When raising any species of snail there are a number of questions which need to be addressed when first establishing the enclosure. One of these is which substrate would best suit the species, the enclosure and your rearing method. The following is a breakdown of the most commonly used substrates and their pros and cons.

There are a number of different barks available, from finely chopped “soil conditioners” made of forestry waste products and old Christmas trees to the more pricey graded orchid bark. Although bark can be useful in a snail enclosure as a surface covering helping retain the substrates moisture and providing the ideal habitat for vivarium custodians; I would not recommend housing snails purely on bark. Alone it has no water retentive properties, resulting in a soupy mess at the bottom of the enclosure and a dry top layer. The result is drowned ova and inactive snails.

An excellent choice when quarantining new stock, ridding mites or raising large numbers of juveniles. Capillary matting retains moisture well whilst being quick and easy to rinse on a daily basis. Use of sphagnum moss in conjunction with Capillary matting can make this a good long term solution for tolerant species such as Achatina fulica. Although not the cheapest option Capillary matting is easily reused, which justifies the original investment.

One of the favoured soil like substrates, coir is clean and easy to store in its dried block form requiring a short while to reconstitute ready for use. I have observed fresh coir can be off putting for some species, its gritty texture perhaps? This does soften and is received more readily after a few days of use. Coir does not retain water well throughout the whole of the substrate layer, resulting in an over wet bottom inch and a dry surface. Churning the substrate every few days can prevent this. Coir is difficult to reuse although will generally last longer than other soil type substrates if spot cleaned.

Although disregarded by some keepers due to its acidity peat does not have a low enough pH to cause damage to the shells of land snails, and is a cheaper alternative to coir in most instances. Peat retains moisture far better throughout the whole of the substrate layer than coir, but does require regular replacement and cannot be reused.
Peat however is not environmentally sound, and its use should be avoided where possible.

Live sphagnum comes in a variety of shades, from a rich red/brown (the red stuff is in fact live not dead) to a bright vivid green. An excellent substrate choice for certain species although all snails seem to do well on sphagnum. In particular. Achatina immaculata [two-tone], Pleurodonte marginella and Lignus intertinctus thrive when reared purely on sphagnum moss. Sphagnum distributes moisture well throughout the whole of the substrate layer and if not over watered does not suffer from the "pool of water" collecting at the bottom of the enclosure. It is generally more expensive than the other options, however sphagnum can be rinsed and reused. Sphagnum moss is also relatively easily cultivated in home made peat beds providing green fresh tips.

Sphagnum as a substrate is a great choice, but for hatchlings and ova incubation its open texture can be problematic. A tighter knit texture with all the same properties is achieved in chopped sphagnum. The broken chunks of moss lie together closer providing a firm airy substrate with good moisture distribution.