Some New Snails from Florida

[Liguus]

I received a mix of land snails from Miami, Florida today.  It seems like most are Zachrysia provisoria (Cuban brown snails) and Bradybaena similaris (Asian tramp snails). Best case scenario they reproduce in spring and I will have young snails to offer next year.

Some of the Zachys are dark bodied with brown shells, while some are lighter skined with yellow shells. I'm not sure if some of the Zachys are Z. auricoma or not. I'll try to ID them myself and see if I can spot any more differences.

Also I'm not sure if the two smaller ones are both asian tramps, or if they are different species. One has a shell with a stripe and the other is plain, although they may have different color morphs. The reason I question if they're both asain tramps though is because the one with the stripe has a very pyramidal shell. There is also a whorl number difference between them.

Here's pics: They are about to get a green tea bath before being added to my Terrarium with aspersas.

[muddydragon]

Gorgeous snails i bet you're really chuffed with them. they look lovely

[mangoandlemon]

I live in fl and I've found a snail just like that one. Maybe Theba pisaea? (I wonder if a spelled that right?)

[Liguus]

Nov 13, 2014 12:25:39 GMT mangoandlemon said:

I live in fl and I've found a snail just like that one. Maybe Theba pisaea? (I wonder if a spelled that right?)

I'd like for that to be true lol (Theba looks like it grows to a good size), but again the whorl count is off.


How many types of snails do you have where you live?

[Liguus]

I checked this morning and they Zachys are still sitting on the substrate. (My aspersas always are found on the walls of the terrarium). I misted them and put them on a piece of kale.

I'm hoping they are just adjusting after shipping, and not dying off lol. I'm concerned because I tried this species before and they died after two weeks.

I also figured these tropical ones like high humidity, but I have had a humidifier sitting on top of the mesh lid of my terrarium for the past two weeks. The fog seeps down into the terrarium. www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-compact-personal-humidifier-ultrasonic-technology/ID=prod6176746-product

[mangoandlemon]

I am not sure how many but in my area I've found 4 types.

[Liguus]

Nov 13, 2014 16:25:19 GMT mangoandlemon said:

I am not sure how many but in my area I've found 4 types.

Nice! How big are they?

[mangoandlemon]

The biggest I've found is the size of a quarter with a plain brown shell, the 2nd biggest is brown with light brown markings and a bit smaller than a quarter, the 3rd biggest is dime sized with a stripe and the smallest is smaller than a smiley faces we have here and brown or white shell. I've found some florida leatherleaf slugs as well.

[mangoandlemon]

The wild life people say that GALS are here but I've never seen any.

[Liguus]

Nov 13, 2014 16:38:09 GMT mangoandlemon said:

The wild life people say that GALS are here but I've never seen any.

Lol. I heard GALS are in miami too. Since I didn't know the species I was getting in this order, and neither did the sender, i thought it would be funny if he unknowingly he threw a GALS into the mix lol. I also have never seen a GALS but i only really go to the Lee county area/everglades.

[mangoandlemon]

In the first pic of the snails that big one looks like the ''brown snail with light brown makings and is smaller than a quarter'' that i was talking about.

[Liguus]

Nov 13, 2014 16:48:55 GMT mangoandlemon said:

In the first pic of the snails that big one looks like the ''brown snail with light brown makings and is smaller than a quarter'' that i was talking about.

exactly like it, or does yours have nicer shell markings?

[Liguus]

So far the Zachrysia have just been burrowing into the substrate. I figure its stress from adjusting to their environment, but maybe that's just what they do in the wild during the day to avoid drying out...

[mangoandlemon]

Nov 13, 2014 21:53:51 GMT Liguus said:

Nov 13, 2014 16:48:55 GMT mangoandlemon said:

In the first pic of the snails that big one looks like the ''brown snail with light brown makings and is smaller than a quarter'' that i was talking about.

exactly like it, or does yours have nicer shell markings?

Pretty much exactly the same good luck with them.

[Liguus]

Nov 13, 2014 22:48:42 GMT mangoandlemon said:

Nov 13, 2014 21:53:51 GMT Liguus said:

exactly like it, or does yours have nicer shell markings?

Pretty much exactly the same good luck with them.

That's good to hear, they might be the same snails then.

