Snail Farming

Getting to know snails

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:08:00 PST

These crawling little creatures love moving through different surfaces by jeans of wavy muscular contractions. In the case of terrestrial snails this is different, since they move thanks to the slime they segregate.

Snail slime helps these animals get very well used to the conditions of stimulated reproduction.

The best way to find out the health of your snails is through their color and the contact with the substance inside the snail’s shell. Placing a plastic layer to let them crawl upon is a good way to check them without altering their behavior.
It is important to respect the position snails adopt, they do not remain as still and inactive as we may think because we may interrupting their normal activities as sleeping, eating, reproducing or just reposing.

Snail farms

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:50:00 PST

For raising snails there are at least two types of snail farms. Open panels are the oldest; they date back from the Roman, when they developed the production of snails in open, fresh and sunny places as the walls of their houses.
Nowadays, this mechanism has been intensely modified into walls of 18 to 21 feet tall with irrigation through aspersion, halls and shelters, with complementary plants for their nutrition.

Other type of farms the closed panel that consists of the adaptation of a hermetic place as a barn with plantations, which is conditioned with temperature and humidity equipment.

This type of snail farm is the most preferred by professional snail farmers to ensure the security and wellbeing of snails, which are fragile creatures that like to crawl over different surfaces, therefore they get hard to find by the human eye.

Building a snail farm

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 16:39:00 PST

The snail business basically involves three different, but much related levels, that otherwise none would have sense without the others: Raising, processing and sales, in that order.

That is, there would be needed three different structures for a same purpose.

- First, the snail farm will be designed according the sale volumes in function to the demand.
- Second: the snail processing plant will not be so complicated, but it does have a relative important cost.

- Snail selling structure

We can deduce that the international sale cost will be divided in three. If we decide to outsource the two final stages we will be getting a small part of that selling price, or worse, not even cover the snail farming costs.

That is, the problem to resolve passes through the snail product processing for sale. This takes us to the conclusion that before putting up a snails farm, we have to have clear in mind if we are going to do it by our own or we will outsource. If it is the latter, we must have the exact cost of the snail processing (in the case of being able to rent the structure or the services), or the price the processing company will pay for our snail products, if it buys from us. Got this numbers, we can make our calculations on the probable area and profits.

Building a snail farm can be done with creativity and a “bit” of money, but a snail processing plant has to follow the rules and policies of state and sanitary authorities, lots of money and a bit of creativity.

You can choose to build installations to produce among 1000 to 2000 pounds a month. As long as the production increases, the initial investment will increase.
Getting the union of a group of snail producers of no more than 10 would be a great solution.

In fact, what the buyer will demand will be a determined volume of snails and a determined delivery frequency.

But, do all buyers demand the same quantity? The answer can be found through a market research. It is easy to suppose the resistance of other not so big “buyers”. There is the big chance for the small snail producer.

Snail Raising Process

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 17:26:00 PDT

Do I start with selection or recollection reproducers?

You can start with any of these two options.

For the first one, SELECTION we would have 2 possibilities:
1. Buying reproducers with guarantee of age, reproductive capacity, and product and sanity certification.

The answers come up:

o Where to buy?
o Are there any authorized snail farms in the U.S. that offer guarantees?
o Should we import?

2. Make our own farm of selected reproducers, taking the time it takes. (3 to 4 generations).

Whatever the option we choose, we have to keep very well in mind there will always be the rule out for non-commercial size. Of course, using the option Selection, the number of not-so-good snail will be less.

Snail Farm: Intensive System

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:08:00 PDT

It is the snail; farming system is the one that need the most of investment and professionalism. But in reward, it offers profitability as long as the investment made.

A detailed and polished planning, followed by a consequent and systematic organization is the key to make profitable an intensive system snail farm. You should have present the possibility is building a processing plant if you want to avoid intermediation, otherwise, it would not be rentable.

The Snail Product

To achieve having a snail product for sale it will be necessary to have a series of processes by stages. The fist step will be the set up of a reproducers farm. There are 2 ways:

- Buying reproducers with sanitary certificate an guaranteeo Recollecting snails from nature to form the farm.

