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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 22, 2020 12:25:45 GMT
Hi there, I have 2 beautiful garden snails. They're very brave and durable I think because they've lived in the wild.. So because of that, do you think they will be OK if I continue to give them veg just bought from the shops? Not home grown or organic? They eat it fine but I worry its slowly going to make them ill. Perhaps I should invest in organic or? I'm not sure. I've never fed any snails organic veg (I don't even feed myself organic veg!). Regular produce is fine, just wash it before feeding.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 20, 2020 17:23:04 GMT
Excellent knowledge and information from wolf, as ever! 👍
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 18, 2020 10:55:10 GMT
Yes, might be one specimen belongs to the family Polygyridae. Polygyridae was my thought too at a glance. It's not a Helix aspersa.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 18, 2020 10:53:40 GMT
My snail has black stuff in his mouth? He's not being active at all. I dont want him to die. I have pictures but dont see where I can attach them?? Upload the pictures to a free image sharing site like Imgur or ImgBB and then post the links here.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 18, 2020 10:52:24 GMT
Make sure the tank is not too wet. It should be slightly humid but not soaking - many species of snails don't actually like constantly wet conditions. Pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it, if more than a couple of drops of water come out then the substrate is too wet. A shallow water dish can help to raise tank humidity if necessary, many snails also like to bathe themselves. You can also cover ventilation holes, if the tank has a lot of ventilation then the humidity will drop. I would recommend limestone flour if he isn't interested in cuttle, you can buy it in bags as a horse or reptile supplement - you can get it easily on Amazon or eBay.
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Mites?
Sept 15, 2020 17:12:03 GMT
Post by morningcoffee on Sept 15, 2020 17:12:03 GMT
This is a good video that shows harmful Riccardoella mites on a slug. www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-cd7GG2mEMIf your bugs don't look like this and don't congregate on the snails then they are unlikely to be harmful mites.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 15, 2020 17:10:57 GMT
I know I just recently made a thread asking about mites (and if you responded, thank you very much!) But now I have a different problem. I can't find my slug in it's container. I've searched twice, once well and once extremely well and they're just not there. Of course there is the chance that they escaped but I keep the tops on my tanks and try to make sure I don't accidentally take them with food dishes or decorations. I know they were in the tank at least a week ago because I took pictures of them. Is it possible they passed and left nothing behind? It's more likely that they are buried in the soil somewhere, were on food that was removed, or escaped - slugs can often squeeze themselves through very small gaps.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 15, 2020 17:09:35 GMT
What im really asking is will the snail eat each other, fight, or even mate? I will be making another post with pictures in the appropriate section for that. Please help look for my post in the indication tab to help me make this easier. Hi and welcome to the forum. It depends on the species. Some snails can do fine together - different species won't be able to mate. Some snails have different care requirements and are not suitable to be kept together, and some snails are predatory/carnivorous and will eat other snails. If you can provide photos that would help - you can post them in this thread as a reply, you don't need to start a new thread for that. You can upload your photos to an image sharing site like Imgur or ImgBB and then post the links here.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 11, 2020 11:03:57 GMT
Hi, I have a milk snail who stays attached to lid of container. There is fresh food and damp soil. I have only had the snail for 3 days. Does come out of shell but when put near food “Wen” goes back to lid. Snails don't need to eat every day, so just give the snail some time and space to get used to the indoor environment and let it find the food on its own when it's hungry.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 10, 2020 14:56:26 GMT
They don't eat even live moss... right? No, snails don't eat moss
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 10, 2020 11:18:02 GMT
Hi, thank you so much for your reply. Your Kizu must have been really beautiful!! Mine here is really skinny indeed, I'll take your advice on his diet! Maybe that could even be the reason his scars are raised, I don't know... I was paranoid he had some sort of parasite larva inside him but since nobody mentioned anything like that, I'm reassured about introducing him in the tank soon. I'm definitely not 100% sure what is causing the raised lumps, healing wounds is my guess but it could be something else - it's possible it could be some kind of disease. I am not sure if there is a parasite infection that would present like this but I think it's unlikely. However I'd probably keep him in a separate tank for the moment if that's possible, at least until he is fully mite-free, and to enable you to keep a close eye on his eating, behaviour, and how the white patches are looking.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 10, 2020 8:49:06 GMT
Hi snoobi, welcome to the forum. I also used to have a snail called Kizu - a very large wild-caught Archachatina marginata with a big white scar on his neck. You've had some good advice from pasi9 already, I agree that it's possible the mite infestation could be making him weak. I can't see any signs of mantle collapse from the pictures you've uploaded. He looks quite skinny from the pics though, I would try to feed some nutritious food like sweet potato and also give a high protein food like raw meat, soaked cat/dog biscuits, soaked fish flakes, cooked egg yolk, or raw/unflavoured nuts like peanuts or cashews. This might help build muscle to make him less weak. Don't give a high protein food any more frequently than once a week. The white lumps are strange, in the past when I've had snails with scars they have been flat against the skin, however those were probably old scars and this could be a more recent wound that is still healing and that's why it's raised? I'm not totally sure about this. Unfortunately we still don't know much about snail diseases/injuries etc.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 8, 2020 8:19:37 GMT
