Snails?

[Tony_S]

I guess I have two questions.

#1, what are good snail species to use as feeders.

and

#2, are any of those species in Pennsylvania.

I think I'd like to give this a try since Ezekiel is such a picky eater. I still can't get him to eat silkworms or the moths that they turn into.

 

[Redman]

I posted before I saw Tony S's post. For safety, I would stick with the normal, safe practices of found land snails, then only collected eggs in a clean container method. There should be plenty in Penn.

Try here and see if this is helpful.


This is for my test of aquatic snails only!
I am thinking Ramshorn snails (Planorbella trivolvis or Hellisoma trivolvis depending on what you read), and if those are a bit too hard for Chams to manage, then I will switch to trying the Bladder snail(physella acuta).

 

[cyberlocc]

I guess I have two questions.

#1, what are good snail species to use as feeders.

and

#2, are any of those species in Pennsylvania.

I think I'd like to give this a try since Ezekiel is such a picky eater. I still can't get him to eat silkworms or the moths that they turn into.

Really most Garden Snails are fine AFAIK.

You should have Cornu aspersum (use to be called H. aspersa) around there, most states do, thats a escargo variant, you have Grove Snails (Cepaea nemoralis), also fine and much prettier than H. aspersa if that matters to you.

 

[jamest0o0]

Sorry, but these posts of spirulina being no good and compared to BBQ sauce are laughable. Once again, humans, and many other animals, have had their lives extended by eating foods that aren't found in their native habitats. Things like spirulina, at the least, should not harm a chameleon. There's no proof that it does. The same way it doesn't harm humans, even though we didn't evolve eating massive amounts of it.

To be clear, I do agree some gutloads in excess could do harm. Just like with all animals and people, some may be sensitive to excessive oxalates, goitrogens, tannins, etc. They may also not be able to digest a lot of things, so it may just go to waste. My problem is with this idea that anything not found in their native habitat is bad. And comparing spirulina to French fries and bbq sauce is lol... I'd expect more from such a revered member.

 

[jamest0o0]

@Tony_S if you're ever around I can share some baby snails with you. I've found garden snails around here as well that you could use.

 

[Highway61]

Good thread about this last year:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/raising-snails-will-these-sufficie.169525/

 

[PetNcs]

Sorry, but these posts of spirulina being no good and compared to BBQ sauce are laughable. Once again, humans, and many other animals, have had their lives extended by eating foods that aren't found in their native habitats. Things like spirulina, at the least, should not harm a chameleon. There's no proof that it does. The same way it doesn't harm humans, even though we didn't evolve eating massive amounts of it.

To be clear, I do agree some gutloads in excess could do harm. Just like with all animals and people, some may be sensitive to excessive oxalates, goitrogens, tannins, etc. They may also not be able to digest a lot of things, so it may just go to waste. My problem is with this idea that anything not found in their native habitat is bad. And comparing spirulina to French fries and bbq sauce is lol... I'd expect more from such a revered member.

if you want to ot understand, you do not.
I sent you a PM tinseeknunderstanding and not fightsc so far no response.
I explicitely stated it was a metaphore and fun.

And, it was an explicite answer to the question whether the aquatic snails can not be the vectors for it...

as oer spirulina, I have nothing against feeding it to the feeders fir their nutrition, butnai am hesitant to saynit makes sense as a gutload because itnis first not natural anssecond, it is very probably not digestable fir chameleons.

you are the one that always ask for science, so Now I ask
What is the proof, where is literatire, where is an empiricnor at least experiential confirmation, that it is beneficial for chameleons and not harmful?!

 

[jamest0o0]

if you want to ot understand, you do not.
I sent you a PM tinseeknunderstanding and not fightsc so far no response.
I explicitely stated it was a metaphore and fun.

And, it was an explicite answer to the question whether the aquatic snails can not be the vectors for it...

as oer spirulina, I have nothing against feeding it to the feeders fir their nutrition, butnai am hesitant to saynit makes sense as a gutload because itnis first not natural anssecond, it is very probably not digestable fir chameleons.

you are the one that always ask for science, so Now I ask
What is the proof, where is literatire, where is an empiricnor at least experiential confirmation, that it is beneficial for chameleons and not harmful?!

If you want to say they probably struggle digesting it, I could agree with that. Just like they probably struggle to digest be pollen. That's why it's probably more beneficial to gutload than to dust

I never made the claim that spirulina would increase their lifespan. I defended it when you said gutloading with things that aren't of their native habitat knock years off their life. If you say that, you have to prove it. Just like if* I had said spirulina increase their lifespan, I would have to prove it.