- Buying increase the initial investment. You have to specialized places where they sell snail reproducers.

It accelerates the start. It is a way to make more viable the future sale according to the origin and quality guarantee that buy supposes. It entails a period of quarantine, of adaptation, having death losses during adaptation, during transportation from the original place, the incidence of pathologies; and others, adaptation to nutrition, or adapting new foods. Besides, overcoming importing processes.

Defining the number of reproducers of buying or recollecting according:

- Projected volume of reproduction

- Natural decrease of the number of eggs

- Eggs that do not hatch

- Natural mortality during reproduction

- Rule out of eggs and animals for not having commercial size.

- Natural mortality during all the phases of snail farming.

How to obtain final snail products - Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:44:00 PDT

For obtaining snail products ready for consumption and selling there will be necessary to follow a series of processes by stages.

The first step will be setting up a group of snail reproducers- there are two ways:

- Purchasing reproducers with sanitary certification, age and guarantee

- Recollecting snails from nature to set up the group

Buying snails increases the initial investment. Though, you have to turn to European institutions for this purchase.

This way you accelerate the process. It is way to make more viable the future selling of the snail products due to the guarantee of origin and quality that purchase supposes. It implies quarantine, adaptation period, and mortality casualties during adaptation, during transportation, possible diseases and others, adaptation to nutrition or foods adaptation. On top of this, overcoming the import processes.

Define the number of snail reproducers to buy or recollect according to:

- Expected production level

- Natural decrease of snail eggs per lay

- Natural mortality during snail reproduction

- Egg and snail discard for lack of commercial size

- Natural mortality during all raising phases

The snail mortality percentage decreases with the progressive development of the baby -considering a 35% a very bad number – depending of course on the methodology of handling and prophylactic measures.

A well-organized snail farm should NOT go beyond the 20% of mortality.

Snail harvesting

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 21:52:00 PDT

Snail havesting - Small snail animals with finished edge must be discarded the obtaining by harvesting brings prepared some complications, although amendable.

He is more advisable to carry out it at the end of winter and beginnings of spring. They have all its reproductive potential and they begin its activity to plenary session. Just they leave the natural period of hibernation, is the moment of smaller risk with respect to pathologies.

Those snails of greater size are due to choose, (30 mm or more), observing that do not have the edge of the finished opening, this must be filoso, fine and of indefinite white coloration. The finished edge is white and defined well, with a thickness of approximately 1-1,5 mm and its appearance and texture they remember a tiled one.

This edge means to snail harvesting adulthood guarantee of the residual number of positions is not had, however the edge without finishing says of its youth and aptitude to us, giving us certain margin as far as the amount of future positions, although first they can not be optimal.

How to build a snail farm for harvesting

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 21:24:00 PDT

This snail farm project is aimed to construction of a professional breeding ground with the purpose to obtain a high income of international commerce level. Therefore, we exclude any chance of skipping any step of this process. Nevertheless the methods that are described are useful equally for any snail business no matter its level.

The first step to describe, is fundamental for ensuring profitability and to avoid serious problems once snail farming process starts.

Before introducing the snails in the enclosure of reproduction, to the effects of minimizing pathological risks, it is suitable to submit them to a process of wash under jet of soft water and to immerse them in some minutes in a receptacle containing some disinfectant and bactericidal genera:

Tip: Prepare a solution of blue of methylene reduced in water because of a drop in one liter of water.

Then, without need to dry them, they get in the tables, cages or elements foreseen for his containment, in a maximum number of 250 animals per one square foot of useful surface. The base of the cage is not considered to be a useful surface.

Tip: Use for this firstly stage cages with measures and design we will further explain in a next post.

After locating the snails in container, place them in salvers with clean water and receptacles with ground, for the positions, humid, clean and spongy to which you will ahyve to add 30 % of humus of earthworm that provides certain grade of very suitable acidity for the development of these mollusks.

