Raising snails . Part III

What do snails eat?

Snails eat all kinds of vegetables, but preferably aromatic herbs as thyme and rosemary.

We may also give them wheat flavor.

Snail keeping conditions

The best conditions are:

- Temperatures of 68°F

- Relative humidity at 100%

- Nutrition rich in carbon hydrates and calcium.

- Neutral open soils

- Densities of 120to 240snails/m2.

Snails depend on the moisture of the environment due tot he permeability of their skin. Hence, they perform their activities when it is raining, or whenever the weather is humid.

Raising snails. Part II

What snails are good for?

Snails have a great culinary value. When eating it, we can divide it in two parts:

- Frontal part: Formed by head and foot (but also the anus and rectum).

- Back part: Formed by the albumin gland and the hepatic pancreas.
The frontal part is more edible than the back, while this one ahs a higher nutritive value.

Snails are low fat, thus in calories too. It is rich in minerals as calcium, magnesium, iodine; and vitamin C.

It is also used in the cosmetic industry and as curative element for respiratory problems. It is believed that these two actions are sustained by the properties of the snail’s slime.

They are edible all the snails from the Helix genre.

There are more snails raise in captivity than wild snails.

The country that consume snails the most in Europe is France.

Raising snails.Part I

Snail features

Snail is a gastropod mollusk that belongs to the family of Helicidae. It moves by means of a locomotive system called foot. It has an enclosing spiral shell.
The body is formed by foot and head. In the head there is a pair of major tentacles that take in charge of the touch sense, and a pair of minor tentacles that take in charge of smell.

Snails move slowly, around 3 inches per minute. It has an average life expectancy of 5 years.

There are species of snails like Helix Pomatia that suffer a process of operculization that protect them from low winter temperatures.
In summer, they present the phenomenon of stiving and in winter they suffer hibernation. They are both strategies of the snail to resists unfavorable atmospheric conditions.

To tell the difference between species we can consider color, the shape of peristome (region around the mouth), position, opening shape and the shape of the shell.

Toucan pet health

One of the most important aspects to preserve any pet healthy is hygiene to insure its quality of life and survival. By following these simple tips you can build up a sound home for your toucan bird.

It is compulsory that this exotic bird is maintained away from bacteria, infections and parasites. For this, periodic and careful cleaning of its cage is vital.

You have to make a total disinfection of the cage or birdhouse where it is our feathered friend to make sure there is no micro organism that can bring any disease. For this, choose a product that has not toxic element. But before proceeding to this, it is better to let the toucan itself to realize its self-cleaning techniques.

Toucan feeding and special care

One of the particular features of this bird it its very small stomach, making its digestion through absorption in juts half an hour.

The dimension of its stomach makes it take foods rich in water or soluble substances. Therefore, the foods we give our toucan must be diluted in water to facilitate its digestive process.

The basic diet of this animal is comprised of fruits and vegetables, but is can include, according to our possibilities, larvae, chicken or reptiles. The latter, that a toucan can get easily in its habitat, are more complicated to get in a domestic environment.

We have to plan our toucan’s diet without overlooking some fruits as apple, melon, pear, mango, cherries, peaches, bananas, kiwis, etc.; or vegetables like cucumbers or carrots. We may also include some bread, but it has to be whole meal.