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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 10, 2014 13:42:22 GMT
Hello, Im having a problem with different forms of calcium. My garden snails wont eat egg shell. Are there any other ways to get them to eat it?? Ive tried putting in the full shell and ive tried crumbling it up and putting it on cucumber slices. Please don't have a go at me for not having any cuttlefish, im unable to get some at the moment, as I need to locate a shop near me that sells it. So please if anyone can suggest different things for my snails in order to get their calcium I would really appreciate it! You can try limestone flour (calcium carbonate), it's sold for horses and reptiles. You can get it cheaply in large bags on eBay or Amazon. If you want to try cuttle you can buy that online also.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 10, 2014 10:38:37 GMT
Hi all, Just a reminder that the forum has a useful search function. When you want to ask a question, it may be good to use the search function first to find posts that have already been made relating to your question or problem. You may be able to find answers quickly, without having to make a new post. The search function can be accessed from the forum's main page: You don't have to fill out every field on the search form, just the ones that are relevant to you. Then you can easily read the relevant posts & threads that come up. If you are on mobile, the search can be found under the navigation menu on the main page. Tap that, and choose "search" from the list. Thanks!
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 9, 2014 18:48:32 GMT
Hi all, I'm new to this forum and to snails! Someone on my university course was giving away baby GALS, so I did some research and decided to take 2 of them off his hands I've named them Francis and Glen, but haven't decided who's who yet as I can't really tell them apart! I think they're around a week old, I'm not sure which species they are. Here are some pictures for you to see They look like classic Achatina fulica babies
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 9, 2014 18:46:55 GMT
Hello, I just wanted to let you know that I just tried to follow these steps through Image Shack and you can no longer do these steps unless you are a paid member! Thanks for the reminder - I've been meaning to change the tutorial to another pic-sharing site for a while. I'll try to find time at the weekend.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 9, 2014 9:46:46 GMT
Hi squishyjoe, welcome to the forum.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 7, 2014 16:12:55 GMT
Could be laying eggs, hibernating, aestivating, or just plain fancied a sleep in the soil. It's pretty normal. If you want to check you can carefully dig through the soil.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 7, 2014 15:42:22 GMT
Oh my God! Not again.. I have a habit of counting all my snails to make sure everyone is there and this morning I counted only 3 and I re-counted like 10 times and I don't see CARACOL! Help me please! I must find him! Possibly buried himself in the soil.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 3, 2014 21:07:11 GMT
Hi north, welcome to the forum
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 3, 2014 20:30:05 GMT
I don't see anything on them. Do pumpkin seeds help? Pumpkin seeds won't help with mites at all, but some people believe they can help with gut parasites - I think this is based on the fact that pumpkin seeds can be used to deworm chickens.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 3, 2014 19:01:09 GMT
To check for mites, look closely at their bodies and shells when they are out and about. If you see tiny white/beige things running all over them, they have mites. These can spread between snails extremely quickly and can be fatal so you don't want to introduce any wild snail that you haven't thoroughly checked into a tank. To quarantine them just put them in a separate tub or tank to your current snails for a couple of weeks and observe them closely for any signs of parasites or illness.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 3, 2014 17:30:00 GMT
Newest addition to my lovelies! I found these two beautiful snails a few minutes ago. Very cute! Be sure to carefully check them for mites and give them some time in quarantine before introducing them to the tank with your other snails.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 3, 2014 12:54:47 GMT
I'll be looking into getting better quality kitten food then, a good thing snails need so little that it doesn't hurt my wallet much even if I can't get a free bag next time. Today I spotted a bag that said "no fillers, no salt, no sugar, no wheat!" on it which looked quite promising. Brands that I'd consider decent quality are Orijen, Purizon, Taste of the Wild, Acana. Arden Grange is OK too but not as good as the others. If you look online (eBay is good) you can often find small "trial size" bags of these foods, usually 300g - 400g, so they're cheaper and should still go a long way for snails.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 3, 2014 12:16:05 GMT
Hi Patrick, welcome to the forum
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 3, 2014 8:45:41 GMT
I'll type it out for you. Here goes... Composition: Dehydrated poultry protein, rice, animal fats, maize, vegetable protein isolate (protein selected for its very high assimilation), maize gluten, hydrolysed animal proteins, vegetable fibres, beet pulp, minerals, fish oil, yeasts, soya oil, fructo-oligo-saccharides, hydrolysed yeast (source of manno-olico-saccharides), marigold extract (source of lutein). Additives: Vitamin A, vitamin D3, iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc. Preservatives: Antioxidants. Really shockingly different to the ingredient list you posted. I'd like to hear comments about this list, too. It should be fine for snails in small quantities on occasion but I wouldn't give this one to cats either! Ingredient list on my cat's food (Orijen Chicken Cat & Kitten) - Fresh chicken meat (20%), dried chicken meat (15%), fresh chicken liver (4%), fresh herring (4%), fresh turkey (4%), dried turkey (4%), fresh turkey liver (3%), fresh eggs (3%), fresh boneless zander (3%), fresh salmon meat (3%), fresh poultry hearts (3%), poultry cartilage (3%), dried herring (3%), salmon (3%), poultry liver oil (3%), poultry liver fat (2%), red lentils, green peas, green lentils, alfalfa, yam, pea fibre, chickpeas, pumpkin, butternut squash, spinach leaves, carrots, Red Delicious apples, Bartlett pears, cranberries, seaweed, liquorice root, angelica root, fennel, marigold, sweet fennel, peppermint leaves, camomile, dandelion, savoury, rosemary. Meat delivered fresh - free from preservatives and never frozen. Nutritional additives: Vitamin A (15,000 IU/kg), vitamin D3 (2,000 IU/kg), iron (40 mg/kg), iodine (3 mg/kg), copper (13 mg/kg), manganese (14 mg/kg), zinc (150 mg/kg), selenium (0,3 mg/kg). Preservatives: Vitamin E. One of the reasons that Cepaea like to climb so high into trees is they are after the Aphids which is a protein source to them. Its also one of the reasons I allow them in my Polly tunnels and veg beds, sure I loose a few plants but mostly they keep the Aphids IE Green , black and white fly away. That is very interesting, I had no idea that they would eat aphids! My streptocarpus plants have suffered terribly with greenfly this year. Perhaps next year I'll let the snails have a day trip to climb on them
