Hi there,

I have always liked the idea of owning GALS - I have no idea how to care for them though!

What do they eat?
How big does their tank need to be?
What litter do they have?
How often do they need cleaning out?
I know there was something about freezing the eggs...?
How long do they live?
How many do you keep together?
How much are they?
Do they need lights/heating?

They'd be kept in my pet shed (garden shed that has been insulated all over.) Will be about room temperature, a bit cooler. What kind of heating would they need?

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Hello

They are herbivores so eat fruit, vegetables, dandelion leaves.... You also need to provide a source of calcium to keep their shells in good condition. The best way is to sprinkle limestone powder over their food. Cuttlefish can have a high salt content, so these are best avoided.

They can have an average 15cm shells, so a tank atleast twice this is minimum. I personally keep mine in a 18"L x 12"w x 12"h glass fish tank. Snails utilise the sides of the tank too for climbing, so that adds to the space they have to move around on.

The substrate I use is coir, which I bought in a block from ebay. I would avoid compost/soil from garden centres as they can contain pesticides.

I spot clean mine about once a week, so I pick out any poo lying around. The don't need full clean out's very often, maybe every couple of months.

Snails are hermaphrodites, so have male and female parts, they do however need to mate, so If you have more than 1 snail they will lay eggs. Unless you want literally hundreds, have a look round the soil for small white balls, put them into a sandwich bag and into the freezer and this will stop the egg from hatching.

The average life span is 5 years.

Snails, even though they don't need to be with their own kind, I have found that they are a lot more active and happy with other snails in the tank. I would recommend 2 - 4, as they will eat a lot, so bare that in mind.

You can buy them from exotic pet shop for very little, depending on age, or lots of people give them away for free on the invert classifieds section of the reptile forums Reptile Forums UK - Care, Pictures, Classifieds & More

They don't require any lights, however they will require some heat if the shed is cool. This can be done simply by placing a heat mat under a third of the tank. That way they can choose if they want to be warmer or cooler.
These can be bought from reptile shops or cheaply over the internet. A 6" x 11" would be perfect for what I imagine the size of tank you will have. Livefood UK Ltd.
However, it is best to have this on a mat thermostat, to stop it over heating
Livefood UK Ltd.