Detailed Explanation of Key Points in White Jade Snail Breeding Technology
White Jade Snail Breeding Technology
“Soft Gold”——White Jade Snail
The White Jade Snail, commonly known as the white-fleshed snail, gets its name because its flesh is as white as jade. It belongs to the phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, and terrestrial shelled snails. It is hermaphroditic and ranks among the very best in the large family of edible snail species worldwide.
The White Jade Snail is one of China's special animal species, possessing special value, special nutrition, a distinctive flavor, and special uses. Its flesh is thick and plump, rich in nutrition, high in protein, low in fat, with cholesterol approaching zero, and rich in more than 20 kinds of amino acids. It is also an optimal tonic for astronauts and athletes.
At present, domestic snail dishes have been developed into ten major series with more than 200 dishes, and nearly 40 kinds of health-preserving, body-strengthening, deep-processed, and finely processed products. Edible snails and their eggs can effectively treat more than 20 kinds of diseases, including hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. Snail enzyme (a potent raw material for medical treatment and beauty cosmetics) extracted from snail mucus sells for more than 30 yuan per gram domestically. (In the past, when China relied on imports, it cost 100 US dollars per gram domestically.) Every kilogram of live snails' collected digestive mucus can extract 3 grams of snail enzyme; after extracting the snail enzyme, the meat quality remains unchanged, and the snail's internal organs and shells can be dried and crushed into high-grade animal feed.
I. Rearing Characteristics
“Less feed.” From hatching to sale (35——50 grams), a snail needs only 6 months, requiring only 500 grams of green feed and about 50 grams of concentrated feed. One breeding snail can multiply into nearly a thousand snails in a year, of which more than 400 can reach commercial size.
“Convenient to raise.” Calculating on the basis of one ordinary laborer raising and managing 30,000 snails, only 1.5 to 2 hours of labor per day are needed. Convenient to raise.
“Fast results.” The White Jade Snail has a short maturation period. It reproduces quickly, with a high survival rate, and an incidence rate below 1%. Breeding snails lay eggs once every two months, about 200 eggs each time (at most up to 400 eggs in a single laying), with an annual egg production of 1,200 per snail. The hatchlings, after 6 months of feeding, reach sexual maturity and lay eggs again. In this way, breeding snails produce offspring, and the offspring produce offspring again, endlessly multiplying, and a batch of commercial snails can mature for sale every month.
“High benefit.” For example, using a 25-square-meter room for indoor rearing, starting with 100 breeding snails and using multi-tier shelf rearing, more than 50,000 snails can be developed within the same year. Apart from the snails kept as breeding stock and semi-finished products, more than 1,500 kilograms of commercial snails can be sold, with an annual output value of 22,500 yuan and a net profit of 15,000 yuan.
II. Living Habits of the White Jade Snail
1. Habit of liking warmth: the temperature at which it grows fastest is between 25-30 degrees.
2. Habit of loving moisture:
(1) Air humidity absolutely must not be less than 50%, and the humidity of the rearing soil absolutely must not be less than 20%. However, excessive humidity is also not good. If the atmospheric humidity is saturated, that is 100%, and the humidity in the rearing box is greater than 85%, various pathogenic bacteria will be produced, causing the box and the food inside it to become moldy and making the snails sick.
(2) The snail's fondness for moisture is also shown in its choice of food. If there is a choice, it will first eat the food with the highest water content. For example, when vegetables and fruits are fed at the same time, it will eat only vegetable leaves and not tree leaves. Therefore, snail feed should mainly consist of fresh, tender, and juicy food.
(3) The snail's fondness for moisture is also shown in its preference for dwelling in moist soil. If the air humidity meets its requirements, then except during the egg-laying period, it rests and moves about outside the soil in places with sufficient air. If the air humidity is too low and the body would lose a large amount of water, it then dwells in the soil. Therefore, the thickness of the soil in the rearing box should be more than 2 cm greater than the height of the snail shell, and the humidity must not be less than 50—60%. Apart from providing a dwelling place, the soil in the box also allows the snail to absorb some trace elements from the soil to supply the skeleton needed for synthesizing various proteins in its body. Therefore, frequently changing the rearing soil in the box is not only for maintaining hygiene, but also for supplying the trace elements necessary for the snail.
3. Marked habit of seeking darkness
Snails are afraid of strong light stimulation and have a marked habit of seeking darkness. They like to live in dark environments. They are animals that hide by day and come out at night. If raised in the wild or in the open air, they are most active before dawn. Under weak light, they can see food more than 20 cm away, while under strong light, they can only see food within 4—5 mm. Therefore, even in a rearing room with windows, they remain motionless during the day, and all activities take place at night. Darkness is by no means total blackness. If snails are placed in complete darkness for rearing, it is unfavorable to their growth and reproduction, because weak light not only allows them to see food, but they themselves also need a certain amount of light energy to stimulate the development of their gonads. Without light, they will not develop, and will not mate or lay eggs for a long time. Therefore, a certain amount of scattered light should be provided when raising snails.
