How to Capture & Raise Snails for Escargot

The two most popular breeds of snail for escargot are Helix aspersa or Helix pomatia. The Helix aspersa is common in many parts of the United States, originally brought to California by the French in the early 1800s. The shell of an adult is 30 to 45 millimeters across (between 1 and 2 inches), and it will have four or five whorls in the shell. These snail species are hermaphroditic, so gender is not an issue when gathering them.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic bins
  • Wire
  • Batteries
  • Soil
  • Feed
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Locate artichoke, avocado, kiwi or citrus fruit farmers in your area. Often, these farmers with gather snails for you for a small fee or allow you to capture the snails yourself. Hold onto the snails for three to four days before using them for food; this will allow time for you to make sure they have not eaten anything poisonous in the wild. Do not feed them for one to two days after capture.

    • 2

      Place the snails in an open pen or plastic tub, making sure that there is 3 inches of soil for the snails to use. Line the pen or tub with two thin wires that are connected to batteries. The small amount of electricity from the battery is sufficient to keep the snails from crossing the wires and escaping. Make sure you have no more than eight snails per square meter of space.

    • 3

      Feed the snails fresh fruit and vegetables along with leaves. A good diet for snails is 20 percent wheat bran and 80 percent fruit and vegetable mixture. Make sure that calcium is supplied to the soil once a week. Calcium is an important nutrient for the snail shells.

    • 4

      Breed the best snails so that you can pass on those traits. Separate the snails you want to breed into their own boxes with 3 inches of soil. Keep the soil moist but not wet, by adding a small amount of water daily. Either one or both snails will lay fertilized eggs into the soil.

    • 5

      Move hatched snails into groups after they have grown for three weeks. Snails that just hatched will eat the egg for much needed calcium. Any eggs that have not hatched after two to three days will be cannibalized by the young. During this phase of growth, feed the baby snails tender lettuce leaves.