Snail

Snail refers to all land-based species of the gastropod class. In general, Western languages do not distinguish between aquatic gastropods and terrestrial snails. In Chinese, snail only refers to terrestrial species, while the broad definition of snail also includes giant shield slugs. Snail is a category that includes many different families and species. They feed on plants and lay eggs in soil or on trees. They are common in tropical islands, but some also live in cold regions. Tree-dwelling snail species are brightly colored, while terrestrial species usually have similar colors with stripes. The African Giant Snail is the largest in size, often exceeding 20 centimeters. Several species of the European Helix genus, commonly known as escargot, are popular culinary delicacies, especially in France. Snail is the most common mollusk on land and has high culinary and medicinal value.

Snail's entire body includes eyes, mouth, foot, shell, antennae, etc. It has a spiral-shaped shell, which comes in different shapes, colors, and sizes. Their shells can be pagoda-shaped, spinning top-shaped, cone-shaped, spherical, tobacco pipe-shaped, and so on. Domestic breeds of snails, such as White Jade Snail, Covered-Bowl Giant Snail, Scattered Giant Snail, Bright Giant Snail, Brown Agate Snail, all have their unique appearances. Snail's eyes are located on the second pair of antennae on its head.

1. Soft rot disease

Pale in color, dull, attached to objects without eating or moving for a long time, and die in a week. Disinfect the abdomen with 0.04% potassium permanganate, then apply chloramphenicol ointment once a day for 3-4 days.

2. Tuberculosis

Eat less, dull, and eventually stop eating and moving, slowly dying. Prevention is the key, usually keep ventilation and air circulation, and the humidity should not be too high.

3. White spot disease

Often lying on the breeding tank, dry abdomen, white mucous membrane layer grows on the foot surface, shrink into the shell all day, and gradually die. Wash with mercuric nitrite solution for 1-2 minutes every day for 3 days.

4. Shell shedding disease

The shell falls off, and severe cases can expose the viscera, slowly dying. Spread some garden soil on the bottom of the box to let it eat humus to replenish calcium, or grind old lime and let it feed on it.

Snails like to live in dark, moist, and loose environments with abundant organic matter. They are active at night and fear direct sunlight. They are sensitive to their surroundings. The most suitable environment for them is a temperature of 16-30°C (growth is fastest at 23-30°C), air humidity of 60-90%, and soil moisture of about 40%. The pH should be between 5-7. When the temperature is below 15°C or above 33°C, they go into hibernation. If the temperature is below 5°C or above 40°C, they may freeze or overheat. However, different species of snails have different requirements.

Snails are omnivorous. Young snails are usually scavengers, mainly feeding on decaying plants. Adult snails mainly consume green plants, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, especially the buds of plants and juicy plants. They also eat various types of paper, pig manure, plant residues, etc. When hungry, they may cannibalize each other.