 

[PetNcs]

If you want to say they probably struggle digesting it, I could agree with that. Just like they probably struggle to digest be pollen. That's why it's probably more beneficial to gutload than to dust

I never made the claim that spirulina would increase their lifespan. I defended it when you said gutloading with things that aren't of their native habitat knock years off their life. If you say that, you have to prove it. Just like if* I had said spirulina increase their lifespan, I would have to prove it.

so, first, I do NOT “have to” anything, I do not owe you anything neither I have promissed you anything

second. Your logic is absolute weird. So, if someone says, a horse should be fed by pork meat and I will protest: I am the one to proove with science that itnis not correct?! Thisnis absurd! Scuence does not solve nonsesne but puts meaningful constructs together. You will never find a peer reviewed work on why grasshopers do not eat sand and what exact harm does concentrated acid on a lien of the wolf. Why? Because it does not make sense.

Spirulina is NOT digested by chameleons as a rule pollen yes. And if you want to play the game, play it with someone else, not me. I am fed up by your hateful attacks.
It started behind my back and continues. If you have something to say, say it but olease stop attacking me on the go.

 

[jamest0o0]

so, first, I do NOT “have to” anything, I do not owe you anything neither I have promissed you anything

second. Your logic is absolute weird. So, if someone says, a horse should be fed by pork meat and I will protest: I am the one to proove with science that itnis not correct?! Thisnis absurd! Scuence does not solve nonsesne but puts meaningful constructs together. You will never find a peer reviewed work on why grasshopers do not eat sand and what exact harm does concentrated acid on a lien of the wolf. Why? Because it does not make sense.

Spirulina is NOT digested by chameleons as a rule pollen yes. And if you want to play the game, play it with someone else, not me. I am fed up by your hateful attacks.
It started behind my back and continues. If you have something to say, say it but olease stop attacking me on the go.

Pete, could you just relax. You must not know what hate is if you think anything I've said is hateful. You say silly things sometimes, so I called you out on it. Other times you say amazingly informative things.

 

[Tony_S]

@Tony_S if you're ever around I can share some baby snails with you. I've found garden snails around here as well that you could use.

Thanks @jamest0o0 , yeah, I'd like for us to get together this spring and hit up a reptile show together. I'd like to see if EZ would even eat them before I start the whole breeding process.

 

[jamest0o0]

Thanks @jamest0o0 , yeah, I'd like for us to get together this spring and hit up a reptile show together. I'd like to see if EZ would even eat them before I start the whole breeding process.

For sure, let me know!

 

[Bush baby]

^

As to how much ect, probably dont feed massive ones, feed smallish ones, relative to the size of the animal with some soft bodies.

It takes quite a bit for a Snail to reach full size. Also to house adult snails, the snail folks, say 1 per gallon, which I have stuck pretty close to for Adults personally. So housing that many adults would be a challenge. Babies, are tiny, and put some weight on pretty quick, so feed them when they are smaller.

Fun tip, you can double up your colonies. Keep 1 viv for your adults, your breeders, and make baby tubs. Then when the babies hatch and get some size to them, put them into a dry container. When they are not provided water, they will aestivate, (form a seal with something and sleep till water is back) they can live like this for up to 2 years.

To bring them back from this sleep, all you have to do is get them wet. The seal is made to be broken by a heavy rain. So allow them to seal up, when not immediately needed, GENTLY pull one out of aestivation when needed, and spray it with water, and feed him some food and then feed him to the Cham.

H. aspersa dont take to this as babies, but Dime sized or so, they can aestivate fine. I have been trying to get some smaller species myself, to be able to raise to adult and then aestivate extras.

Breaking the seal between the surface, may not hurt their internal seal, so you may even be able to break the seal and put them into a jar or some such, and still wake them up, I havent tried. It would be even easier to do though, and require less room for "Snail Storage"

All good advice.

I've been keeping snails for years.

I live in MD and I've noticed that no matter how warm i keep the house, they seem to know when it's winter outside and will become dormant and stop reproducing during those months.

They make great feeders. I raise mine on collard, mustard, turnip greens, bok choy, carrots, green beans, cucumber....and of course cuttlebone.

They're not too fond of fruit.

 

[cyberlocc]

All good advice.

I've been keeping snails for years.

I live in MD and I've noticed that no matter how warm i keep the house, they seem to know when it's winter outside and will become dormant and stop reproducing during those months.

They make great feeders. I raise mine on collard, mustard, turnip greens, bok choy, carrots, green beans, cucumber....and of course cuttlebone.

They're not too fond of fruit.

Is the humidity in their enclosure lower during the winter? Mine didn't breed the first few months I had them, once they started they have not stopped.

 

[Bush baby]

Is the humidity in their enclosure lower during the winter? Mine didn't breed the first few months I had them, once they started they have not stopped.

I keep them down in the basement, where I assume the humidity is higher...? For years they seem to eat very little to nothing between December and March, even if I keep the room warm and spray often.