How to make natural conditions and year cycle?

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I found on reptile forum this really interesting tread. It's called "How to keep up natural conditions and year cycle?"

I will tell you how it goes. First you choose animal that you want to have natural conditions in tank. Then you find out where they are from. Example I choose my snails and they are from Africa and some where from Tanzania I think..? Then you start to search information how long is day in diffenrent times of year in that place where your animals are from, and check and write down the weather.

I started to gather info from Tanzanias weather week ago, I read that Africa has now summer so I will gather more info now and more in summer for the winter. So now I look and think how often it's good to rain really hard or just alittle but not harm my snails. Then in summer I can try does my plan work, when summer comes I don't use extra heating if it isn't necessary. If this will work nicely I will contiune weather changes after summer too.

Now I just have day and night for my snails. So it's really exciting to see and wait do they like me as their weatherman. Lol.

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I shall continue my monologue.. I decided to not too literally make conditions to snails, seems they are really changing a much in one week. So when it comes hot summer I'll pick up some weeks that could be ideal for hotter weeks and colder weeks to see what it good spraying rhytmn for bigger new tank. I now have found out how long day is in Africa, so I start maybe in summer making them day as long as in Africa and I will buy them some plant lamps to keep plants growing and in winter I think I use some infrared light to heat tank. So I may buy some fluorescent tube frame and use some no heating fluorescent tubes as day light. i have to check what those frames look next time I go to some shop where is some of those for sale.

[AlienSnail]

It will certainly be interesting to know the results.

I believe there are species of tree snails that require some sunlight to stay healthy. Most terrestrial snails do not appear to require it, but I do have a snail that sunbathes (used to have two), my Hemiplecta distincta. I tried moving them to another tank a while back, perhaps a year ago, the same humidity, same heat, just a different position, and they weren't happy until I moved them back. Perhaps they require some sunlight?

I find with snails, even fulica which are normally hardy and tolerate temperature and humidity changes well, some are more sensitive and do not appear to like changes. Perhaps in the wild these sensitive ones would be more likely to die.

I suppose wild snails have to be hardy, and the hardiest survive. I'll bet there are quite a few that die when the weather changes though. I have read that Achatina achatina are especially sensitive to drops in temperature because they don't usually have to cope with large changes in the wild, but I don't know how true that is.

Mimicking seasons though can be useful when encouraging fussy snails to breed. Myself and several other keepers have noted that if they gently lower the heat and humidity a little for a week or so, and then raise the temperature and humidity some fussy snails will mate, being fooled into thinking it's the breeding season.

[Dusk]

Jan 5, 2010 14:09:34 GMT AlienSnail said:

I have read that Achatina achatina are especially sensitive to drops in temperature because they don't usually have to cope with large changes in the wild, but I don't know how true that is.

Hmm, that would make sense... they certainly try and seal up at the slightest hint of a change! The cb individuals are a bit less dramatic about things that the wc, I've found, but they're all sensitive flowers compared to nearly everyone else

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Yes I decided neither too much change humidity, but first tries to keep new tank humidity stable I'll look hints from weather some few diffenrent kind weeks that could be good for winter and summer. Winter I keep tank drier than in summer. When it's not as hot as in summer humidity stays longer in tank. "Sun light" is not needed but I'm planning to put loads plants is tank so they need light. I have noticed in winter when I have heating lamps on plants are greener than with normal energy saving lamps.

With fulicas I like to let soil dry little bit before spaying. But after fulicas I'll try tigers or soething else huge and everything will be after that different then. I have loads experience of snails, but I keep first fulicas as "practice" ones before thinking any harder species, I think harder ones like those which needs more heat and moisture, more food and specific type of food.

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Well well I talk here alone again. I know now that in Africa it rains in winter and raining season is from December to March/April. Then it gets interesting.. Day length was in December about 13hours now it's just 12hours.. Have to see when it starts to get longer again now day time is getting shorter and shorter. Hmmh.. I think I'm not too soon changing day lenght to be same as Africa. I have to look from net site how Finnish day changes and when I have enough Africa day time written down have to see which it's good time to change it not to make too radical for snails.