Thanks for the reply. I hadn't thought about the fact that they often fall .... Maybe I solve the problem by putting moss on top of stones and branches? As substrate I would use expanded clay, in which they don't lay eggs, for laying I would put a container with a soft substrate such as coconut coir or compost. The plants will be planted in containers filled with expanded clay (semi-hydroponics) so they won't lay eggs there either. And then I will put leaves all over the place so that I can clean up easily (by removing the leaves). For the snails I'll create shaded areas so that the light for the plants will not disturb them. Thanks for the list but i don't understand why "Non-toxic plants" and "Edible plants" are in different lists. Snails don't eat the "Non-toxic plants" even if they are not toxic? By the way tonight I left a leaf of Boston fern and now there's no trace of her... I will try with Hedera helix. That sounds like a good terrarium for the plants, maybe not so much for the snails - they need a soil-type substrate to burrow and also to consume. Giving them an unsuitable substrate and only providing soil in a small container is a very unnatural environment for them and won't allow them to express their usual behaviours. They also need the flora and bacteria that build up in a soil-type substrate as they ingest this as part of their digestion cycle, which may not be possible with only a small container of soil, which could lead to serious health problems. It might be better to fill the tank with coir, and then place the plants in pots of expanded clay into the coir substrate. That way you can easily remove the plants as needed, but the snails also get a natural environment with a suitable substrate for their needs. The plants list I believe was originally intended for reptiles and then copied here, so I think "edible" means "plants reptiles will eat" and "non-toxic" means "plants reptiles won't eat, but aren't harmful" - there may be some differences with what snails will eat, so some experimentation may be required however I think generally anything on the non-toxic list would be fine to try.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 7, 2020 8:22:24 GMT
May she rest in peace..she was my first snail and made me feel even greater love for these creatures..she was even named after a nickname my mom gives me, as I relate to these animals a lot and as silly as this might sound, I felt a very strong connection, so strong I could see part of myself in her. Sorry for your loss. Unfortunately I think it's likely this problem was due to old age and there was nothing you could have done. Snail for sure had a very long and happy life with you.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 7, 2020 8:21:30 GMT
Hello everyone! I'm new here, I'm from Sicily and I'm 19 years old. 3 years ago I bought 4 baby Achatina fulica, 2 albino and 2 ancestral, since then they are in a boring faunabox and now I would love to see them in a better place... Like a vivarium full of live plants (I hate fake plants), branches, stones and moss! The only problem is that... I really don't know what kind of plants they doesn't eat... Anyone could help me please? Hello and welcome to the forum. Putting stones in a snail tank is not a good idea because if they fall from the wall or ceiling (which is common) they can easily damage their shells landing on a hard stone. Snails will eat quite a lot of live plants unfortunately, and the other problem is that the plants need to be happy in a low light, high humidity environment to stay healthy. It can also cause issues with thoroughly cleaning the tank or changing the substrate in the event of a problem, or removing eggs, if there are plants rooted in the substrate. Sometimes you can put plants in the tank inside their own pot which can help with this a little as they are easier to remove if necessary, however snails do seem to love laying their eggs in and around the roots of plants and they can be very difficult to safely remove without damaging the plant. Plants like ivy or ferns may be suitable for tank conditions, snails generally don't seem to eat ivy as it is toxic. There's a list of safe plants for snails here: petsnails.proboards.com/thread/7851/safe-plants-tanks
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 7, 2020 8:16:50 GMT
Hi all! I was thinking of making some DIY hides for a snail tank. For example, I think it would be neat to carve out the inside of a stone with a dremel and use that in a tank — natural and useful. Another thing I’ve seen that I was curious if could be adapted for tanks is a tutorial on making shelves out of real shelf mushrooms taken off of dying trees. You have to find the right species, gently pry them off, cut the attachment point to be flush with the wall, attach hangers/etc, and coat it with a clear matte lacquer spray or similar finish to prevent bugs from taking up residence in the mushroom. They look fantastic! If you swap out the hangers for magnets and find a finish that’s safe for pets, it seems like it’d be a great feature in a natural terrarium. So this brings me to a small list of questions: What kind of DIY hides do people make for snails? What materials are safe for them? Are there any suitable finishes safe for snails? Does anyone have tips, tricks, warnings, or tales to share of DIY hide crafting? I definitely recommend against using anything made of stone or rock in a snail tank - if they fall from the wall or ceiling and land on it, they can easily damage their shells. I would also personally not use anything that has to be coated or sealed with any kind of chemical product (lacquers, varnishes, polishes, sealant etc) in a snail tank - their sensitive skin coming into contact with it could cause issues and snails also like to rasp on unusual things to "check them out" - it could be harmful. One of the cheapest and easiest ways to make a DIY hide for snails is to turn a plastic plant pot on its side and partially bury the bottom in the substrate. If you want it a little more fancy-looking you can find plastic plant pots with bright colours or printed designs on them.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 1, 2020 14:06:08 GMT
It looks like it says on the label that it can be used for reptiles, so should be fine!
