Growth and reproductive performances of African giant snail (Archachatina marginata) as affected by dietary calcium levels

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of dietary calcium level on biological performances of African giant snail Archachatina marginata. The snails were fed on 4 diets containing graded calcium content (12%, 14%, 16% and 18%) for thirty-two weeks. The main results revealed that, growth performances were higher (p˂0.05) with the highest calcium content in feed (18%) followed by 16%. The cumulative mortality rate was higher (24.64%) in snails fed on diet containing the smallest amount of calcium (12%), while snails fed on the highest calcium level (18%) recorded the highest survival rate (89.41%). Except for the body weight at the first laying, which varied with the variation of the calcium in the ration, no significant difference was recorded between treatment groups for reproductive performances. The highest (p<0.05) number of eggs laid were recorded with 16% (27 eggs) and 18% (26 eggs) of calcium. The lowest reproductive traits were recorded with the lowest calcium level. It was concluded that, A. marginata performed better with 18% of calcium in the ration with regard to growth and reproduction performances.