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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 18, 2014 20:17:51 GMT
Added info on how to find search when accessing the forum via mobile.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 18, 2014 20:16:02 GMT
. I don't see the search button - but I'm mobile so maybe that's why.... Search can be found under the navigation menu on mobile. Tap that, and choose "search" from the list.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 20:54:11 GMT
Awww, you're most welcome
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 16:57:23 GMT
Okay. I did as you said. I moved all the eggs I could find into another tank, and covered them with the tiniest bit of substrate. I am just slightly concerned that once the babies hatch, that they won't be able to get out because I have read that amber snails often lay their eggs on stems or leaves of plants, not necessarily under the dirt. Am I just over reacting? Sorry if I sound crazy. I will be going away to college soon and I would love to have some more of these snails! Wikipedia says, "It lays egg clusters, each one containing an average of 8 to 14 eggs, at the base of plants, under matted vegetation, or in loose, wet soil." However if you've read other things about how best to hatch amber snail eggs and if they lay their eggs differently to other snails, then follow that advice. I've never kept them.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 16:54:36 GMT
It only specifically mentions GALs so I figured that other snails native to my area would be ok to ship. But thanks for the info! It applies to all slugs and snails that eat plants, not just GALS.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 15:57:48 GMT
New2snails how are your new snails doing? I'm looking for some land snails in the US as well! I've been unable to find any locally. If you still have tons and would be willing to ship (I'm in Wisconsin) I'd love to take a few off your hands! I think if they are shipped similarly to aquatic snails it would be pretty simple. I do have mystery snails and babies to trade as well! It's illegal to ship any kind of snails or slugs across state lines without the proper permit. Please see here for information on the US Department of Agriculture website: tinyurl.com/USsnails
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 15:52:20 GMT
Here's some information about the legality of keeping or buying snails (including but not limited to giant African land snails) in the US, from the US Department of Agriculture. tinyurl.com/USsnailsSome direct quotes: "A PPQ 526 plant pest permit is required for the importation or interstate movement of mollusks that feed upon or infest plants or plant products." (meaning you cannot buy or sell ANY slugs or snails across state lines without a proper permit) "Live snails or slugs moved under the authority of PPQ Plant Pest Permits must not be released into the environment." "Snails in the genus Achatina ( e.g., Achatina fulica, the Giant African Snail), are specifically prohibited for both interstate movement and importation into the United States. ... This snail species group is not only strictly prohibited from entering the United States but is safeguarded when discovered. " (please note that this means it's illegal to have a GALS in your possession!) "The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently discovered and confiscated illegal giant African land snails from commercial pet stores, schools and one private breeder in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio. Some of these snails have also been discovered in Michigan. These snails are being used increasingly for science lessons in schools by teachers who are unaware of the risks associated with the snails and the illegality of possessing them. " "There are alternative snail species that may be used with science curricula in classrooms, or to keep in home tanks. Ideally, snails that are collected locally can be used to teach about native fauna, and these can be used without a permit." Yes, big snails are very nice, but there are plenty of smaller species to be found in just about every state of the US that are just as interesting, charming and enjoyable to keep as larger snails, with the added bonuses that they are legal to keep and you won't get in trouble for having them, they are usually easier and cheaper to keep, eggs/babies can be released outside without having to worry about destroying them, and if for some reason you can no longer keep the adult snails, you can release them back outside as well. And going on snail-finding expeditions outside can be very fun, especially as you're likely to see all kinds of other interesting bugs and plants while you're looking. Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better!
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 15:34:20 GMT
Its not really a problem as such more of a question/help! as you may or may not know, I am the proud owner of Edentulina Obesa who are very fond of the Cepaea species of snails - was just wondering if anyone breeds any form of Cepaea? if so, please let me know! Your best bet would be to collect some Cepaea adults from outside and breed them yourself as feeder food. They breed very successfully if kept well and it would be far more of a continuous supply than having to constantly get hold of hatchlings.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 15:30:12 GMT
Thank you. I can try moving the eggs. Do they really have to be covered in substrate? Would a bottle cap work well for a small pot? I was thinking that you'd be moving them to a separate tub. If you want to put them in your main tank, you won't need to put them in a pot, just make a hollow for them in the soil. Covering them with substrate will protect them from other snails, from getting soaked by water sprays etc while still helping to keep them moist and warm.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 15:28:37 GMT
I kept my Tiger Snails with my Archachatina marginata for quite some time and they did really well together. I also kept tigers with margies, and both species were happy
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Pests
Oct 17, 2014 15:27:16 GMT
Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 15:27:16 GMT
Daft mare I am, I've got butterwort plants growing wild all over this farm lol! Ok first job when I'm off the crutches is go n get some to put in the snail tanks. Just one question though, the snails should be ok with them in there tanks especially the hatchlings? Zorst The snails should be OK in that the plant wouldn't harm them, but they could ruin the ability of the plant to catch bugs by sliming all over it. You'd be better off potting a couple and putting them next to or on top of the tank.