The White Jade Snail, commonly known as the white-fleshed snail, gets its name because its flesh is as white as jade. It belongs to the phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, and terrestrial shelled snails. It is hermaphroditic and ranks among the very best in the large family of edible snail species worldwide.
The White Jade Snail is one of China's special animal species, possessing special value, special nutrition, a distinctive flavor, and special uses. Its flesh is thick and plump, rich in nutrition, high in protein, low in fat, with cholesterol approaching zero, and rich in more than 20 kinds of amino acids. It is also an optimal tonic for astronauts and athletes.
At present, domestic snail dishes have been developed into ten major series with more than 200 dishes, and nearly 40 kinds of health-preserving, body-strengthening, deep-processed, and finely processed products. Edible snails and their eggs can effectively treat more than 20 kinds of diseases, including hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. Snail enzyme (a potent raw material for medical treatment and beauty cosmetics) extracted from snail mucus sells for more than 30 yuan per gram domestically. (In the past, when China relied on imports, it cost 100 US dollars per gram domestically.) Every kilogram of live snails' collected digestive mucus can extract 3 grams of snail enzyme; after extracting the snail enzyme, the meat quality remains unchanged, and the snail's internal organs and shells can be dried and crushed into high-grade animal feed.
I. Rearing Characteristics
“Less feed.” From hatching to sale (35——50 grams), a snail needs only 6 months, requiring only 500 grams of green feed and about 50 grams of concentrated feed. One breeding snail can multiply into nearly a thousand snails in a year, of which more than 400 can reach commercial size.
“Convenient to raise.” Calculating on the basis of one ordinary laborer raising and managing 30,000 snails, only 1.5 to 2 hours of labor per day are needed. Convenient to raise.
“Fast results.” The White Jade Snail has a short maturation period. It reproduces quickly, with a high survival rate, and an incidence rate below 1%. Breeding snails lay eggs once every two months, about 200 eggs each time (at most up to 400 eggs in a single laying), with an annual egg production of 1,200 per snail. The hatchlings, after 6 months of feeding, reach sexual maturity and lay eggs again. In this way, breeding snails produce offspring, and the offspring produce offspring again, endlessly multiplying, and a batch of commercial snails can mature for sale every month.
“High benefit.” For example, using a 25-square-meter room for indoor rearing, starting with 100 breeding snails and using multi-tier shelf rearing, more than 50,000 snails can be developed within the same year. Apart from the snails kept as breeding stock and semi-finished products, more than 1,500 kilograms of commercial snails can be sold, with an annual output value of 22,500 yuan and a net profit of 15,000 yuan.
II. Living Habits of the White Jade Snail
1. Habit of liking warmth: the temperature at which it grows fastest is between 25-30 degrees.
2. Habit of loving moisture:
(1) Air humidity absolutely must not be less than 50%, and the humidity of the rearing soil absolutely must not be less than 20%. However, excessive humidity is also not good. If the atmospheric humidity is saturated, that is 100%, and the humidity in the rearing box is greater than 85%, various pathogenic bacteria will be produced, causing the box and the food inside it to become moldy and making the snails sick.
(2) The snail's fondness for moisture is also shown in its choice of food. If there is a choice, it will first eat the food with the highest water content. For example, when vegetables and fruits are fed at the same time, it will eat only vegetable leaves and not tree leaves. Therefore, snail feed should mainly consist of fresh, tender, and juicy food.
(3) The snail's fondness for moisture is also shown in its preference for dwelling in moist soil. If the air humidity meets its requirements, then except during the egg-laying period, it rests and moves about outside the soil in places with sufficient air. If the air humidity is too low and the body would lose a large amount of water, it then dwells in the soil. Therefore, the thickness of the soil in the rearing box should be more than 2 cm greater than the height of the snail shell, and the humidity must not be less than 50—60%. Apart from providing a dwelling place, the soil in the box also allows the snail to absorb some trace elements from the soil to supply the skeleton needed for synthesizing various proteins in its body. Therefore, frequently changing the rearing soil in the box is not only for maintaining hygiene, but also for supplying the trace elements necessary for the snail.
3. Marked habit of seeking darkness
Snails are afraid of strong light stimulation and have a marked habit of seeking darkness. They like to live in dark environments. They are animals that hide by day and come out at night. If raised in the wild or in the open air, they are most active before dawn. Under weak light, they can see food more than 20 cm away, while under strong light, they can only see food within 4—5 mm. Therefore, even in a rearing room with windows, they remain motionless during the day, and all activities take place at night. Darkness is by no means total blackness. If snails are placed in complete darkness for rearing, it is unfavorable to their growth and reproduction, because weak light not only allows them to see food, but they themselves also need a certain amount of light energy to stimulate the development of their gonads. Without light, they will not develop, and will not mate or lay eggs for a long time. Therefore, a certain amount of scattered light should be provided when raising snails.