Cuttlefish
Calcium is a necessity for snails, as it is this that they use to build their shells. You can provide it for them in the form of cuttlefish bones (the kind you give to parrots � available at any decent pet shop.) They will crunch away to their hearts� content on this stuff! As the cuttlefish bones get dilapidated, replace them with fresh ones. I do this every 2 weeks. Cuttlefish is particularly important when your snail is healing from shell breakage.
Water
Water is not a necessity for snails, as they tend to get most of the liquid that they need from the vegetables and fruits that they eat, but many snailers like to provide theirs with a water dish anyway. Any ceramic dish will do. Alternatively, you can use the type intended for reptile terrariums. The important thing is that it is not too deep, and that the snails can access the water safely and easily. I use the saucers for putting under plant pots in my small tanks! Mostly, they just crawl through it, and don�t drink much. But they do like beer.
Beer
Fortunately, my partner is a big fan of Guinness, and occasionally can be persuaded to part with a tablespoon or two for my snails. It is actually good for them, but don�t feed more than a couple of teaspoons every few weeks, or you may end up with some delinquent snails on your hands!
Food
Food, in theory, should be easy. Many snail keepers feed their snails cucumber, lettuce, apples, peaches, bananas, courgettes and endless other fruits and vegetables. Joey and Pacey, my 4-month old fulicas, are seemingly the exception to the rule. For a while, they loved cucumber, and would turn their noses up at anything else, but eventually they stopped eating vegetables at all, holding out for the terrapin pellets that I keep for when I have run out of fresh veg! Generally speaking, you shouldn�t have these problems, and a variety of veggies will be all that the snails need for a healthy diet, providing that you make sure to wash everything, as snails can be very sensitive to chemicals and additives.
Turtle and terrapin pellets can be purchased at any aquarium or pet shop.
Handling
Snails are fragile things, and should be handled gently and with care at all times. They are particularly fragile in the area at the base of their shell, where the new growth occurs. If your snail is stuck to the side of the tank, and you need to remove him, you can slip your fingers under his body and try to urge him off gently. (Don't be tempted to grab the base of the shell and just pull!) If shell breakage occurs, chances are they will recover and grow back the shell they lost. Pacey did this in record time!