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Pests
Oct 17, 2014 11:38:37 GMT
Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 11:38:37 GMT
The plant would get adult gnats too, right? That'd be great if it did. Prior to having snails, I've had gnat infestations in my houseplants that were a true PITA. A surprise solution walked in though, literally - a small spider got into my living room and caught every single adult gnat in his web that he wove around the plant that had the worst gnat problem. Once they were all gone, he collected his web and I never saw him again, lol. I worry that snail keeping brings in gnats again, though. Yep - I actually keep two sundews and a butterwort next to my houseplants, they get fed extremely well from the fungus gnats that like to hang around the plants
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Pests
Oct 17, 2014 8:26:25 GMT
Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 8:26:25 GMT
lol good for Tauno. I also get flies from time to time n yes that looks like one of there larvae. I hate the darn things. Ive just had to change all the peat in my tanks again due to a sudden spring tail infestation. I also hate those things UGH. Think they came in on some veg despite me washing it. Zorst It's a pretty expensive way of dealing with them, but if you're plagued by fungus gnats or fruit flies you can buy Hypoaspis miles predatory mites for the tank - they'll eat the larvae. This is what they are actually sold for Once you've got a fly infestation under control, if you're good at looking after plants you can put a couple of insectivorous plants on top of your tank - I recommend sundews. They'll do a great job of catching any flies that are trying to get in!
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 8:23:50 GMT
I'm really sorry to hear this, slinky.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 8:22:23 GMT
Hello All, My amber snail recently laid eggs and I am so happy about that! However, the snail laid them on a piece of rotting cucumber. I was just about to throw it out when I saw the clear jelly-like eggs. I was just wondering if it is best to leave them there or to move them. Thank you! Congratulations on the eggs! Are you able to carefully remove the eggs using something like a small brush? It'd probably be best to take them off rotting food. You could fill a small pot with substrate, make a little dent in it, brush the eggs into it and then lightly cover them with a thin layer of substrate.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 17, 2014 8:19:05 GMT
Rigjt now there is a baby wolf snail that we've been trying to care for. I don't know what to feed him (Leroy). Im not exactly sure it does eat yet. I tried a grape but he just slimmed on it lol. I know they are carnivorous but don't they eat fruit and leaves too? No, wolf snails eat exclusively other slugs and snails. They hunt and capture them by following their slime trails, so they won't eat anything else. If you want to feed it in captivity you'll have to find other slugs or snails and put them in the tank with it so it can eat them.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 16, 2014 8:54:46 GMT
Cheers for the reply morning coffee - I shall certainly be insulating the back of the heat mats, your radiator foil is a good idea, perhaps I can just use kitchen foil over my polystyrene for extra reflectivity. Do you think there will be benefit from insulating the sides of the tank too? Kitchen foil would probably work, give it a go, you can always get some of the thicker radiator stuff if it's no good As for insulating the sides, I'd probably get the heat mats really well covered and taped down for now and see how the temp goes. If after a couple of days it's not rising at all, you can give it a go. But I think adding extra heatmat insulation and taping it down to the tank so it's really pressed onto the heatmat will help I would say the snail is less active now, sometimes not eating his food on one night when he used to have a pretty good bash every night. I have also banned the cucumber which is making him eat less. He is lazy, most of the time buried and only coming out at dark. It's pretty normal for them not to eat every night really, especially as they get older and their growth slows down (although your snail isn't approaching this age yet!). He's probably sulking over the loss of his cucumber Honestly tiger snails are some of the most beautiful-looking but laziest snails I've ever kept - my big guy literally used to just wake up, stuff his face with food, and immediately fall asleep for about three or four days again! The 17cm was just something I read - infact I've read upto 25cm..... I stand corrected from you personal experience. Fingers crossed I have "super snail" Just keep feeding him a varied diet in a warm tank with plenty of calcium and he should grow well, as long as he grows up healthy that's the most important thing I've been told in the past that adding peanuts to the diet is a great way of making them grow, I don't know how true it is but certainly all the snails I've kept have loved to eat them - as long as they're raw, unsalted and unflavoured of course This is the big tiger I used to have, who was rescued as a wild-caught adult from Brixton market. He was part of a group of four but was the only one who survived.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 15, 2014 21:16:44 GMT
Does the whole tank need to be 25C ideally? No, you should definitely have a warmer end and a cooler end. The best thing to do is probably to insulate the back of the heatmats more. I used to have a piece of "radiator foil" (the silver plastic foil stuff you put behind radiators to reflect heat back into the room) covering the heatmat with a thick piece of polystyrene covering that - you can just use a piece of packing polystyrene - and then firmly taped down. Also, as long as your snail is active and happy and not constantly going into hibernation, you should be fine. Don't get too hung up on getting exact numbers on the thermometer, just pay attention to how the snail is doing (bearing in mind that tiger snails have a tendency to be lazy anyway!), as long as the tank is heated and warm you don't need to quibble over a degree or two. By the way, I noticed in your other thread that you said full size for your tiger snail will be about 17cm. Unless your snail has some kind of miracle growth I really really wouldn't expect this from a captive bred tiger. I've kept enormous wild caught adult tigers and not even they had shell sizes of 17cm!
