Constructing a Snail Ecosystem

I constructed my snailarium the way I did because it would provide the snail with an adequate ecosystem to live in. The bottle the snail inhabits was squared, so it wouldn’t topple over and destroy the ecosystem or disturb the snail. I added lots of vegetation to ensure its survival, vegetation such as live plants with roots, grass, flowers, soil, water, and an overall moist condition. I also included some rocks and sticks, for it to climb on, there are even places in the bottle where it can hide out from the light, in case the sun’s rays are disturbing it. I used a spray bottle to moisten the inside of the bottle, since snails like living in moist environments.

I added a large opening at the top of the bottle so I could place plants and vegetation inside it for the snail’s ecosystem, I made sure the bottle was tall and wide enough to place all the vegetation inside, and so it would be comfortable for the snail. I did some research and it suggested that garden snails can live anywhere from 5-10 years, which is truly incredible. Snails are usually found in gardens, forests, parks, and near water, they like moist and damp weather, this is why they are more likely found at night or when it’s raining. Snails are herbivores, they feed on decaying vegetation, leaves, plants, and fungi. If the conditions become too dry, snails will usually go back into its shell.

Finally, snails move very slowly over mucus which it creates to reduce friction, and protects it from thorns and needles. The biotic factors that I included were vegetation, such as plants and grass, and the soil litter, I had added little amounts of it. The abiotic factors that included were the oxygen level, I sealed up all the oxygen holes that I had created earlier, so the snail would have to rely on the oxygen created from the plants inside the bottle, also the temperature, the ecosystem’s temperature was at room temperature, I placed the bottle in a cool and damp spot, thereby decreasing the temperature, also the light level, since the bottle was put in a corner, where little light would reach it, an environment which snails like, finally the soil nitrogen/phosphorous rating, since the soil I used was full of nutrients.

The snail reacted very positively to its new ecosystem, it seemed to be enjoying it, it fell asleep shortly after I had placed it in the bottle, it hadn’t died since I placed it in the bottle four days ago, and I also saw some excrement, indicating that it had been eating. I did notice a couple of interesting observations, when I had put the snail in its new ecosystem, it very weirdly kept looking at me continuously, even when I had moved my head. I also saw a newborn baby snail, which I had never seen in the ecosystem before, it could be the snail’s offspring.