, but fed exclusively with flour for 10 days. After the specified time has passed, they need to be covered with salt in order to get rid of harmful substances. This will also lead to the death of the snail. Most dishes use dead snails, although in some countries they are also eaten alive. After killing, the shell of the mollusk and the entire external surface must be thoroughly washed.
• The snails are placed in boiling water and kept in the liquid for 3 minutes. After this, they are taken out and the remaining mucus is removed. The sink is boiled in another container with water with the addition of soda powder for much longer - an hour.
• The insides of the snail are removed, leaving the “legs”. According to recipes, they are boiled for 40 minutes, adding spices and whole onion. After a specified period of time, the water is drained, clean water is collected, and the snail is cooked for the same amount of time with the same dressings. The finished shellfish are placed back into the cleaned shell and filled with sauce.

The shelf life of ready-made shellfish, even under cling film, is not very long, so cook in portions to avoid poisoning later.

At home, grape snails turn out no worse than those served in expensive restaurants. The main thing is to adhere to the instructions and strictly follow the recipes.

• The life cycle of gastropod mollusks is 7-9 years, but there are unique cases of longer life of grape snails at home. With proper care, grape snails reached an age of 17-21 years.
• Mollusks move at a speed of 3-4 mm per second. Cases have also been recorded when snails move faster - 7 mm per second.
• Thanks to their elastic mucous body, snails move equally easily on both horizontal and vertical surfaces.
• The blood of snails has no color - it is transparent.
• One of the Swedish communes chose the grape snail as a symbol, depicting it on its coat of arms.
• In some countries, for example in France, gastropods are considered natural “Viagra”, and impotence is also treated with their mucus.
• Snails have been bred on an industrial scale for food since ancient times. Since the first century AD, people have been eating this mollusk.
• Snail meat contains many vitamins, useful micro- and macroelements, and the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is balanced.
• The body of the snail also has medicinal properties: it produces a substance such as helicidin, which dilates the bronchi.

So, grape snail is a unique product that has an unsurpassed interesting taste, pleasant aroma, and is also incredibly beneficial for the human body. It is not at all necessary to go in search of French shellfish dishes to expensive restaurants. You can prepare an appetizing dish at home, because the mass is known step by step recipes with photo. In addition, snails are used in cosmetology because they have a beneficial effect on skin with your mucus.

We also bring to your attention a video from interesting recipe cooking snails at home.

First, you should register an individual entrepreneur in order to calmly engage in business and subsequent sales. When registering we indicate the code OKVED 01.25.81– “Breeding of aquatic reptiles and frogs in reservoirs.” Since you are going to breed animals, you will need permission from the veterinary service.

The documents will take a couple of months and about 300-350 dollars.

Purchase of livestock

So that the farm brings good income, you will need at least 300 individuals. It is better to buy adults, as this species can grow and develop too slowly. One individual costs about 3-4 dollars. It is popular to purchase them from suppliers from abroad (Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Tunisia) who have all the necessary quality certificates.

In Russia, such farms should be looked for primarily in Crimea, the Republic of Adygea, Krasnodar region . Some domestic snail farms offer adult mollusks at a price of $10-11 per kg.

Premises and equipment

For beginners, a small room for setting up a farm is quite enough - approximately 20 square meters. In the summer, you can grow them in your dacha by placing the molluscs outside (protecting them from rodents and other animals), but in the winter the mollusks must be kept warm.

Necessary equipment:

• Glass terrariums with a volume of 200-250 l (4-5 pieces). total cost will be approximately $700;
• Plastic containers for breeding and laying eggs (50 pcs.) with approximate parameters 12x8x6 cm (total $600);
• Aviary for young animals – capacity 300-350 l ($200-250);
• Boxes for sale finished products(5 pcs.) – 90-100 dollars.

Among the manufacturers of terrariums, you should pay attention to Aquael, FERPLAST, Triol.

