Snailgrove

[snailgrove]

Snail / Slug identification resources

I made this compilation of links and PDFs so that people like me can identify local gastropod species! I will update this list as I find motivation. Feel free to message me or send an ask to request your state specifically, and I’ll do what I can for you!! I hope this is helpful!

IMPORTANT FOR THOSE IDENTIFYING SLUGS IN THE U.S;

https://www.jaxshells.org/norw22.htm

^Contains picture and native states!

ALABAMA

*

Sadly this link only has pictures for a certain amount of species, but this works for more well-known species. https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/5288

I have no idea why the actual species list is sideways. I’m so sorry.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228493618_A_Survey_of_Terrestrial_Gastropods_of_the_Sipsey_Wilderness_Bankhead_National_Forest_Alabama

ARIZONA

*

List of snails in Arizona; https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/land-snails-of-arizona

https://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/t-tips/animals/snail.htm

CALIFORNIA * This link only lists the PEST species, but gives a nice amount of information about the few species shown. https://ucanr.edu/sites/CalSnailsandSlugs/Californias_Pest_Snails_and_Slugs/ This website provides pictures as well as information for each species! (iNaturalist is a good resource regardless of your location.) https://www.inaturalist.org/check_lists/221732-Land-Snails-and-Slugs-of-California FLORIDA * Some slugs that may be found in Florida (there’s a ‘page two’ button at the bottom of the last picture that may be hard to see.) It’s a decent sized list with pictures. http://jaxshells.org/728aaa.htm This is a good article showing a large diversity of Florida slugs. Written from an agricultural standpoint. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in891 This page is very useful, it mostly focuses on species that have the potential to threaten Florida’s crops / agriculture. The top gives general information about snails. Towards the bottom it gives detailed information about various Florida species. http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/gastro/terrestrial_snails.htm

A list of slug species can be found halfway through the document;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/gastro/slugs_of_florida.htm A dichotomous key for aquatic freshwater snails of florida; https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/iz/resources/florida-snails/ GEORGIA * https://digitalcommons.gaacademy.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1917&context=gjs I’m unsure of if this list details snails that may be found in Georgia or if it lists snails in the museum’s collection.

This lists a few snail as well as slug species that are invasive to Georgia.https://www.gainvasives.org/species/mollusks/ KENTUCKY * Quite long, but pictures are provided! You can click on pictures to see a gallery of that species specifically (if there is one.) http://jaxshells.org/52008.htm OREGON * This link includes a useful picture guide, as well as a dichotomous key. odaguides.us/molluscs-home.html Mostly includes slugs, but a useful guide on molluscs nonetheless. oregon.gov/oda/shared/documents/publications/ippm/odaguidemolluscs2016forweb.pdf PENNYSYLVANIA * https://www.carnegiemnh.org/science/mollusks/pa_alphabetical.html List of species that can be found in the state. https://www.carnegiemnh.org/science/mollusks/pa_imagegallery.html Image gallery to provide help with identifying / searching. TEXAS * For this link, you’re looking for “Gastropods” towards the bottom of the page. http://www.tsusinvasives.org/home/database/mollusks-crustacea.html This details names, no images. http://northamericanlandsnails.org/texasnaillist.html One of my favourite websites, lists snails that can be found around Harris county but doesn’t go deeply into detail for most species. http://molluskman.com/Land_Snails.html VIRGINIA * An image gallery showing a broad range of species. https://www.carnegiemnh.org/science/mollusks/va_imagegallery.html# Alphabetic list of species; https://www.carnegiemnh.org/science/mollusks/va_alphabetical.html Dichotomous key for species found in Virginia; https://www.carnegiemnh.org/science/mollusks/va_key.html Image gallery of freshwater aquatic snails that may be found in Virginia, (a dichotomous key may be found on the right hand side); https://www.fwgna.org/FWGVA/gallery.html WISCONSIN * This page is set up a little strangely when viewed on mobile. Contains a neat chart containing species AND images! http://northamericanlandsnails.org/WIterrestrialsnails/land_snails_of_wisconsin.html This is useful for identifying species. Should be used together with the link above for maximum accuracy. http://northamericanlandsnails.org/WIterrestrialsnails/snailkey.pdf

[cyan-simmer]

Snail Care: Breeding

Everyone who owns a land snail will find eggs at some point. Even if you only own one, although some snails do have genders but these are uncommon. Here is a list of things you need to consider with snails regarding babies and eggs:

Culling eggs means putting them in the freezer for 12 hours or crushing them. Culling baby snails means crushing them. If you can't handle doing either of these then snails aren't the pet for you.

Do not place baby snails or eggs outside as a method of culling, even if they are native. You may skew the population of snails in your area which could damage the ecosystem. Additionally, releasing runt snails that have already been fed gives them a 'head start', meaning they may live to be adults (which wouldn't normally happen) and end up reproducing. This can cause the snail population of your area to have bad genetics.

Runts are snails with smaller or malformed shells. These snails live for a much shorter time and are generally more prone to health complications. These snails will naturally die off in the wild when they are young and only around 10% of snail babies will actually make it to adulthood.

Eggs created through self fertilisation will always need to be culled. These snails will have weaker genetics and won't live as long. So will eggs created by younger snails (snails who have been mature for less than 4-6 months), eggs created by runt snails, eggs created by snails who are related, and eggs created by snails with weak or deformed shells (unless these issues were created by an injury).

