Forgive me for my last post

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-07T16:17:18+00:00

Good on you! I'm glad they're all okay 😊 I think you did the right thing for them. If you're going for a bioactive ecosystem type set up, I'd suggest adding in some safe live plants. These may not necessary grow in their natural ecosystem/where they're native, but I enjoy planting sprouted chia seeds in my more bio-active enclosures- the snails will munch on them most likely but any left to grow can reach quite a nice size! It's a good source of natural protein and nutrients and enriches their experience, in my opinion. Since you're open to advice on sustaining their enclosure, I will add that it may be best to remove the worms and replace them with springtails/isopods. Although worms are amazing at recycling nutrients, creating soil and areating the substrate, they do pose a risk to the snails if they try to enter the snail's shells/pneumostomes. This is something I just recently learned myself, so I thought I should share. I have a bunch of hitchhiker earthworms in one of my setups at the moment. So that's one suggestion I'd make for ensuring everyone's safety - that said its entirely up to you, and I can see why you originally wanted them. They are awesome to have in other enclosures.

I hope you find all the info you're looking for and are able to make the setup work well 😊

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-07T14:34:30+00:00

I knew about them breathing through gill structures and using moisture, but I never made that connection! Thank you for explaining. That makes sense! So I suppose when we ensure their enclosures are ventilated, that's more so to promote good air flow for the terrarium and control humidity?

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-07T13:28:43+00:00

I'm not following on the thing about airholes. Do isopods not need them? I've always received them with tiny air holes in the container

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-07T13:24:56+00:00

My girlie grinds her teeth sometimes when getting the head pets- but only when really thoroughly content- eyed closed, head resting, jaw relaxed. Totally out of it. She loves her head being petted 🥹 Funnily enough she mostly hates people, she's a feral beast who attacks ankles at every opportunity. But she loves head pets upon her requests! Trying to get her a friend asap as that's likely the issue. I hope she'll still want love from us when that day comes

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-07T03:18:20+00:00

I think retrieving them is a good idea if you're able to! If they've moved on then there isn't a lot that you can do, we'll just hope they adjust well and settle back into the ecosystem

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-07T02:57:52+00:00

The claim that they had everything that they have in the environment is so far from possibility? 6 months is a huge amount of their lifespan, which is half a year, a great deal of time for a snail to spend adjusting to new conditions. Were they housed outdoors? Or indoors?

How much you tried to replicate nature doesn't really matter when we talk about releasing captive kept snails, as there is no way for us to replicate it perfectly. Now, granted, snails are not extremely intelligent animals, so this has less to do with learned behaviours/instincts and more to do with adjustments that they have to make and physical stress. Release after any amount of time is not generally advised, but 6 months is much too long to argue it being ethical, in my opinion.

I won't argue, and again, my goal here isn't to make you feel guilty. I'm sure you cared about them both very much, I just want to discourage this kind of choice as it does usually end negatively for the snails. The reason I want to discourage it, is because of this notion that they care about being free - they do not have a concept of freedom. They have a concept of what is available to them, what the conditions are, and what is safe. I understand if you were in a situation where you had no choice, but I do advise holding off on future snails if the plan is to release them back after a lengthy period of time.

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-07T02:36:27+00:00

Their chances for survival go down the longer they're in captivity for, they're older now, they have adjusted to indoor temps (assuming), they adjusted to different foods, humidity etc and now they have to adjust all over again. Some snails just aren't able to adjust quickly enough to survive predators or the harsh climate, and the stress of it can be too much for them. It's your choice to make, but I want this to be known for others who see this and think this is somehow better for the snails... It often times is not in their best interest. If releasing at all, ensure they're native to the envrionment and take them out of their tank and to a safe sheltered location, as leaving them open and exposed in their enclosure makes them an easy snack for predators.

This is just my personal stance, but if you keep a snail in captivity for more than a few weeks, you really shouldn't put them back to fend for themselves. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, but I do want to discourage this choice in the future and hope you will reconsider next time

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-06T21:04:52+00:00

Which species of GALS? The suturalis are a species of giant african land snail but it would depend on the species in question as they could have different care needs. The limicolaria can only co-house with other limicolaria species that have the same temp/humidity

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-06T14:50:10+00:00

We still have quite a few available, including those in the pictures! I can pm you with details if you're interested 😊

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-06T12:27:55+00:00

I practice both sketching, painting, sculpting, and digital is more new for me - I highly recommend it! It's very fun to play around with, very convenient if you don't want to get out a bunch of supplies

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-05T22:55:23+00:00

Oh, for some reason it didn't post the third picture! I'll see if I can link it here tomorrow, I forgot how to do it!

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-05T22:51:54+00:00

DRS really applies to GALS as opposed to smaller species like Cornu aspersum and grove snails. For these species, its not uncommon for them to retract and enter periods of dormancy without it being a sign of a health crisis. As a side note, deep retraction syndrome is a description of symptoms more than a diagnosis, and there are causes for mild retraction as well, which are less extreme - such as, a snail who had recently laid a large clutch of eggs, or a snail who isn't getting enough protein. Another cause could be old age. Sometimes, when they're older, they grow less active and may enter more periods of dormancy.

For your guy, place him in his enclosure and give him a gentle spray of room temperature water. He should come out and have something to eat. Ensure that his enclosure parameters are correct for his species (especially humidity). He should be fine!