Arrangement of the molluscarium

First you need to create comfortable conditions for breeding grape snails. These creatures are unpretentious, but have certain care requirements.

The container can be glass or plastic, always with large area bottom. The process of preparing a “house” for small pets includes the following steps:

1. The right soil. This wet ground , mixed with granular activated carbon (proportion 6.5:1), or ordinary earth for indoor plants, which has undergone the necessary processing;
2. Place live plants, twigs, leaves, and wet moss in the enclosure to recreate natural environment a habitat. In addition, pets will be able to eat plants if necessary;
3. It is advisable to arrange a shallow pond for bathing and drinking, so that animals do not drown in it;
4. Piece of chalk in the “house” it will be a good feed. Limestone also serves to strengthen the shell;
5. The container must be closed a lid with holes for air, otherwise the babies can easily crawl out.

Care

To successfully engage in this business, you need to follow simple rules for caring for shellfish.

Growing conditions

Houses must have good ventilation. Optimal air humidity is 85-90%, temperature +20-23 degrees Celsius. If the temperature drops below seven degrees, the animals may hibernate.

Boxes should not be kept in the sun, especially in direct sunlight. Place the molluscaria so that the gentle rays of the sun fall on it only in the morning and evening.

The inner surface of the terrarium should be moistened once or twice a day by spraying it with water from a spray bottle from the inside.

Every few days, clean the glass and walls of the house from regular mucus. clean water without any chemicals or cleaning products.

Feeding

These creatures feed on ground grains, grass and chalk. You should definitely include oats, wheat, hemp and flax seeds, corn, buckwheat, soybeans, and plantain in your diet. When feeding fresh cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, you must first cut them into thin slices. If you want to simplify all this activity, purchase compound feed. Its cost is $5-6 per kilogram.

Pets need to be fed two to three times a day. 20 kg of mixed feed is consumed per month to feed 300 animals. Make sure that leftover food does not remain in the terrarium. Rotting processes can lead to disease and destroy all offspring. Along with cleaning your pets’ “housing”, remove leftover food.

Growth and reproduction

These gastropods begin to reproduce in the second year of life and give birth once or twice a year. The good thing about grape snails for sale is that these animals are hermaphrodites. Each individual can produce offspring: 40-60 individuals per year.

But fertilization still requires two individuals. After fertilization, each is placed in a separate box with soil, where they lay eggs, and then transplanted back into a common container. The offspring will appear in three to four weeks. First, the “babies” eat the organic remains of their shells, then, after a few days, they are fed, like adults. It will take approximately six weeks for the young animals to grow, then they are transplanted into a common container.

The young “mature” at about one and a half years. After this period, they can be eaten. These creatures breed all year round if available. favorable conditions(temperature, humidity).

Caviar

Grape snails, don’t forget about caviar. This is a very valuable product that is released only during mating season. It is recommended to place the formed pair in a separate container for the mating period, so that later the eggs can be easily collected.

Sales

The first category of clients are elite restaurants serving exotic dishes. In addition, your company can cooperate with producers of canned snail meat and pharmaceutical companies. After all, cosmetics based on gastropod mucus are rapidly gaining popularity.

Snail meat is in greater demand abroad; you can try to find partners from Europe. This task is complex and will require hassle with documentation and all kinds of contracts, but it will ensure 100% sales of products.

Costs and profits

To equip the snail houses and purchase food for the year, you will need $4000-4500. Further monthly costs will be minimal - around $100.

On average, one individual produces a kilogram of offspring per year. This means that in a year you can get 300 kg of snail meat at a cost of $5-6 per kg (wholesale price). Caviar is significantly more expensive: $130-250 per 100 grams. Over the course of a year, your pets will produce about a kilogram of caviar. As a result, your business will generate income of approximately 4 thousand dollars a year and 300-350 $ per month, net - 200-250 $.

It is not difficult to grow a snail; it is more difficult to establish stable sales of the product. But simplicity and high price meat and caviar of shellfish prove that as a business, this is a very profitable enterprise!