I'm really paranoid that they wont live long from experience, although my conditions are 85% humidity, 77*F-74*F degrees day-night, and they have a good diet selection. I don't see why these should die like the last Zachys. Maybe they are just "sluggish" and burrowing under the soil for hibernation. I'm not sure lol, I've never done a study about Zachrysia behavior in florida.

[new2snails88]

Im so jealous of yall! Im in Florida as well and the ONLY snails I've found are the wolf snail. Where do u guys look for snails? I just recently got into snails... but I know I don't want to keep the wolf snails cause I dont want to find other snails or slugs for it to eat :-( I was thinking maybe I'll have better luck in the spring. Idk though

[Liguus]

Nov 25, 2014 1:33:54 GMT new2snails88 said:

Im so jealous of yall! Im in Florida as well and the ONLY snails I've found are the wolf snail. Where do u guys look for snails? I just recently got into snails... but I know I don't want to keep the wolf snails cause I dont want to find other snails or slugs for it to eat :-( I was thinking maybe I'll have better luck in the spring. Idk though

I can't be of much help since I dont live in florida and cant remember exact locations where I found snails in the past. I've just got rough locals of where certain things are, like "lined tree snails by a sonic on sanibel" lol. Zachrysia are pretty prevalent around the southern half from fort myers to miami, but they only come out after a hard rain. 

Most snails only come out after its been raining, and can be found in leaf litter, under/next to logs, shady parts of forests, etc. Also snail hunting during the early morning or late evening should give you the best results.

I noticed today someone is selling these Zachrysia on ebay. They have them mislabeled as "Live adult Helix land snails". You can get some this way if you want lol.

[helenm]

I just now went to eBay to get them and they were removed! I found them and was looking at the sellers other items. When I clicked back on the snails they had been removed . SAD.

[Liguus]

Nov 25, 2014 6:21:03 GMT helenm said:

I just now went to eBay to get them and they were removed! I found them and was looking at the sellers other items. When I clicked back on the snails they had been removed . SAD.

I checked right now and the listings are still there. The seller is "coolcreatures". I did look at his feedback though and it seems like he's got some unhappy customers complaining they never got their order...

[helenm]

I just looked again too. I think the listing just ended and he relisted. I think it's pretty spendy don't you? I made him an offer. I have a friend in FL who could send me some, they are all over her back yard. I just don't know how to tell her to ship them.

[Liguus]

Nov 25, 2014 16:18:41 GMT helenm said:

I just looked again too. I think the listing just ended and he relisted. I think it's pretty spendy don't you? I made him an offer. I have a friend in FL who could send me some, they are all over her back yard. I just don't know how to tell her to ship them.

Yeah, but not many people sell snails, so those who do can name any price they like lol. 

If your friend can mail you some thats better. I usually ask people to do the following: Get a cheap sandwich/tupperware plastic container, put some moist paper towel or better yet moist long fiber sphagnum moss in it, then put the snails into the moss. They should tape it shut but poke airholes in the lid first. Then its just a matter of asking them to either send it in a priority mail 2-day box, or overnight envelope depending on how fast you want your snails to arrive, and how much you are willing to pay for shipping.

[helenm]

I suppose you are right about selling snails! He/she won't be very successful if he doesn't get any positive feedback and if he keeps calling them helix!

How much is overnight do you know off hand? Do you think they would be ok in this weather with just regular priority?

Thanks again!

[Liguus]

I forget where you're located. If it's not in the southern US I would go with overnight shipping. It's $20.

[helenm]

I'm in southern WI (hi neighbor lol) and she's in FL. If it's just overnight does there need to be any food added? Should there be enough paper towel to restrict movement so they don't knock into each other and hurt themselves tor just to stay moist?

[Liguus]

Nov 25, 2014 19:04:49 GMT helenm said:

I'm in southern WI (hi neighbor lol) and she's in FL. If it's just overnight does there need to be any food added? Should there be enough paper towel to restrict movement so they don't knock into each other and hurt themselves tor just to stay moist?

Yeah, I defintely recommend overnight then. even with "2 day priority" things can be slow and they might end up in the mail for 3 or 4 days...Not good for a tropical species this time of year.


No, they should be fine even if they dont eat for a few days. There should be enough paper/moss so that they will not bounce around. The post office often tosses the boxes carelessly so the sender needs to make sure the shells wont get smashed in the process.