Snail farming, a fast-growing business

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:21:00 PDT

A very interesting fact to take into account snail breeders: 300 000 tons of snail meat is consumed per year around the world.

The first consumer worldwide is France with 400 000 tons, followed by the emerging markets of Japan and the United States.

However, the problem is that the major producers as France, Greece, Italy and Spain are not able to satisfy the demands of other emerging markets as Mexico and Peru where the consumption of snail-based dishes is increasing.

So, what are they doing to satisfy the demand?

In Spain they are doing a research project to increase their annual snail harvest. They are working with the Helix aspersa specie (the most popular in Spain), they are scattering baby snail parcels of 4mm, where the vegetal covering gives shelter to the snail and provides conditions similar to its natural habitat.

Young fish are fed with fodder, which allows getting fast and uniform cultivations. Fodder increases the available useful surface of the parcels, which allows a great increase of the young density.

The growing and fattening phase combines supplying and fodder; and at the end the baby snails do not receive any more fodder and not consume the existing resources until the end of the cycle.

This method achieves 2 fattening cycles of 300 snails per 10 square feet (above the normal), preventing the diseases and problems related to the intensive system. In commercial terms, this means snail producers can adjust the raising cycles to the market high seasons and getting high production and prices for the sale.

Please take note this method was designed especially for the geographic and climatic conditions of Andalucía in Spain.

Source: ABC.es

Snails can be adorable pets

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:06:00 PDT

If you have always been fascinated or curious about snails, what about raising one as a pet?
5 reasons for having a snail pet

They can be cute and fascinating animals to admire and collect.
They can live for a fair good time, depending on the specie.
They are very easy and inexpensive to maintain.
They do not take much room, just a tank with soil in it.
They eat almost anything from plants, vegetables, fruits to fungi.

Snail facts

They are hermaphrodites, they produce both spermatozoids and ovules.

They must be kept warm and humid.

Their main predators are birds, snakes, frogs, hedgehogs, turtles, and even some species of predator snails.

Snails hibernate in the winter, and during this time they can loose up to60% of their weight.

They lay ages when they are about 3 years old.

Snails only have 1 foot, 2 eyes and 2 tentacles.

The most common kind of snail for pet is the Lissachatina fulica.

Source: Petsnail.co.uk

How to take care of a snail pet

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:29:00 PDT

Snails are fairly cheap and easy to maintain as pets, though you have to be careful of releasing them into the wild because someone could step on them or get caught by predators.

A special case is Giant African Snails which can not be released into the wild at all; they can cause ecological havoc due to their great devastating power, especially for agriculture. If you have or found one, contact the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

As for raising a pet snail you would need:

A wide transparent and well-ventilated tank.
Soil or compost.

Fun stuff for the snail, such as:

A stick or log.
Plant pot
Ornaments
Leaves
Twigs

As for food:

Fresh apples
Carrots
Celery
Lettuce

As for cleaning:

A bowl of water to drink and bathe.
A Water spray gun to keep the tank moist.

For more on exotic pet animals, you may visit our friend site Exotic Pets.

Source: Petsnail.co.uk

Snails can be adorable pets (II)

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:22:00 PDT

Snails are not only nice decoration for the fishbowl; they can also be adorable pets that can live alone or with other animals.

There are two types of snails, that due to their differences, each kind has a particular care.

Water snails

Also known as conches, water snails are small and have eye-catching colors (they present different shades of green and yellow).

They can live alone or with other small sea animals in a fishbowl. You better leave 8 inches free of water, since they lay their eggs in the dry areas.

For hygiene reasons, when changing the fishbowl water add chlorine tablets to prevent diseases.

You can get them pet stores for $1 each.

Terrestrial snails

Mostly known as escargot, these snails present a brown or coffee-like color and they can reach up to 10 inches (as the ones in Ecuador). Their feeding is mostly vegetal; they eat lettuce, papaya leaves, and any other edible leaf.

The best place to have soil snails is a delimited place in your garden or a humid place with compost so they can comfortably lay their eggs on.

