These includes the following activities: Check the housing units regularly and any dead or infected snails found removed.
Snail housing must be well constructed, secured and strong to withstand and keep out predators as well as prevent theft by humans. Proper covering and netting of snails housing unit must be in place to prevent escape of hatchlings and adult snails from the pen. More so, doors that fit well into the wall frames should be used to prevent rodents, shrews, frogs, millipedes, lizards, rats’ etc. from gaining access into the snailery or pen.
Remove regularly the leftover feeds in the housing as Left over feeds not removed in the pen may serve as pathogenic disease source to snails under domestication. Snails ingest bacteria from the soil and their immediate environment. This is why waste feeds must always be removed. Clean and replenish water trays with fresh cool water untreated. Clean the pens and the surrounding regularly. Make sure that the soil is well covered with dry leaves (mulching). In the dry season, wet the soil adequately to remain moist always. Many snails aestivate at this time because of low weather temperature and relative humidity.
Feed the snails after sun-set (6p.m to 7pm) to preserve the freshness of the feeds. Discourage visitors from entering the Snailery too frequently. Do a proper inspection of materials carried to snailery such that they are safe. Do not use chemicals i.e. insecticides or herbicides inside the Snailery. Adequate shade must be provided. Snail must be handled carefully.
Fresh poultry dropping should not be added. Mouldy, stale or fermented feed should not be given to snails because it contains uric acid harmful to snails. The hatchling or young ones require more humid environment and more attention than the matured ones. ln snail Farming certain best practices and daily routine are required for the wellbeing of the snails since responsibility and commitment is most required here. The construction of the housing must be done by a professional such that the right specifications be followed. For instance there should be a water outlet in the pen most especially cage system such that excess water can drain out.Adequate netting with wire mesh and mosquito net be well fortified to ensure the cages or box are well protected against Predators.
After snails are introduced into the pen with the required loamy soil, the snail farmer must observe the snails when they are feed, to see whether the snails are eating the feeds well enough or not. The snail farmer should also ensure that they are given adequate quantity of feed per time.
In addition, in a small scale snail Farming, the soil must always be well drained and moist for the snails’ activities. During dry season, the Snails Farmer must also ensure that the soil is be sprinkled with water. This is so because snails absorb water also from the soil and lay their eggs on same.
We encourage closed free range system or an intensive trench pen , Also, Calcium source can be mixed or sprinkled on the leaves. The soil can be mixed with powdered limestone as well. Snails can be feed twice a day, early in the Morning 6:00am to 7:00am.Early in the evening 6:00am to 7:00am and above. Snails will eat more at night compared to day because they are nocturnal animals, also the soil should be sprayed regularly most especially when it appears to be dried.
Early morning and late evenings sprinkling can be done. If running a free ranged system, it is therefore recommended to have additional calcium source for the snails need in case there is inadequate calcium from the soil. Egg Shell and snail shell prepared to slight powered form are also natural calcium sources. There are conditions necessary for feed intake by snails. And When those conditions are lacking snails may suffer also from poor feed intake.
The essence of feeding the snails is to aid reproduction and egg laying capacity and increase their size. Therefore, be consistently in feeding. They can eat up to 3 – 5 % of their body weight in 24hrs. Snails convert feed to body weight when a balanced diet containing protein, vitamin, minerals, calcium carbonate and phosphate is given to them. The feed items should be distributed evenly within the snailery to enhance equal feeding opportunity for all the snails.
Avoid salt and salty foods since snails do not survive high salt intakewe recommend calcium supplement for those in need of calcium for their snails. It can be Mixed with Water. and it can be sprinkled on their feeds and also mixed with water or served dry in their feed trays, Once in two or three days amidst their normal feed or food.
Shell whitening is mostly known to be caused by calcium deficiency responsible for shell whitening. So it is advisable to maintain the required conditions and calcium intake for the snails.
Avoid foods that are dangerous for snails to eat. Rice, millet, pasta, and other starchy foods can cause the snails to get bloated and die. Avoid foods that contain salt. Finally, don't feed snails food that has been treated with pesticides or other chemicals.
The snails top soil should be replaced regularly every three months; this is a good disease management practice and to maintain good hygiene for the snails in the housing environment. Avoid the use of soil containing harmful chemicals e.g lead, mercury and salt as top soil. Acidic soil should also be avoided.
Overcrowding should be avoided by all means. This is so because it leads to stunted growth, disease infestations, competition for food and space, high mortality rate and decline in productivity. Depending on the snails’ size and age, anappropriate stocking density should be maintained. Adult will take 15 snails per meter square, growers 25 and hatchlings 50 per square meter.
Constant regular monitoring of the snails will improve the wellbeing of the snails newly stocked. Sluggish, sick and dead should be removed from the snails’ pen to avoid the spread of diseases to healthy snails. Checking and monitoring of the snails housing will help you to detect any openings in the snails’ pen from where the snails can escape. Stressing of snails should be minimized, as it may retard their growth rate. The stress could be by sudden noise, touching of snails as they creep, rasp or feeds and improper handling.
Five Requests of snails
(1) Check on me daily, don't be tired of me I.e be my friend.
(2) Give me a comfortable habitat, my house must be cool at all times, use plantain leafs as mulching to make me feel at home.
(3) You must give me fresh food at all times for me to look healthy ie every left over food must be removed and give me clean water to drink because it boosts my productivity
(4) You must be very observant to know when am ill and take immediate action to make sure that i survive it, that is the only way you can be called a snail farmer. But if you always let me and my brothers die in your farm, you need to learn more about me because we don't die any how.
(5) I don't like be over crowded, because it makes me and my brothers to be uncomfortable and can lead to our illness which can send us to our early grave.
If you pay attention to these 5 things, you are in the path to succeed in snail farming business which will give you a great harvest.
