Prospects and Problems of Snails Production in Nigeria

CHAPTER ONE 1. 1. Introduction Nigerias economic convalescence programmes ingest necessitated a radical shift from total dep abrogateence on political sympathies for art to self-employment. One such attractive area for self-employment is collect rearing. It is a huge money-spinning crinkle that bottom of the inning provide a important source of protein to complement Nigerian carbohydrate meals. Sadly Nigerians inclination to go into business in the handle where thousands crap already make their percentage has led to the ulter neglect of such lucrative area of gather res publica in Nigeria or exporting at international market. Many hatful see gathers here and there.Some people generate it as meat. But quite an an a number dont know how to go about rearing them. This is make worse because snails, which lead to the family of animal c alled MOLLUSCA, is a hermaphrodite. It has both the fe manlike and male sexual organs so one washbowl non really distinguish betwe en the male and female specie of it. 1. 2. Overview Snails that respire using a lung belong to the group Pulmonata, while those with gills form a polyphyletic group in in the altogether(prenominal) words, snails with gills form a number of taxonomic groups that are not necessarily more closely connect to each other than they are related to near other groups.Both snails that take aim lungs and snails that absorb gills have diversified so colossally over geological sequence that a hardly a(prenominal) species with gills depose be found on land and numerous species with lungs can be found in freshwater. Even a few marine species have lungs. Snails can be found in a very wide range of environments, including ditches, deserts, and the abyssal depths of the sea. Although many people are familiar with world(a) snails, they are in the minority. Marine snails constitute the absolute majority of snail species, and have much greater diversity and a greater biomass.Numerous kinds o f snail can also be found in fresh water. Most snails have thousands of microscopic tooth-like structures located on a ribbon-like tongue called a radula. The radula flora like a file, ripping food into small pieces. Many snails are herbivorous, eating plants or rasping algae from surfaces with their radulae, though a few land species and many marine species are omnivores or predatory carnivores. CHAPTER deuce 2. 1. SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA Nigerias economic recovery programmes have necessitated a radical shift from total dependence on government for job to self-employment.One such attractive area for self-employment is snail rearing. It is a great money-spinning business that can provide a substantial source of protein to complement Nigerian carbohydrate meals. Sadly Nigerians inclination to go into business in the fields where thousands have already made their fortune has led to the ulter neglect of such lucrative area of snail kingdom in Nigeriaor export at international market . CHAPTER THREE 3. 1. Problems of snail production 1. Population get wind This is a sticky subject for a lot of people hardly its important to think about this sensibly if you intend to halt snails.With definite species able to lay 1200+ egg in one class it is entirely impractical to hatch all your eggs. And with most species, eggs are approximately guaranteed. So lets deal with the options you have or may have perceive 1. Keeping snails isolated This is a common intimation but I dont think it is a practical solution for a number of reasons. Id spare the opinion that snails do best with others and most people wouldnt wish to keep one snail, and you may not have the tanks to start splitting them all up. Also, some species of snail can self-fertilise if requisite. 2.Picking snails that are notoriously hard to report or in high demand This isnt a bad suggestion youll not have any trouble finding homes for the babies. Remember though, that new breeds are in high demand but may not necessarily be difficult to breed. Your first few clutches may fly out the door, but its likely those new stimulateers will have similar success. Some species can be fertile within a few months, so the day when youll struggle to re-home them is merely postponed. 3. Discouraging upbringing through environmental conditions This is a bit like the rhythm order in humans, in that it is likely to be very risky.Most likely youll end up with unhappy snails and eggs anyway. 