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 2, 2014 21:42:22 GMT
Ugh I wouldn't feed that to any of my animals, chicken by product meal often contains feathers feet skin etc. One reason I don't feed biscuits or pellets unless I know where there from n how there made, that even go's for the horses and livestock here. It's really shocking isn't it?! No wonder so many cats start to suffer with obesity, diabetes, kidney problems etc etc etc as they get older. Some of the commercially-available cat foods (especially the dry foods) are like a human eating nothing but fast-food burgers for every meal for years. If the main source of animal protein in a food is "chicken by-product meal" then yeah, that's an immediate no-no (especially if the protein ingredient comes SECOND on the list after brewers rice which is pure filler with next to no nutritional value)! As you say it's made up of all the bits of birds that cats wouldn't even eat in the wild like beaks, feet, feathers, undeveloped eggs etc. Really nasty Not good for cats and I wouldn't give it to snails either. The only kitten biscuits I feed anything are organic and part of a specialist veterinary diet, I spent several yrs working as a vets assistant so got a visit to where it was produced and know what go's into it. I'd not normally feed it as its so expensive but I managed to get some free samples for a kitten I rescued and had some left over. My puss has Orijen dry food - very pricey but the ingredients are excellent. High in protein, a good fat content, and low in carbs. I really think a good, appropriate diet is soooo important in cats (and dogs!). Anyway, to get back onto the actual topic XD sparrow, many of my Cepaea have shells exactly like your photo. I've never thought it was anything to worry about - their shells don't seem thin at all and they're all happy and healthy. With regards to letting them eat bark & lichen, mine go crazy for it too. From what I've observed in the wild, Cepaea often seem to spend time higher up than other snails like Helix aspersa etc. I've frequently seen them in the wild climbing up tree trunks or high in the branches and so I think bark and lichen are probably quite large parts of their natural diet in areas with plenty of trees. I let mine have twigs/branches with plenty of lichen on regularly - I submerge them in water and soak them in the sink overnight first to remove any nasties that are attached. This is going to sound bizarre but you can actually make formulas to grow your own lichens on a surface like wood or stone outside. lichenlovers.org/lichen_growth_formula.phtml
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 2, 2014 20:47:12 GMT
Does your bag read the same? I wouldn't feed this to Snaggle... I really wouldn't be happy giving it to cats either with the first two ingredients being brewers rice and chicken by-product meal!!
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 2, 2014 15:31:21 GMT
But, I kept thinking, he was exposed to sun before and he hide under soil than. Also, I have seen snails inside their shells under 35 C sun. They are outside on trees and walls and sun is hitting them directly. Think of it this way, you could stand in the 35c sun outside for a while, but you probably wouldn't be able to stand inside a greenhouse that was in full 35c sun for very long at all. But it could be something else entirely, there's no way for us to know definitely what caused it sadly. I'm very sorry about your snail. It's very hard when you lose them unexpectedly and aren't sure why. Burying him in the garden sounds like a nice idea. Perhaps you could plant some nice flowers or a seed to grow a tree on that spot as a memorial.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 2, 2014 15:05:37 GMT
Yes it's pretty normal.
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Post by morningcoffee on Oct 2, 2014 13:45:19 GMT
It's very unlikely that the food was poisonous in some way. More likely being in the sun heated the tank up too much. Sorry about your snail
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 30, 2014 21:10:03 GMT
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 25, 2014 20:42:38 GMT
What is "turtle terrain"?
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 14, 2014 11:26:06 GMT
Looks to me to be more like mold as the eggs are a semi clear cream color and clustered in lumps that stick together like jelly until disturbed. If you look at the enlarged picture these white lumps seem to have a fuzz growing around them and tendrils growing from them that would indicate some kind of mold or fungal growth. Did this appear by chance either where there had been some food or near to food? Zorst Yes, the zoomed in pic definitely looks mouldy. Is it moulded snail poop perhaps?
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 13, 2014 21:23:01 GMT
A little hard to see, but yes, they appear to be eggs.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 13, 2014 7:55:45 GMT
Probably Bradybaena similaris.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 11, 2014 20:20:47 GMT
Honestly I would just put any of the snails you don't want to keep back outside in a safe spot near where you found them. I think it's a safe bet that they are either Triodopsis cragini or Triodopsis neglecta. I will find a stream to put them by. They were not safe where they were originally at. They were living by the driveway, and kept wandering out on a daily basis and getting stepped on or ran over . That is the real reason why I removed them. Ahh poor things! Well, you did a good thing by collecting them, then Try to put them outside on a day where it's raining if possible. You can put them in an area where there's plenty of ground cover for them to hide - try to place them in amongst the leaves of a plant or under some shrubbery so they're safely tucked away.
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