AN ASSESSMENT OF MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE OF HATCHING OF GIANT AGRICAN LAND SNAILS (GALS)

ABSTRACT

The giant African land snail (GALS) is one of the species with great zootechnical potential. It is a gastropod animal that is often found under plant debris, in certain agricultural areas, and everywhere around homes, forest and hideouts. The broad objective of this study was to assess the performance of Giant African Land Snails (Archachatina marginata) in captivity assessing the performance of growth and reproduction ,impact of management systems, and evaluate the hatching ability of GALS. This research work was carried out at the Heliciculture section of the University of Benin Teaching and Research Farm Project. From the findings, controlled environment within the enclosure provides protection against predators and adverse weather conditions, creating a conducive space for successful hatching and weight gain within a specified period. This research holds potential implications for the development of more effective and sustainable practices in the management of field giant african land snail(GALs). The enclosed free-range system provides a simulated environment that emulates certain aspects of the natural habitat while affording control over variables crucial to the breeding and hatching processes.