4. Destroying unwanted eggs The vast majority of snail keepers choose to destroy any unwanted eggs as in brief as they are found. The sooner the better because they develop quite quickly, particularly if the snail has retained them for durable than usual. Destroying the eggs is more humanistic than hatching 1000s of unwanted babies. Owners of tropical species do this and liken it much to the viability that is realistically found in the wild.A lot of eggs will be eaten, some wont develop and the chance of a baby snail surviving to matureness is very poor. To destroy eggs you can simply crush, boil or freeze them, the latter the most popular method. Most people operate the change every few days, particularly in hot weather. to a greater extent often than not snails will lay against the bottom or lieu of a tank so they are easy to spot. Some snails exact eggs inside for longer than usual so the eggs can be more developed but in the majority of cases, great conditions in captivity mean they can lay as soon as they are formed.Native snail eggs chiefly take longer to hatch than tropical ones, 20-40 days, perhaps shorter in hot weather, so destroying them within a day or dickens of being laid path they are just fluid with no embryo in. Tropical eggs can hatch within a day or two so you have to be ultra vigilant. 5. Breeding Information (Self-fertilisation) The Pulmonates are hermaphroditic. Most are outcrossers, exchanging sperm cellatophores, containing spermatozoa at mating. Other s self-fertilise, at least some of the time in some, parts of the male reproductive system may be lost. Firstly, I cant be sure that by mention of self-fertilise it means fertilising oneself with ones own sperm or whether it simply means they control the process of choosing when and which sperm to fertilise themselves with. CHAPTER FOUR 4. 1. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS FAVOURING SURVIVAL AND RAISING OF SNAIL milieu is the combination of external physical conditions that affect and influence the growth, development and excerpt of organisms. Snail farms can be indoors or outdoor(prenominal)s provided environmental conditions necessary for survival prevails for optimum production of snail the following environmental factors are ideal. 1) Temperature Temperature influences the activities of snails temperature above 200c will cause the snails to as stivate our hibernate in order to regulate the body fluid continual snails thrive tumesce under ambient temperature of 200c with considerable growth rate all year round with zero chance of aestivation. Temperature and humidity 80 hand in hand and are very critical in the survival of snails. (2) humidness This factor is very critical as the snail has to maintain a constant equilibrium between the fluids.A humid environment is required for snail to remain active and bred all years round. A is therefore necessary to moisten the environment during fry terminations. (3) Light Snail though generally nocturnal requires light for optimum growth. Provided the amount of light in impairment of quantity and quality is very arucil in the life of snail. 4. crap Soil is a medium for reproduction of snails good management practice involves weft and mixture of soil. It should be recalled that soil harbour a lot of pests predators and soil should diseases.It becomes necessary that soil farm be justly analyzed before use in snail activities and development. It mixture of sand and clay in good proportion retains water and therefore is not suitable on the other hand clay during the rains is water logged and cakes up during the dry period too hard for the snails to burrow through. Loamy soil is recommended as it contains luxuriant organic matter with good retentive capacity. Acidic soil should be avoided. If it can not be avoided liming is encouraged in such situation.Periodic industriousness of calcium is also encouraged where and when it is absent. The soil should not contain detrimental salts or be so alkaline so as net profit to burn the snails (Akinuvsi 2000). 4. 2. HOVESING Snails are known to escape from enclosures that are not properly saved or covered. It therefore becomes imperative that snail houses should be protected to prevent the snails from escaping and predator free. The housing for raising snails varies with the purpose, however it could be made of wooden materials wire mesh or even local materials whether outdoor or indoor.CHAPTER FIVE 5. 1. Conclusion This review attempted to examine the r egion of snail farming to poverty reduction in Nigeria. The paper emphasised that snail farming is a veritable means of complementing the carbohydrate meals of the amount of Nigeria as well as a means of generating income and to achieving self adequateness as it provides self employment to the people. To be able to achieve this, government should encourage investors in this area financially and extension services.It is, therefore, recommended that Government should take more than a cursory interest in snail farming by encouraging investors through progression of an enabling environmental, financial and technical foul support. REFERENCES Agboola, F. K. , Fagbohunka, B. S. and Adenuga, G. A. (2008). Activities of Archachatina marginata heamolymph enzymes clues to terrestrial snails salt intolerance. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences (2)1 6 71. Abere, S. A. and Lameed, G. A. (2008). The medicinal utilization of snails in some selected states in Nigeria. In O nyekwelu, J.C. Adekunle, V. A. J. and Oke, D. O. 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