I don't mind it's so interesting to see how sudden changes in snails natural habbitat really has, those snails in wild are really survivors and it so weird that in Finland it soo boring, weather and feels like it's never changing. Now when it's not much happening than day time shortening out in Africa I try to somewhere find which house plants are from Africa, I always almost kill my plants so it's won't easy to keep with my skills them alive in snails tank neither when snails are all the time munching them.

[AlienSnail]

Yes I think it will be difficult to keep plants with the snails, but rewarding if you can find the right ones. I suppose the best would be those that like permanently damp and humid conditions, and are not harmful to the snails but are not snail food either. It will be hard to know what to choose. I think.

I do like the idea about sycronising the snails day/night cycle with that of Africa. I wonder if they will change their breeding habits? Or their growth?

Some certainly appear to respond to seasons, such as A.marginata and A.Achatina.

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My snails seem to change their daily sleeping time when I change day/night cycle as it's here in Finland. So summer they sleep little bit maybe more or will be wake little bit day time too, because night is so short.

I think snails would get some longer days in winter if lighting is on as in Africa, I think it will be interesting to see results, 'cos I think day will at shortest time of year in Africa could be 10hours not as short as in Europe.

In summer it's easier to find some plant for snails. Selection of plants in shops is so poor in winter. I just have to now think few different kind of barriers on top of soil so I don't lost my mind digging plant pot some eggs. When in summer 9th snail is going to be mature I think it will be kind of madness if they notice nice moist soil in plant pot..

Few vines at least I hang on ceiling then I leave small crack between pot and ceiling so snails can't get in pot but plants can breathe well.

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Well, well. I have little bit night and day cycle like snails and I'll have to fix it so I have to be all night nerding on computer stay wake and change it that way I'm gonna not starting to sleep at this time of night anymore.

I noticed on this site where I look the day length usually, that it has log in it you can see example last years day/night times. So I decided for my snails wealth and for keeping myself up. That I time to time this night mark some down so it slowly comes ready when we start to have longer day, Then it's easier to change too. So don't need use this years coming updates anymore.

I noticed that in Tanzania day lenght is always about all year long 12hours and changes slowly little bit when day gets longer or shorter. Day at most shortest is something 11 hours and little bit under 12hours. If we compare that to our day length in Europe, I think it kind of better to be more like in Africa, so they can rest as much it could be natural to them.

Day time is almost everyday minute or so different, I'm not gonna be all the time changing timers timing I desided to change timers timing when there's change in time about 3 to 5minutes compared to last time and of course then too when day length changes.

This is really relieving that all this time checking have to be done only once and then you can use same times always if you remember where you wrote them down.

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Yes I had really boring night and now I have all info about that day length. Now just have to think when to start.. I noticed that on winter days are longer in Africa than in summer, so I have to see how day length starts to be longer in Finland that snails would have long days at summer. In Africa longest day is about 13hours long..

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Yeey, it's the time change cycle to Tanzanias day length but first would be good idea owner clean her house too, not just snails so I could find that better timer.. *blushes* Soon is that time of year when we have to change time one hour backwards and in Tanzania and Finland has one hour difference so I just leave snails timers time what it is now and not changing it same that we as humas have to do.

When it's really long day in summer then I will better notice changes to snails behavior when they get use to that about 12hours dark and 12hours day time.

We here in Finland have in one store some citrus trees I love to buy one and I have to keep it in terrarium otherwise it will be too dry and dark for that tree. Hope snails are little bit gentle so it would not die too soon when I put it someday in tank. I'm planning to put first that tree with baby snails tube so it can be in peace till I get that taller tank where is more space to let it grow. I just had to remember and keep saying in my mind what is lemon tree latin name so I know I will leave it to shop I buy mandarin tree or some else not as acid on so it's safe for snails. =)

[AlienSnail]

That's good.
I hope you find your better timer soon. My house is not well organised, we have piles of things everywhere due to lack of space to put things away.

I hope you get some positive results from the experiment. i sometimes wonder if most tree snails would benefit from that kind of regime.