James,

I've never kept these little guys but most snails will do well under the
fairly standard conditions.  A small tank with leaf litter is fine but you
must also provide them with fresh greens (these can be newly sprouted
plants -- even weeds), a source of calcium (powered egg shell will work),
and moisture in the form of a misting each evening.  Some other points:
watch the greens you put in and you will soon discover what they like, let
the water sit for a day before you use it to mist the cage to ensure all of
the chlorine is gone, and change about 1/3 of the leaf litter every week or
more often if it starts to smell.  Good luck buddy.  I reckon you could have
picked a smaller snail -- but not much!!

Tom Eichhorst

> Dear all,
> I need some advice. I have some tiny (5mm), juvenile Cocliocopa lubrica
> that I collected in my back yard. I placed these snails in a small
> container
> with some leaf-litter and a stone, and they all are quite active. I want
> to keep
> them for some time, as I want to see if I can observe any shell growth.
> However,
> I don't know what kind of care they need; what do they eat? Do they need
> water?
> Should they be kept moist? Do they need to stay in the dark? I would
> really appreciate
> help on this subject; I haven't been able to find info on it anywhere
> else.
>
> Thanks,
> James
>