Snails make great pets, not only are these little creatures cute, but they are also good human friends. Unlike other pets like dogs, cats, rabbits, etc., pet snails need a lot of care while you play with them. Snails are tiny little creatures, and a little action can scare them instantly. Once a snail is afraid of you, it may not come out of its shell for an hour.
It doesn’t mean you can’t play with pet snails, but it is only said because you need special care while playing with pet snails.
Below is a brief guide on “How to Play with Pet Snails”.
Make Playtime Safe
The first step, or we can say a precaution before playing with a snail, is to wash your hands properly.
Use warm water, a good antibacterial soap, to kill all germs and bacteria on your hands. Snails are delicate little creatures, even a little exposure to chemicals could harm snail bodies or their shells.
Therefore, it is essential to wash your hands and remove soap properly on your hands. Plus, it ensures that a room where you play with a snail is safe and protected. By securing the room, you are saving your snail’s life and making playtime a little more fun.
The following are some important steps to make your room safe.
- While playing with your pet’s snails, make sure there are no other pets, especially cats or dogs, in the room. Other pets may scare the snail or it will hide in its shell. Or dogs can see snails as a toy or they can even eat it too.
- Let the rest of your family know what you are doing in the room. Therefore, nobody in the house could disturb you and your snail pet.
- Try listening to music or songs at full volume. Although snails do not have listening power, it creates an environment to play for a longer period of time.
Also, select the right time to play with your pet snail. As mentioned earlier, snails do not like light or sunlight. And mainly during the day, the snails hide in their shells, so the night is the best time to play with the snails.
The right time to play, when the snail is most active and fresh, is in the afternoon from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
How To Pick Up a Snail?
Snails are insensitive creatures with very soft and moist bodies. Picking up a snail with its shells or body could hurt it or damage its shell. The best and safest way to pick up a snail is to let it crawl into your hands.
Place your hand in front of them and give them 2 to 3 minutes’ time. The snails will automatically start moving towards your hand and then crawl towards it. Once the snail is on your plan, be sure to slowly and carefully move your hand out of the enclosure.
Moving your hand quickly can scare the snail, or you can accidentally drop it to the ground. Follow the steps mentioned below:
- Place your hand carefully against a plain and smooth surface. Let the snail crawl from your hand onto this surface.
- Don’t shake hands or table suddenly. It can scare the snail.
- Consider creating a “playground” tank using rocks, obstacles, and even snail treats like apples, lettuce, or cucumbers.
- Avoid lowering the snail to the ground. In doing so, there is a possibility that you or someone else may step on it.
Interacting With Your Pet Snail
Once you and your pet snail are on the playground, let it move. Do not stop it or try to move it in the opposite direction. It can damage the snail or shell of snails.
Let the snail crawl in a different direction. If there is food in the snail’s new play area, there may be a chance it will move around and investigate the food.
Touching the snail from time to time or trying to move or stop without your concern could scare or injure it. In case your pet snail seems to be in a good mood, it will be nice to stroke its shell not too hard, although stroking or touching it is a great way to interact with your snail and invite it to play with you.
Keep the following points in mind as you interact with your pet snails
- Do not try to lift the snail with something sharp.
- Always use two fingers to lift the snail if necessary.
- Do not try to lift your snail with its shell.
Place The Snail Carefully
Now when playtime is up and you’re done playing with your pet snail, put it back in your tank very carefully.
Let the snail crawl from your hand into its tank. Do not move the tank suddenly, or after the snail returns home.
The snail may want to rest after a time of play. Now wash your hands again with a good antibacterial soap.
The body of the snail is covered with mucus that should not remain in your hands for a long period of time.
After returning the snail to your tank, make sure the tank is safe and safe. Make sure the top lid of the tank is tightly closed so that no other pet or human can disturb the snail again. Or your snail could leave your tank and get lost if you don’t secure the top of the tank.
- Place the top of your tank carefully.
- Make sure that the lid is completely closed and that there are no holes or gaps in it.
- Secure the clips or any other lock so that no other pet can harm your snail.