Egg clutches should only be hatched if they have a sufficient number of eggs. Do not hatch abnormally small clutches or clutches with abnormally small eggs. If you hatch a small clutch it will be difficult to determine which snails need to be culled in future.

To properly hatch a clutch of eggs, remove all the eggs from your snail tank and place them into a smaller tub. This tub should be kept at the same temperature and humidity as the parent snails. The tub should also have a layer of sterile dirt with no added pesticides or fertilisers on the bottom, dirt from your snail tank will work equally well. Some people recommend using paper towels but these can grow bacteria and baby snails may eat it.

Once the eggs have hatched you can add food and a small piece of cuttlefish bone. Baby snails may not eat for the first few weeks, this is normal. Just keep replacing their food as necessary, or feed the uneaten food to the parent snails.

Wait until there is a noticeable size difference between your baby snails. Some will be very small and some will be larger. Pick out all the noticeably smaller snails and snails with malformed shells and cull them. Repeat this step every few weeks until all remaining snails are the same size and shape. You may end up with one snail or you may end up with ten. Introduce the remaining baby snails to the adult tank once they are big enough. You may have to move them to an 'in-between tank' which is smaller than the adult tank but bigger than the baby tub. If you are planning on selling the baby snails, this is also the point to do so. Do not sell snails that haven't yet gone through the culling process, this is extremely irresponsible and can lead to you selling someone a runt snail.

[snailgrove]

I wanted to add that for certain species, clutches aren’t all the same size. While a bradybaena similaris may have an average of 20 eggs per clutch, a rumina decollata may have only 7-14 per clutch. Try to do research on the species before culling the entire batch of ‘small eggs’.

Also, certain species have eggs with HARD SHELLS rather than soft membranes. This does not mean they aren’t viable, they’re just laid that way!

[bird-that-flies-at-dawn]

A guide to snail terrariums

about

an important part of having and taking care of snails is knowing how to house them. i have posted before about bad snail terrariums- but lets talk more about what to do. housing is very important in a snail’s life- a bad terrarium can even lead to tw: snail death.

the basics

for the first layer, add pebbles for drainage to prevent mold when you mist the terrarium

for the second layer, add soil (above 7 ph, organic and free from fertilizers.) please do not use soil you find outside, as it may contain things that will harm your snail and could be too dry.

for the third layer, my personal favorite- moss!! people commonly use sphagnum moss for their terrariums because it increases humidity and is good for snails. you can also use moss you find outside- just check it for anything concerning. you can also use moss to cover hard things in your terrarium so snails won’t break their shell on it if they fall.

other things to add would be:

little pots (with moss on the top)

small containers for hides

sticks

links

housing guide

this is a guide for housing snails, i reccomend it!

🐌🌱

[bird-that-flies-at-dawn]

how to hold a snail 🐌

be gentle

be gentle!!! you are so so much bigger than them! you can harm them very easily. be slow and don’t be rough with the snail.

don’t pick them up by the shell

you may think it’s okay to just grab their shell and pull them up- but thats exactly what not to do! by doing this, you can rip their body or even damage the shell- its better to let them go onto your hand or gently slide your snail forward, off then up by their shell.

wash your hands

i cannot stress this enough! w a s h y o u r h a n d s!!! you may have some harmful things on your hands thay could hurt the snail. wash your hands thoroughly before handling a snail.

be safe

it’s very easy to drop your snail. heck, i’ve even done it! want to know what happened? their shell chipped! it took a while to nurse them back to health. please sit down while holding your snail and have something below your hand to catch them if they fall. snails are clumsy.

give them pets

by rubbing the top of their shell gently- you bond with your snail! its like giving them a lil pet! be sure not to pet the entrance of their shell, that can harm them. what i also like to do is when they’re on the sides on my terrarium- i rub their belly with my finger on the glass. this sends vibrations that they can feel.

be protective (tw: snail death)

please, hide your snails from some people. but only if you know they have a tendancy to be hateful torwards bugs/insects. one person did harm my snail that i found at school, i was trying to bring it home because it was injured. and someone took it’s life to be funny. it was not and is not funny. ever since then ive kept a small container with holes and moss it in to put snails in that i find in public so i can put it in my bag safely to bring home. :(

[snailgrove]

Tired

I’m updating the snail / slug resources list once again, and my mouse is running on his wheel at top speeds. I can hear his little feet clinking.

[mydogisabutt]

more things i’ve discovered after 2 years of raising garden snails:

- they will wiggle their eye stalks in excitement - they have favorite places to sleep and favorite friends to sleep with - they’re good for your skin so let them run around on ur face!!! - they can feel their shells, which means they can feel u pet them (pet gently!!) - u can help a snail with a broken shell by giving it eggshells or cuttlebones to scrape (the calcium helps them patch up!) - they like a change of scenery and will explore all day if u change something - absolute cuddle bugs. love to snuggle with u, with friends, with dirt - u can hear them chew!! listen closely when u feed them….. asmr - as distinct as snowflakes, every single one is different!! i can tell all of my snails apart easily - babies. absolute baby children - speaking of babies, baby garden snails are no bigger than raindrops and translucent… delicate!! keep in a separate enclosure until they’re bigger!! baby jail!!! - some snails are shy……… kiss them. they are important