You can get them pet stores for $2 each.

Source: El Universo

The biggest snail on Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:02:00 PDT

For you snail lovers, on a previous post we talked about snails as pets. That’s right, as home pets as fish, dogs and cats.

One special kind of snails are the Achatina Fullic or African Giant Snails. These are the biggest snails on Earth, when they are babies they only have 0.5 inches, but they can reach up to 12 inches and weight 2.2 pounds in their adulthood.

Original from Africa, these large beauties can be found almost anywhere since the times of World War II when they were used as canned food. Just imagine animals that eat almost anything and grow large in length and weight so fast.

But it is their big size what makes them a hard to raise as pets: all the food it has to eat, their massive reproduction (300 to 500 eggs!), their fast growth, their destructive potential (especially for agriculture), and that they can carry the parasite that causes meningitis. But still, very impressive animals, only for truly dedicated snail lovers.

Please note, African Giant Land Snails are illegal in the U.S. (but not in other countries).

Aquarium snails, bad or good?

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:00:00 PST

I recently went to a pet store and while checking on the fish aquariums I noticed some cutie little snails in them that naturally made me wonder, why are they in there?

I always thought aquarium snails presence was harmful since they are plant predators, and plants are necessary to keep nitrogen in the right level to maintain water in good condition and provide enough oxygen to fish. Moreover, aquarium plants ensure the precise dose of CO2 and right lightning.

From this, you can naturally deduce that snails must be taken away immediately. However, NOT ALL snail species are harmful for an aquarium; in fact, they can be beneficial to keep it in good condition. Therefore, we have to learn how to tell good snail from bad snails.

How to indentify good aquarium snails from bad snails

Snail classification: identify which type of snails you have in your aquarium.
Holes in leaves: check if your aquarium plants have any holes.
Snails number: you know you have too many snails when the aquarium is visibly destroyed. You should proceed to remove them before they form a plague.
Snail shell: look if they have these characteristics:

a) Oval shell: it is called Lymnaea stagnalis and is one of the most dangerous nails. It spends most the day devouring plants. Be careful, they reproduce themselves quite quickly.

b) Swirl shell: easily confused with a conch, it is known as Malaysian trumpet snail. When you have just a few of them they do not represent any major danger, since they help cleanse and refresh the fish aquarium. When they grow in large numbers, they will need more plants and they will be hard to detect, since they spent most of the day under soil.

How to choose aquarium snails

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:00 PST

On a previous post I talked to you about the role of aquarium snails, now I am going to teach you how to choose good team mates for your fish aquarium that will help improve the water environment instead of wreaking havoc.

Apple snail in aquarium

These are good choices of snail species for your fish aquarium:

Apple snails (Ampullariidae family): Apple snail is the most sought-after variety of this family because of its beautiful and eye-catching orange color. Though beautiful and goof for your fish aquarium, you have to raise it in a separate environment from the other sea animals because if you let them reproduce in large quantities they will end up turning to plants to survive.

Ramshorn snails (Tropidiscus planorbis): it has a dark red shell and measures just 5mm. It is a very peaceful snail and the great news: it eats detritus and wastes, no plants.

Ghost shrimp (Natantia gen sp): these handsome snails are the favorites of aquarium aficionados; it has very little possibilities of becoming a plague. Though, they can reproduce easily, so you better raise them in a separate place so their baby snails can be safe from the aquarium inhabitants. They love eating the rests that sit at the bottom of the aquarium.

Mystery snails (Pomacea Bridgesii): I call it this the cleanser because it does the whole cleaning job, and he does it fast and thoroughly. This buddy only eats algae, no other vegetal unless it is covered by algae. Definitely a must-have.

What type of snails do you have in your aquariums?

Dangerous aquarium snails: how to get rid of them

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:00:00 PST

As a fish breeder you obviously want your aquarium free predating snails. However, you not necessarily have to get rid of them all; you can always keep a few of them to give life and variety to the aquarium environment.

