Giant West African land snail - (Archachatina Marginata Suturalis) - Gastropets

Adult Suturalis aged approx 1 year and 10 months
Subspecies of Archachatina marginata native to Cameroon and Nigeria.

This particular snail's nickname is Silver, bred from two unrelated Suturalis parents (escaping detection during an egg hunt).
* Luicistic with dark eyes (I just call them pandas)
13cm shell length 
450g weight



General care: 
- Temperature: 24-29c 
- Humidity: 90%
- Adult size: 12-14cm
- Clutch size: 5-6 eggs
- Lifespan: 5 years+


Read my Suturalis care guide below:



*Enclosure:
You will need heat mats and a thermostat to safely achieve the right temperature.
A plastic container will be better insulated, but a glass tank can work just as well in a warm room with added insulation on the outside. 
Mats should be stuck on the outside to the sides or lid of the tank to provide a more natural heat source. You can use aluminium tape around the edges of the mat to keep it in place. Avoid taping over the heating element to prevent overheating.
Do not use lamps inside their tank or heating cables under the soil due to the risk of burns. Their soil should be left unheated.

Give them a big tunnel to hide in, or some fake plants to hide behind. Simply provide a private enough place out of the light.

With enough space you will lower the chances of them burrowing underneath food bowls and pools. They are little bulldozers who can push most anything over. 
Double check their enclosure can’t be pushed open easily – they will eat wallpaper.

For a single adult Suturalis, a box or vivarium of at least 90L x 45H x 45D (cm) is the minimum you should have. If you want them to have company, you should look for something with a third more ground space and possibly more height. 

You should provide calcium at all times in the form of a cuttlefish bone, or animal grade calcium powder. You can create a paste to spread on bark or pour into a bowl. 
Do not add food to their calcium as this can encourage them to have too much. 



* Substrate
Use a rainforest or insect focused substrate (Such as those suitable for frogs or millipedes) as snails require beneficial bacteria to be able to digest their food. 



* Humidity:
Suturalis require very high humidity to be comfortable. If it gets too low, they are more likely to estivate – don’t disturb a snail that has sealed itself in. If you start to pick one up and hear a sound like tearing tissue paper, leave them be. They will wake up once conditions are better.

Consider getting a drainage layer using clay balls topped with hydro fleece and their soil on top. This can prevent the soil from becomming waterlogged, especially if they have a pool. Totally wet soil isn't healthy and will cause issues, not to mention it smells awful.

A drainage layer can improve ambient humidity with additional water added to the clay layer in the tank. It also supports its own microbiome with good bacteria. 
Live plants will also benefit for as long as they manage to survive alongside your snails.

If you struggle to keep humidity high in their tank then a pool is a must have - they will spend hours chilling and even sleeping in their pool, enjoying being slimy hippos.



* Enrichment:
Marginata like climbing (big cork branches are great), but floor space is critical as they spend the majority of their time on the ground. 

You will bring your snails pure joy if you include a large pool for them to soak in. A container or tub you can place inside the enclosure of at least 2 inches depth for adults. For baby Suturalis you should only allow enough water to come halfway up the height of their foot.

Some snail species will drown in a pool of water. Marginata Suturalis is not that species. They will go full submarine if you let them.
Side note: Lissachatina Reticulata or Fulica also thoroughly enjoy pool time..!

Change their water every couple of days with filtered/boiled/repti safe treated water - they drink a lot and chlorinated tap water will eventually harm them.
Change more often if they have thrown in lots of soil or pooped in it. 



* Behaviours:
Suturalis will spook easily from disturbances, but they can get used to their owners especially if you interact with them often(cleaning their tank etc, not necessarily handling them). 

In a multi snail tank, giant snails can sometimes feel that there isn’t enough food or water/pool space to go around. Silver would chase the others out of the pool until I brought a second in, and the chasing stopped. My other snails never resorted to this, but this may be due to a lack of cohabitation when Silver was small.
Ensure that there is enough space for them to roam without feeling crowded (if they are constantly running into or over each other, that's a sign you need a bigger enclosure) and you may need to double up on certain things to reduce perceived scarcity. 



* Artificial plants:
These are a must have. They provide the same benefits of a living plant without the inconvenience of it dying - either from poor lighting, being eaten, crushed and trampled, or from their roots being attacked by fungus gnats.
Artificial plants offer dappled light and shaded cover which make snails feel safe, they make any enclosure look great and encourages natural behaviours.

IMPORTANT:   AVOID PLANTS EMBEDDED WITH WIRE!

It has been difficult to find any plants that lack some kind of wire insert, but as long as it is nowhere near the tips of the leaves or branches where a snail might push its way past, it should be safe enough. 

Always check your decor regularly to ensure it is still safe for use. 

Helpful hint: Invest in a Pitcher fly trap species to live near or on top of your enclosure if fungas gnats become a problem. You will almost immediately notice a drop in numbers once you bring one into your home. You're welcome. 


* Other Decor:
Avoid ceramic, stone and glass decor.
These WILL cause damage when your snail falls, and they will fall. Avoiding a hard landing is a must. Use cork bark and branches, plastic or stainless steel. They may still smack the side of their glass tank, but this is fine. 



* Eggs:
Check for eggs every 2 weeks. Disposing of eggs is easy, you can leave fresh eggs out of their tank, as being in dry air will cause them to crack. For eggs which may be partly or mostly developed, you should freeze and dispose.
You can also crush the eggs to give back to the adults so that they can recycle the nutrients.


I am happy for you to contact me if you have any issues or concerns as there isn't enough information out there for these wonderful little beasts. I'm happy to help!