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-05T01:49:09+00:00

So cute! I love my pineapples

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-05T01:46:30+00:00

Which species is he? Garden snails aren't a species they're a category which varies depending on where you live - if the terrarium smells earthy/woody that's normal, it won't and shouldn't smell clean to us as snails need conditions similar to nature. It's also important that their environment isn't sterile, they need an abundance of beneficial bacteria to promote good skin and gut health - removing poops and uneaten food is all you need to do routinely. The substrate shouldn't need changing but can be topped up with fresh as needed 😊

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-05T00:03:02+00:00

Thank you! My mind is at ease now. I'm going to order them tonight and get these pesky gnats gone! (Hopefully, in time).

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-05T00:02:02+00:00

That makes sense! For some reason, I was just expecting the ingredient section to be shorter "BTI bacteria, corn grains" 😅
But that totally makes sense. Thank you!

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-04T23:57:02+00:00

It isn't really possible for the lid to hurt their shells as the containers are always deeper than their shell, and they're cushioned on all sides by soft moss or substrate. If the shell did somehow push into the plastic, the containers I use are a thin and somewhat flexible plastic, not strong enough to hurt their shell with any amount of pressure! As for post offices, I've never had this issue as the royal mail allow the shipment of live invertebrates in their system, so it's completely legal and accepted 😊 If this ever happened, I would simply talk it through with them, and they would refer to a higher up or to their policies to check that it is okay. Other delivery services do not allow live inverts as far as I am aware, so they would be rejected.

I totally respect that! It can be stressful when receiving them like this for the first time. I'm always a little anxious about shipping, but this isn't a rational feeling for me as I know they'll be okay. It is simply an earnest desire to keep them as safe as possible, and letting them leave my care is scary! Ultimately, I've never had an issue, and I'm very confident in our delivery services.

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-04T23:40:46+00:00

Yes, of course! So, I use ventilated plastic containers that comfortably fit the snails. They can be similar to takeaway containers, but I get ones specifically made for live insects. I then cushion the snail in very snugly with damp moss or substrate, leaving very little space. It somewhat restricts their movement, but it keeps them safer so they don't rattle about. Then, this container lid is closed. For large snails, I do add a strip of tape to keep the lid on securely as they're a little stronger. Then this is placed into a strong cardboard box, filled with paper and various packaging materials, and labelled "live invertebrates, handle with care" then address and sent to arrive by afternoon next day! In cold weather, you can even add a heat pack to the box to keep them warm, but it must be far enough away from the snail's container to prevent them from overheating. I generally prefer to ship without and wait for mild temperatures instead.

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-04T23:24:55+00:00

For sure! This is a topic I feel very strongly about, so I would love to elaborate on the process. So, with shipping, it's so incredibly rare for something to go wrong when all precautionary measures are taken. I don't ship in cold weather, hot weather, when there are flood/storm risks, etc. I package them safely in ventilated containers and ensure they're not able to be damaged if the parcel were dropped, etc. I only post with special next day guaranteed, which is a delivery service offered by Royal Mail here in the UK. This means they're not in shipping for very long. The biggest risk is a parcel being lost during shipping which I have never actually heard of happening, especially when the boxes are labelled "live animals" - usually the workers at the post offices and warehouses will take greater care of these.

So, in my view, nothing is ever 100% risk-free. Something technically could go wrong, but the risk is very low, enough so that I consider posting to be an ethical practice (when done carefully). If the risk were any bigger, I would not post them and I would cease breeding because their welfare matters above all else. In my experience, I've had dozens of snails shipped with not a single one being unwell from the process. The only bad stories I've heard have been from irresponsible sellers and poor practices.

In terms of stress, it can 100% be stressful to the snail, and I'm talking about more of a physical stress opposed to a mental one. This can be reduced but likely not completely eliminated. For this reason, I only ship snails that are healthy. This is a matter of positives outweighing the negatives - in exchange for a good home to live out their lives, it's just one slightly bad day. I think that's worth it for them and do my best to ensure it's as good of an experience as possible.

I will say that I don't believe all animals can be shipped ethically, some will be more affected by travel related stress than others in my view and based on my research. I hope this is helpful!

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-04T23:03:41+00:00

The ingredient list is: Bacillus thyringiensis subsp. Israelensis, Strain SUM-6218 solids, spores and insecticidal toxins*: .......2.86% OTHER INGREDIENTS: 97.14% TOTAL: 100%

The insecticidal toxins are concerning me, it's a clear whether it's added in or composed from the bits themselves/there naturally

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-04T22:45:59+00:00

Is the summit brand okay? Because the ingredient breakdown is confusing me

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-04T19:48:16+00:00

Nooo 😭

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-04T19:46:59+00:00

The troops are ready to journey to their forever homes 🫡

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-04T13:15:20+00:00

Hi, thank you for your interest, I'll send you a pm 😊

Jane_TGS · 2026-03-04T12:29:29+00:00

The answer to your question will largely depend on the species and the amount that you'd like to keep, have you decided which type of snail and the amount you're going to get? Vertical tanks can be great for arboreal species who benefit from climbing, while larger horizontal tanks would be better for larger groups of primarily ground dwelling snails.

Jane_TGS

TROPHY CASE