Two of the first things you must take away from your aquarium are dead snails. They are not beneficial at all, they pollute the environment. Likewise, poisoning products damage plants and the rest of aquatic creatures, so you better do not use whatsoever.

One of the best solutions to clean your aquarium is getting an animal that mainly eats sea invertebrates, as Clown loach, which only eats mollusk eggs and leaves the plants untouched.

Clown loach can live for over 22 years! So you can consider it a good long-time investment. But if you want something cheap –I mean really cheap- you can place on a lettuce leaf at night. In just 30 minutes you will be stunned by the loads of snails gathering around the lettuce.

In addition to this, you can prevent the massive snail reproduction by is removing the jelly layer covering the leaves were snail eggs lay on. It is a leg work, but it is easy and priceless.

Finally, keep in mind that although these and other techniques help eliminate dangerous snails from aquariums, the main reason of snail overpopulation is overfeeding. Therefore, if you regularly clean your aquarium (focusing on the rests of food on the bottom) you can save yourself a great deal of work and trouble.

Snail eggs, the white caviar

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:23:00 PDT

Snail eggs are known as white caviar, it’s a product gaining more acceptance and, demand, especially among gourmets. The fact that main chef are using snail eggs in their cooking has allowed this snail product to gain select and exclusive status. Moreover, the price has incredibly risen; half a pound of white caviar can cost up to $2100 in the European market.

After the mating of snails and the necessary time before starting snail spawning, snail breeders try to force the laying of eggs in boxes full with very fine soil, of which every grain is no bigger than 2mm of diameter.

Snails dig holes of 1.6 inches deep in these boxes, laying an average of 150 up to 200 eggs. After this, it only takes gathering them and sieving each box. Snail eggs have a longer diameter than the soil’s grains. The next process is an exhaustive cleaning and keeping them in brine in a temperature between 23 Fº and 28.2 Fº.

Every snail egg laid weighs 3.6 grams, which means, in order to obtain a pound of white caviar it takes over 44 000 eggs from the spawning of 550 snails that obviously makes white caviar quite expensive.

Who have the change to taste white caviar affirm is a true delicacy and has great versatility in cooking. If we ever get lucky to try it, we definitely won’t miss it. Have you ever has the pleasure of trying snail eggs, yet?

Snail slime as a beauty product

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:31:00 PDT

One of the reasons why snail farming is so profitable these days is because of its slime. That’s right; snail slime is used in the manufacturing of skin care and skin beauty products as the famosue "snail cream".

Medicinal properties of snail’s slime are known from Ancient times. It was used as syrup for cough and ulcers. But in the late 20th century as snail farming grew for culinary use, they were discovered the skin regenerating effects it had in snail farm workers for healing their wounds and the smoothness for their hands. Snail has, among other properties, regenerating its very own tissues and shell.

The slime of the Helix Aspersa specie is the one used for the beauty industry to prevent as to treat skin problems such as:

• Acné
• Warts
• Cellulites
• Scars
• Stretch marks
• Wrinkles
• Skin blemishes
• Wounds
• Burns

Dermatologists and pharmaceutics guarantee the efficacy of snail slime, but warn that for beauty products made of it to have antioxidant en regenerating properties; the slime must have been extracted when snails are stressed out.

How to breed land snails

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Breeding land snails is not a hard task, but it does take time and patience. However, you can have a clear scope of snail breeding through this easy-to-read article, where I explain the process step by step.Understanding land snails

Snails are ‘vegetarians’, they love lettuce leaves, carrots, cucumber and legumes. They have told us they are hermaphrodites, they do not neat a partner for reproduction, but in order to preserve the specie, snails require a partner to copulate.

Materials

• Plastic aquarium for transportation.
• Manual water sprinkler.
• Sponge or rag.
• Pebbles holes.
• Cactus flowerpot.
• Soil (humus, you can get it at any gardener’s shop).
• Ashtray or small plastic box.

Building process

First phase

Clean up the terrarium with regular soap and plenty of water, be thorough to get rid of the minimum debris, and dry it well.

