Snail's ??
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Bush baby
Avid Member
I keep and breed snails. I've got so many baby's right now ' I might have to start eating them myself' as I doubt my Jacksons can consume them all!
I keep mine in a 20 gallon aquarium with about 2 inches of potted soil in the bottom(they need this to breed). You can provide them with hiding places like old flower pots,etc but I personally don't. Keep the soil damp, not soaked with water. Just don't let it get dry as they will withdraw into their shell to regain moisture. Keep them at room temp (in the 70's); if you want them to breed rapidly keep them warmer (80's).
Feed them dark green leafy veggies like Mustard, Collard, Turnip greens, carrots, mangos, cucumber and they need a calcium source for their shell, so place a piece of cuttlebone, egg shell, or sprinkle calcium powder on their food.
If you're starting from wild caught, breed them, then toss out the adults and raise and feed off the babies, as wild caught snails usually have parasites.
I keep mine in a 20 gallon aquarium with about 2 inches of potted soil in the bottom(they need this to breed). You can provide them with hiding places like old flower pots,etc but I personally don't. Keep the soil damp, not soaked with water. Just don't let it get dry as they will withdraw into their shell to regain moisture. Keep them at room temp (in the 70's); if you want them to breed rapidly keep them warmer (80's).
Feed them dark green leafy veggies like Mustard, Collard, Turnip greens, carrots, mangos, cucumber and they need a calcium source for their shell, so place a piece of cuttlebone, egg shell, or sprinkle calcium powder on their food.
If you're starting from wild caught, breed them, then toss out the adults and raise and feed off the babies, as wild caught snails usually have parasites.
Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
All good advice above- I would also add that if you are using wild caught snails, you should pick the eggs out of the soil to break the parasite cycle. If you keep your new eggs in contaminates soil, the snails will pick up parasitesfrom the poop of their parents.
It's a bit of a pain, but once you have a few dozen "clean" babies, you can return the adults to the wild. It may take 6 months to a year for your first generation eggs to lay eggs of their own. Then you will be inundated!
It's a bit of a pain, but once you have a few dozen "clean" babies, you can return the adults to the wild. It may take 6 months to a year for your first generation eggs to lay eggs of their own. Then you will be inundated!
Bush baby
Avid Member
I had to dispose of 2/3's of my snail colony today. I just had way too many. They were breeding like crazy. I have a Jackson's who loves them, but i just had way too many for him to eat. Luckily i also have 3 turtles who enjoys eating them as well..but still. I kept about 4 second generation adults along with about 15 dime sized babies for next years breeding cycle, and carefully disposed the rest.
Not to mention, the colony i had got infested with gnats/ little flies that i couldn't get rid off. I don't know if they were attracted to the poop or the food that i fed the snails (Which was primarily leafy greens and carrots; no fruit) but they just become to much to bare. So i did a complete overhaul of the entire enclosure.
I've been thinking about getting some tree frogs (either Whites or Barking) so maybe next year, i'll have another set of mouths to feed off my snails to.
Not to mention, the colony i had got infested with gnats/ little flies that i couldn't get rid off. I don't know if they were attracted to the poop or the food that i fed the snails (Which was primarily leafy greens and carrots; no fruit) but they just become to much to bare. So i did a complete overhaul of the entire enclosure.
I've been thinking about getting some tree frogs (either Whites or Barking) so maybe next year, i'll have another set of mouths to feed off my snails to.
Virgil1972
Avid Member
Feel free to dump some in my yard.
Blang
Established Member
The kind I have are land snails/ Helix snails/garden snails! You feed the whole snail to your cham!
kimmytheriault
Member
Aren't snail shells high in calcium too? That sounds kinda like a win-win feeder to me. (And this is definitely news to me! but then again, pretty much everything is since I am a new owner! haha.)
Kclarke02
Avid Member
Ok cool. So all these snails my brother gets on his live plants for his cichlid tank could be suitable for my Cham? I'm still worried about parasites...I've read y'all throw out the babies and maybe the eggs too? These things are very hardy so I'm very curious how to utilize them as feeders! Lol
Blang
Established Member
I wouldn't use the aquarium type snails! I had discus years ago, aka 1973/1974, and they had tapeworms, so I wouldn't chance it! But that's me!
Kclarke02
Avid Member
I can believe that. Snails that have been in water, whether dirty or not, can't be safe. Where do you order yours from? I'm very curious if my Cham would like them. She doesn't take to slow movers tho. Just today she stalked a hornworm until it started moving a little faster....lol!
Blang
Established Member
E-bay
Bush baby
Avid Member
Just type 'Helix snails' in ebay, and you should see some. I would hurry, since summer is almost up and they'll be hard to acquire in the cooler months.
I wouldn't feed water snails either.
You need to get adults, breed them, then toss the adults and raise the eggs/babies, so that any parasites the adults might have will be less likely to be passed to their offspring. Then feed the offspring, and all the generations from then on out to your cham.
I wouldn't feed water snails either.
You need to get adults, breed them, then toss the adults and raise the eggs/babies, so that any parasites the adults might have will be less likely to be passed to their offspring. Then feed the offspring, and all the generations from then on out to your cham.
Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
Going slow but going well! How's things with your snails?
We did a huge purge this summer and are letting the colony build back up now. We had hundreds of snails at one point and it just became too much. I think I'm on generation 3 or 4. Whatever type of snails these are, it's about six months from hatching to laying eggs.
Bucky off and on decides that he either wants nothing to do with them or they are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to him.
We did a huge purge this summer and are letting the colony build back up now. We had hundreds of snails at one point and it just became too much. I think I'm on generation 3 or 4. Whatever type of snails these are, it's about six months from hatching to laying eggs.
Bucky off and on decides that he either wants nothing to do with them or they are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to him.
Bush baby
Avid Member
Going slow but going well! How's things with your snails?
We did a huge purge this summer and are letting the colony build back up now. We had hundreds of snails at one point and it just became too much. I think I'm on generation 3 or 4. Whatever type of snails these are, it's about six months from hatching to laying eggs.
Bucky off and on decides that he either wants nothing to do with them or they are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to him.
Mine's going well. I have about 30 that hatched a few weeks ago and a few clumps of eggs that are still to hatch. I take it that will be it for this year, as i noticed (as they did last year) that when the humidity and temps in my basement drop with the outside weather they become quite dormant.
Do you have a problem with fruit or scuttle flies? I have these little black flies that infest the enclosure, and read that they're attracted to the rotting vegetation. I did a complete clean out a few weeks back, and that seemed to solve the problem for a few weeks but now they're back.
I ordered some fly paper to see if that does the trick….
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