Looking for Helix Aspersa

CamrynTheCham22

CamrynTheCham22

Avid Member
I have decided that I want to add some snails to my cham's diet since the roaches escape and die and smell and all those wonderful things. I tried to get some from Snails in the Mail, but unfortunately their website isn't up anymore and I have to look somewhere else. I have been looking for snails for a while and I am going to get them now so I can start breeding them.

So does anyone breed and sell helix aspersa or know someone who breeds or sells helix aspersa? I won't be needing too many, probably under 10.
 
It has to be someone located in your state, or else it’s illegal. Make sure to get escargot/human grade snails, too. In that case, if anyone is in Texas, let me know!
 
Keep in mind if you do buy these that they may be carrying parasites. Use these as breeders when they lay eggs scoop the eggs out and raise them in a clean container with new soil. Feed off the young before they get as big as a dime and their shells get too thick. Snails are hermaphrodites so any two will be a breeding pair. You will need to give them a calcium source or they will eat each others shells.
 
Thank you so much. I will definitely be looking into these. Can they be a base food in my cham's diet or only for treats? Also, since the snails have calcium in their shells, should I hold off from dusting them?
 
I don't dust my snails.

On a side note: anyone tried feeding their snails dried seaweed sheets used to feed aqaurim fish...?
 
CamrynTheCham22 said:
Thank you so much. I will definitely be looking into these. Can they be a base food in my cham's diet or only for treats? Also, since the snails have calcium in their shells, should I hold off from dusting them?
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Dusting isn’t required as long as your cham eats the shell. Not sure about it being a staple, but since it’s one of the healthiest choices, I wouldn’t be surprised if it can be a staple. Although variety is key and therefore there should be no staples
 
CamrynTheCham22 said:
That is what I am focused on; adding variety to my cham's diet. I just want to add some more feeders before my cham gets bored of roaches.
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What else do you feed? I feed the occasional superworm, crickets, red runner roaches, ivory and orange-headed roaches, green banana roaches, BSFL and flies, silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, and painted lady butterflies. Mantids and stick insects, along with snails, obviously, are also great!
 
ERKleRose said:
What else do you feed? I feed the occasional superworm, crickets, red runner roaches, ivory and orange-headed roaches, green banana roaches, BSFL and flies, silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, and painted lady butterflies. Mantids and stick insects, along with snails, obviously, are also great!
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Well, right now I don't have any other feeder than dubia roaches, because I don't have much space to house other feeders, but I thought that I would starts with adding some snails since they seem not too difficult to breed and they don't escape and aren't as dirty. I tried hornworms with my cham, but she ate one or two and decided that she doesn't like them. I had an entire cup of them and she wouldn't eat them!
Maybe I will try painted lady butterflies. How do you house them and how often do you feed them to your cham (and in what quantity)?
 
CamrynTheCham22 said:
Well, right now I don't have any other feeder than dubia roaches, because I don't have much space to house other feeders, but I thought that I would starts with adding some snails since they seem not too difficult to breed and they don't escape and aren't as dirty. I tried hornworms with my cham, but she ate one or two and decided that she doesn't like them. I had an entire cup of them and she wouldn't eat them!
Maybe I will try painted lady butterflies. How do you house them and how often do you feed them to your cham (and in what quantity)?
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Wow, chams usually love hornworms! Gulf Coast Silkworms (site sponsor) has painted lady larvae, a powdered larvae diet, screen cages, nectar, and a nectar feeder. Mine haven’t pupated yet, but when they do, I’ll see how big they get, but I’ll probably only feed off one or two at a time. I bought the $16 screen hamper cage, but if you have a spare Reptibreeze, or other screen cage, it’ll work, too. There’s, I think, 12 to a cup, so if they all pupate around the same time, I’d feed them all off first before going back to another feeder. I’m using the cage I got to pupate BSFL while the painted lady larvae are in their feeder cup, once the painted ladies pupate, I’ll just toss some BSFL into my chams’ cages and let them pupate in there. You can also use the cage to pupate silkworms, hornworms, and waxworms into moths, as well
 
Has anyone bought snails from myhappysnails.com before? I’m thinking of ordering from there
 
CamrynTheCham22 said:
I saw this site too and wondered about them. Do you think that since the snails are being sold as pets that they will be parasite-free?
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Not sure, but either way, I’m going to do what JacksJill said. Carolina Biological has them cheaper but they’re sold as Texas Land Snails, so I’m not sure if they really are helix aspersa. I think I’ll go with myhappysnails, just because I’ll be positive they’re helix aspersa and I can get food and everything from there, too.
 
ERKleRose said:
Not sure, but either way, I’m going to do what JacksJill said. Carolina Biological has them cheaper but they’re sold as Texas Land Snails, so I’m not sure if they really are helix aspersa. I think I’ll go with myhappysnails, just because I’ll be positive they’re helix aspersa and I can get food and everything from there, too.
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I believe that Carolina Biological sells Otala Lactea, which are commonly called Milk Snails. Apparently those are also safe for human consumption.
 
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