Prepare the substrate by scattering a 2-inch-high humus layer on the bottom of the terrarium. Fix the soil with your hands –not very hard – in a way it looks like the soil out there, not a flat as a carpet.

Second phase

Make a trough with the cactus flowerpot, but since snails have no mouth to drink with, you have to help them out -especially when they are babies because that is the first or second thing they do once they are born- with a sponge or a plate to moisten them. Be careful the water does not evaporate. You can place the flowerpot half buried on a corner so the land snails do not turn it over.

Third phase

Place the pebbles on the soil, leaving a free corner for the ashtray and the plastic box, in which you will out gravel or any rock for balance, so it does not turn over when the snails eat.

Fourth phase

Moisten the soil mildly with the water sprinkler every night or every two nights since snails are night creatures and seek for food when they feel moist around.

Collecting

The best locations for collecting snails are cities with green areas, in a day that is about to rain or where it has rained already, because that is the time when land snails come out.

Make sure to collect snails of about the same size, other wise the reproduction will not be fertile enough. Pick no more than 6 to 8 snails, those are necessary to start a decent snail farm with the right care.

Feeding

For feeding snails you have to keep in mind their ‘vegetarian status’, therefore you will have to feed them with lettuce, carrots, cucumber and aromatic plants as laurel. You can also give them old bread (in good condition) or calcium-rich cuttlebone, necessary for shell formation.

Maintenance

Snail maintenance is not big deal; you have to change their food once a week to prevent rotting, and give them a monthly-bath with lukewarm water in case they present fungi.

Important: be careful with baby snails, their shells are very fragile.

How to get snails ready for cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Snails are ready for consumption when they are mature, that is, when a lip forms at the opening of their shell. Before maturity their shells are more easily broken, making them unable for consumption. The commercial weight for Helix Aspersa is 8 grams or larger.

Nutritional composition of raw snails (per 100 grams of edible portion) is:

- Energy (kcal): 80.5
- Water (g): 79
- Protein (g): 16
- Available carbohydrates (g): 2
- Fibres (g): 0
- Fat (g): 1
- Magnesium (mg): 250
- Calcium (mg): 170
- Iron (mg): 3.5
- Vitamin C (mg): 0

For getting canned snails are washed, steamed, shelled, and then washed in a vinegar or lemon juice, and water-solution. Producing quality snails is somewhat tricky because you must take care to prevent food poisoning.

To have snails ready for cooking remove the membrane, if any, from the shell opening. Cover them with a solution of water, 11/2-cup salt or 1/4-cup vinegar for every 50 snails. You will see the mucus will turn the water white.

Change the water several times during the 3- to 4-hour soaking. Rinse several times under running water until it gets totally mucus free. Put the snails in cold water and bring to a boil. Boil about eight minutes, then drain and plunge the snails into cold water. Drain. Pick the snails out of their shells with a needle or small fork. Remove the intestine and cut off all black parts. Some people cut off the head, tail, and all cartilage or gristle. Prepare the snails according to your recipe.

An alternate method consists of washing the snails well in clear water. Drop salt into boiling water along with lemon juice and/or herbs, and cook for about 10-15 minutes--until you can easily remove the snails from their shells. Drain and rinse.

From: National Agricultural Library

Snails under stress

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Not only snail breeders can get stressed out about their snail farms, but snails themselves can suffer stress too. Very snail breeder knows how delicate the process of raising snails is since they need specific humidity and temperature conditions.

The farm conditions must be the best, since they are very small animals, plastic containers and pet carriers seem like a good first solution. Snails do not feel comfortable when they are so close to each other. Cold water also causes them stress. A sponge helps create a humid space.

During the stress phase snails segregate a substance –its reaction towards external aggressions- in order to obtain the famous "snail slime” that is used to elaborate cosmetic products.

Snails go under a registered physical stress procedure of rotation that “makes no harm” to the snails. Ten snails are needed to produce 4 mm of the snail beauty products.

