Post by metaphysicalninja on Nov 25, 2010 17:35:51 GMT
www.snailsandtails.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=care&action=display&thread=22
Right, so thats the basics, so I'll stick to the specifics of keeping margies now.
There are about 13 variations of the Marginata species, personally I only keep 2 of them at writing this. However the care for them all is pretty much the same. The Marginata v. Ovum is one of the largest land snails of them all, up with the Achatina achatina. This is something that really ought to be considered when buying them, as most of the time they only come up available as young and do not look like the monsters they can become. Depending on the variant of margie in question, they range right across west africa, and as such prefer the climate of, yup you guessed it, west africa. That is, quite hot, and very humid.
So, their actual care.
Temperature: Warm. I keep mine around 25-28*C, with a slight dip at night. They have a cooler end at the other side of the tanks. I do this with heat mats at one end of the tank, controlled with a thermostat.
Feeding: These guys are one of the least fussy snails I have. Their isn't much they wont eat. Though the ones I have tend not to touch carrot. I usually buy Florette bags which go quite well as there is a good mixture of veg in them. They seem to prefer green foods, and will eat those first most of the time. Cuttlefish is a must for these guys, they readily take it. I often hear my larger ones literally crunching through it, very noisy lol.
Breeding: I haven't bred mine, so can't comment too much on it. However they lay much lower numbers of eggs, depending on the variant. They are becoming more common, as breeders find what works best for them, however are still one of the more challenging species to breed.
These guys are not the most long lived of snails, averaging about 5 years from what I've read. However they are capable of hitting 10 with proper care and good health. They mature in around 10 months, hopefully I'll be able to add to the breeding section soon
If I've missed anything, shout
Right, so thats the basics, so I'll stick to the specifics of keeping margies now.
There are about 13 variations of the Marginata species, personally I only keep 2 of them at writing this. However the care for them all is pretty much the same. The Marginata v. Ovum is one of the largest land snails of them all, up with the Achatina achatina. This is something that really ought to be considered when buying them, as most of the time they only come up available as young and do not look like the monsters they can become. Depending on the variant of margie in question, they range right across west africa, and as such prefer the climate of, yup you guessed it, west africa. That is, quite hot, and very humid.
So, their actual care.
Temperature: Warm. I keep mine around 25-28*C, with a slight dip at night. They have a cooler end at the other side of the tanks. I do this with heat mats at one end of the tank, controlled with a thermostat.
Feeding: These guys are one of the least fussy snails I have. Their isn't much they wont eat. Though the ones I have tend not to touch carrot. I usually buy Florette bags which go quite well as there is a good mixture of veg in them. They seem to prefer green foods, and will eat those first most of the time. Cuttlefish is a must for these guys, they readily take it. I often hear my larger ones literally crunching through it, very noisy lol.
Breeding: I haven't bred mine, so can't comment too much on it. However they lay much lower numbers of eggs, depending on the variant. They are becoming more common, as breeders find what works best for them, however are still one of the more challenging species to breed.
These guys are not the most long lived of snails, averaging about 5 years from what I've read. However they are capable of hitting 10 with proper care and good health. They mature in around 10 months, hopefully I'll be able to add to the breeding section soon
If I've missed anything, shout
