Kjerstin Grännsjö from Mora, has had Ulla-Bert in her possession for a year and a half, and now she has finally had babies.
– I found a lot of eggs and thought it would be exciting to see if some would hatch. But, I wasn’t prepared for all of them to hatch at the same time, says Kjerstin Grännsjö.
The African Giant Snail is one of the world’s largest snail species, and can reach a shell length of around 10-12 centimeters and weighs around one kilogram. The snail has become an increasingly common pet in Sweden.
The cochlea is bisexual
The snail is bisexual and can fertilize itself. A single snail can therefore lay eggs without having mated. In one year, an African giant land snail can lay 1,200 eggs.
The Grännsjö family has now taken to social media to get help finding new guardians for some of the snail children.
– We still don’t know what to do with all 600 babies. We have sold some, and we may keep some, but if there is anyone else who wants baby snails, they can contact us, says Kjerstin.
The African giant land snails mostly eat plants. Common food is leaves, flowers and fruit. They usually live between 5-10 years old.
– These giant snails can eat a lot of different things, but we usually feed Ulla-Bert with salad and sweet potatoes, says Kjerstin Grännsjö.