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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2016 14:35:29 GMT
Hi everyone! It's been almost 3 years since I last posted. I wasn't really into snails (or had any) since 2013. A few days ago my brother found a snail outside. He put it in my old snail tank, named it Jeremy, and has been having a lot of fun with him. So I have been interested in snails for the past few days. I have been looking where my brother found his, (it evened rained this morning when I looked) but haven't had luck finding any. I have a list of questions. Sorry there are so many!! 1. Is there a possibility I can find snails when it's wet but not morning? e.g. Midday rainstorm? 2. Is there anything non-food that is harmful to snails? I know that salt, sugar, and dish detergent are... 3. Once I get my snails, I want to make sure they have enough calcium in their diet. I want to give them eggshells if that safe, but can some give me instruction on how I prep them? 4. Is there a white-lipped snail that has a yellow and black spiral that lives in North America? 5. Ok, this I have been researching for a while. What food is safe and not safe for snails? Sometimes online some food is in both categories...I don't to be overwhelmed with options, so what are some beginner ideas to feed snails? Thanks!
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Post by HazelSnail on May 22, 2016 15:55:11 GMT
Congratulations on your new snail! 1. There definitely is! I try to always go snail hunting after rain, sometimes in the morning, midday, afternoon, evening, ect... I usually find something! 2. Pretty much any sort of cleaning chemicals, I think, are harmful. It is also best to use distilled or de-chlorinated water, as opposed to straight tap water. 3. I find that my snails like cuttlebone (sold in pet stores, usually for birds) the best, but eggshells work, too. It's been a while since I've used them, but when I did I would just peel off that thin, inner lining, and then crush them into small bits, but not powdery. 4. Yes, there is! Cepaea hortensis and nemormalis are found in some parts of North America, but I am not sure exactly where. 5. There's a great thread on here that goes over that: petsnails.proboards.com/thread/9416/feed-snails?page=1&scrollTo=85574But, some foods that I use are; sweet and regular potato, carrots, romaine lettuce, wet fish flakes, cucumber, peanut butter (the kind that is just peanuts, without any additives), and occasionally fruits like strawberries. Hope this helps!
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2016 18:59:58 GMT
Thanks so much! Since I last posted that, I have three snails in total. Their names are Caramel, Ben, and Pricilla.
I realized I have a couple more questions (sorry!)
How can you tell when a snail is dead or just sleeping?
Are all types of lettuce (and fish flakes) good for snails?
Should I have a water and food dish or just mist the tank and put the food all over the habitat?
To tell them apart can I use anything to mark them that won't harm their shells?
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2016 20:35:40 GMT
Two more question to add to that list:
Is filtered tap water ok?
I was at the store today and I saw cuttlebone but not said it was for birds. Is that the kind for snails too?
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Post by HazelSnail on May 23, 2016 15:20:33 GMT
A dead snail will start to have a bad odor, it is very distinctive. It is also likely dead if it does not respond to a gentle poke or tap.
I have found that they like romaine lettuce the best, and it is also better nutrition wise than iceberg. I am not sure on other lettuce types, as I have only used romaine, but I have read that they like kale, and they shouldn't have spinach (I am not positive on that, so someone else can correct me if I'm wrong). As for fish flakes, I just check to see if there is a high salt content before feeding.
Either way is fine!
I am not sure of there are any non-toxic options for snail shells... To be safe, I just don't bother.
Once again, I'm not sure if filtered tap water is okay... if it is de-chlorinated, then probably, but otherwise, I wouldn't think so. Again, someone correct me if I'm wrong.
As long as it's not dyed, it should be fine!
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2016 16:41:08 GMT
Thanks,HazelSnail!
So do the fish flakes have to be salt free? Because salt kills snails, right? Or is it only the grains that do, or the saltiness in general?
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Post by etana on May 24, 2016 6:32:53 GMT
All snail food must be free of added salt, sugar, anything onion-like, and added copper. A bit of natural natrium etc is not harmful.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2016 13:58:55 GMT
thank you all so much!!!
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