How diets and the environment influence on the weight of Roman snail in captivity

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study into the influence of the diet, air temperature and relative air humidity, and soil temperature on the average weight of Helix pomatia in captivity. It was shown that vegetables included in the mixed leaf-vegetable diet mitigated the effect of a high air temperature and a low relative humidity. It was established that the air temperature and relative humidity had opposite effects on weight gain in Helix pomatia. The increase in temperature predetermined the weight loss. Despite the high temperature, a humidity of over 75% caused all the molluscs gain weight regardless of their diet.

Edible Snail Production in Europe

“…It is estimated that the domestic European market can cover only 60–70% of the demand for this product. For example, 95% of snails consumed in France (20–40 thousand tonnes) comes from imports [ 10 , 12 ].…”

“…Then, a small, selected part of the herd is intended for reproduction in the following year, while the remaining part is sold [ 9 ]. Helix pomatia reaches its maturity after 12–14 months under breeding conditions, and in the wild this time is extended up to four years [ 10 ]. One of the reasons for the low profitability of growing it in monoculture is a longer maturation period, and thus a better return on investment due to the lower maintenance of this snail species compared to Cornu aspersum [ 11 ].…”