Photo: Butterfly724

Sea snails amazing benefits

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Scaly-foot sea snail (Crysomallon squamiferum)

There is no doubt that snail slime has plenty of qualities like curing pain. Snail slime contains chemical products that allows them to catch their preys when they bite them. Researchers at Queensland University, Australia, have used it to develop an oral medication to ease the most severe cases of pain with an efficacy as similar to morphine’s.

Snail medication creates no addiction and is required in small doses to work. After proving these effects, scientists used to relive pain in humans. At first it had to be injected directly onto the spine, with a limited usage.

In its oral form, snail slime gets to ease the severe pain as the one suffered by people with a peripheral neuropathy, in much more smaller doses than the regular medications used to treat this condition, and with no risk of addiction.

Another amazing quality of sea snails is the strength of their shells. According to the MIT, the shell of the Crysomallon squamiferum snail (that lives in the Indic Ocean) is so resistant that it can be used to as base to make shields for soldiers and to improve of military vehicle armour.

Familiarly called scaly-foot snail, the shell of this gastropod is different from any other natural shell. It has three layers, able to divide the energy that could weaken or fracture it. This makes of it the strongest of protection.

Snail slime is not what you think

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 06:00:00 PDT

There is a lot of hype surrounding snail slime. It is heavily marketed as the greatest natural wonder for skin care and rejuvenation. Although there is proven scientific evidence of the properties of snail slime, there are many detractors of the snail slime products.

So, what’s the deal with snail slime?

First, we have to make the difference between snail slime and snail secretion. The slime is the fluid the snail uses to slide and that has no healthy quality for human beings whilst the snail secretion that can help delay skin aging and repair it, among other properties. Snails produce this secretion with the merely purpose to defend themselves from environmental aggressions.

And all this “as-seen-on-TV” skin creams…?

Skin creams with repairing and antioxidant properties must have been manufactured with “snail secretion”, obtained through stimulation such as radiation or mechanical stress, and not with the snail slime for sliding.

It’s proven that legitimate snail products can produce a gradual reduction of fine and deep wrinkles, improves aged skin and hydrates it. It works in two ways: it stimulates collagen production and elastin, the skin components that repair skin aging; and reduces damages produced by free radicals, responsible of premature skin aging.

Snail farming: pros and cons of the business

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:07:00 PDT

So you want to start a snail farming business, huh? Well, let me tell you, you have set eyes on a exciting and profitable type of business.

However, before you make any big deci$ion you must be aware of the pros and cons of snail farming.

Pros of snail farming

Snails have a great demand.
Snail farming has a bright future
As long as responsible snail raising and consumption continues, the high demand of snails will rest assured.
Nowadays there is a huge concern about eating natural and healthy.
Other meats have nothing on snails
The great quality and nutritional value of snail meat can compete with poultry, pork and beef.
Snails reproduce in large quantities and adapt to most climates
Feeding snails is cheap and easy
Snail food is mostly vegetables. To make them grow larger, there are low-cost wholesale flours enriched with calcium.

Cons of snail farming

Lack of acknowledge on

Raising snails: understanding their biology and conditions they need.
Laws and regulations on your country regarding to the raise, sell, export and import of snails.
How to start a business of this kind.
Dealing with middlemen.

Recipes: Snail kebab

noreply@blogger.com (Snail Farmer) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:18:00 PDT

Snails kebabs make an original and exquisite appetizer for your guests, fast and easy for those who love simplicity in the kitchen.

Ingredients

Small wooden skewers
Shallots
Breadcrumbs
Garlic
Parsley
Pepper
Olive oil
Salt

Preparation

Cut the garlic, parsley and shallots and blend them with the breadcrumbs.

Take snails off their shells, remove the entrails, and thread each one onto the skewers.

Some gourmets advice to keep the entrails because it is considered the most delicious part of a snail, where the real flavor concentrates.

Spray the skewres with the already-mentioned blend and fry the kebabs in hot oil until they turn golden.

Serve very hot and enjoy!