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 14, 2014 19:53:56 GMT
He is a garden snail. But how do I keep the heat up? You don't need to. Room temperature is fine.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 14, 2014 19:46:04 GMT
He's a garden snail, right? Not an African or tropical snail? Don't use a heatmat.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 14, 2014 19:05:32 GMT
Isn't he a Helix aspersa? He doesn't need a heatmat if so.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 14, 2014 18:12:23 GMT
Keep him in a very small/shallow container so that he can't hang off the roof. If you don't have anything shallow take a small container and fill it with substrate enough that he can't hang his shell down if he climbs on the roof. Keep the environment moist but not wet. Put in some food that's easy to eat like wet fish flakes or cooked mashed potato etc. Don't handle the snail at all if you can help it. Mantle tears/collapse can heal but they need careful care and time.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 14, 2014 14:11:36 GMT
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 14, 2014 9:57:12 GMT
You can try putting some veggies or salad leaves on the twigs/branches they have. Drape a lettuce leaf over one or cut a slit into a piece of sweet potato so you can "hook" it over a branch. As he's lived in the wild it might be that he's used to climbing trees to eat the bark, lichen, leaves etc rather than coming down onto the ground where it's more dangerous.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 10, 2014 22:19:14 GMT
1. I bought a cheap kit that came with coir. That has all gone so I bought compost from the garden centre (John Innis no.2). This compost has peat and fertilizer in I have just discovered. This is not good right? Get some more coir or a different soil? Go back to coir ASAP. Compost almost always has fertilisers, plant food etc added which is very bad for snails. You can buy coir in bricks online or at pet shops / garden centres that have reptile sections. It's sometimes called EcoEarth or Tropical Terrain. 2. The snail seems set on cucumber (the middle bit). I have read this is the least nutritious along with iceberg lettuce. The snail won't eat anything else. He has fresh food each day but eats nothing if I put carrot, peppers, apple, sweetcorn, strawberries, tomatoes in so I go back to cucumber. What can I do to convince him to eat something else - I want him to be best nourished to grow, grow, grow! Stop feeding cucumber altogether. The snail will eventually eat the other food when it's hungry. Try sweet potato too, snails never seem to be able to resist it. 4. Heat. The tank is plastic and came with a small heat mat. It has been fine over the summer, mainly due to the fairly high ambient temps, always hovering around 25C. Now the temp has dropped, I'm around 20C which is low for them. I have purchased another mat to cover approx 30% of the rear side and placed the smaller one underneath to warm the soil somewhat. I intend to place some foil covered polystyrene on the back of the heat mats to direct the heat forward, but am still a way away from the golden 25C. Is this due to plastic not conducting heat well? Is a new glass tank my only option? Unfortunately heat does not conduct through plastic well. You can try carefully drilling lots of small holes into one side of the tank and then put the heatmat on it, backed with polystyrene, but it'll never be as good as a glass tank that conducts heat properly. 5. I have a rock in the tank for interest/decoration - is this a no-no in case the snail falls on it? does he climb the sides of the tank? I've never seen it. You should never have hard things like rocks in a tank because snails can very very easily damage their shells if they fall onto them. Take it out and replace it with something like cork bark, light polyresin reptile decorations, plastic plants etc instead.
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