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 1, 2020 13:23:11 GMT
Wow!! Thankyou so much!! Such brilliant information. I have already bought cuttlefish and coco grow...coir? And I'm in the process of buying thermometers etc. What percentage humidity do they need to be at? My house is very hot! Even in the winter so I will probably monitor temperatures and get a heat mat just incase. Thankyou so much. X If the coco coir is one intended for plants, make sure it doesn't have any fertiliser or any other additives. Most of them are just plain coir but sometimes they include some additives that aren't suitable for snails. Humidity should probably be 70 - 90% but I would say don't get too hung up on numbers for either humidity or temperature, as long as they are in the right sort of region and the snails are reasonably active and eating well that should be fine. Lowering the ventilation a tank has can help keep the humidity higher if it's getting dry too quickly - snails do need some ventilation but they don't need constant fresh airflow or anything like that.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 1, 2020 12:25:27 GMT
Oh, I almost forgot - they must have a calcium source in the tank at all times. This should be provided for them to eat whenever they feel the need - you shouldn't try to force-feed them calcium or add it to their food, as they are able to regulate their own intake and giving them too much can cause serious problems. Many people use cuttlefish / cuttle bone for them, which is usually sold for birds and can be bought at pet shops or online. I personally use limestone flour (calcium carbonate), which I put into small dishes like an old jam jar lid, moisten, and just leave in the tank near their food. In my experience they seem to prefer this, and also cuttle can get rather stinky when it gets damp and they don't seem to like to eat it then. Limestone flour is usually sold for horses so can be bought cheaply in bags online (I get mine from Amazon usually but eBay has plenty too) or from an equestrian supply store if you happen to have any nearby.
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Post by morningcoffee on Sept 1, 2020 12:07:52 GMT
I've recently, due to lockdown, been given 2 snails from my child's primary school...(classroom pets) I dont know where to start with regards to care, temps, humidity. They came in a plastic tub...no thermometer, no hygrometer, no heatpad. They have both eaten some cucumber. My dad has very kindly bought a vivexotic vivarium for them but I'm now reading that wooden vivs are not suitable for them. Will they be OK in there? Thankyou for your help. Hi and welcome to the forum. The snails look like Achatina fulica which are the most commonly kept giant African land snail. The problem with wooden vivariums is that the humidity of the tank can cause the wood to rot or mould, and it also makes it almost impossible to install a heatmat, which the snails are likely to need as the weather gets cooler. If it's possible, I would see if the wooden viv can be returned and replaced with a glass one such as an Exo Terra or Komodo. Large fish tanks can also work if they have a proper lid to keep the snails secure. Care is not too difficult. They like reasonably high humidity, but they don't like their environment too wet. Most people give their tank a gentle misting (you can use a basic spray bottle like you'd use for plants, you can get them cheaply from somewhere like Wilko or a garden centre) once a day or once every two days. You don't need to spray like crazy or soak the environment. Substrate should be at least a couple of inches deep, and kept somewhat moist (but not wet). I recommend coco fibre / coir for fulica snails, this works well to maintain moisture. You can buy dry bricks of coir online, at pet stores, or sometimes they have them in the pet section at Wilko if you are lucky. If you buy them online or at a pet store the brands they are likely to have are Exo Terra Plantation Soil, Zoo Med Eco Earth, or Komodo Tropical Terrain. All of these are fine. You simply need to soak the dry brick in plenty of water and within a few hours it will expand to make a nice loose soil-type substrate. The substrate should not be changed too frequently as snails need to ingest the soil flora/good bacteria as part of their digestion cycle. You can keep the surface of the soil free of old food, poop etc and wipe down the tank walls and any ornaments every few days, but the substrate shouldn't be changed frequently unless it has got too wet or smells. When you do change it (I change mine about every 3 months) you should always mix in some of the old substrate to help keep the natural soil flora going. Temperature for fulica is probably best at around 20c - 25c. At the moment they are probably OK without a heatmat while the weather is still warm, especially if they've been kept without one, but as the weather starts to get cooler it is likely to be necessary unless your house is kept very warm. Heatmats should be placed on the side of the tank on the outside of the glass, NEVER underneath the tank, for snails. You can insulate the back of it with polystyrene, radiator insulation or even tin foil to help direct the heat into the tank. The best diet for them is a varied mix of leaves, fruits and vegetables. It is also good for them to have a high protein source no more than once a week. I would recommend starting with dark lettuce (such as Romaine, little gem, round lettuce, Batavia etc) and dark leafy greens (kale etc) on a regular basis, and also including other things such as sweet potato, carrot, courgette, tomato, apple etc a couple of times a week. Cucumber is fine occasionally but isn't super high in nutrients so shouldn't be their main food. Protein source can be something like a small amount of raw meat, cooked egg, soaked cat/dog biscuits (thoroughly soaked in water until mushy), or even raw unflavoured nuts like peanuts or cashews. In my experience fulica also like to occasionally have well-soaked brown bread as a treat! With two snails you will also need to check regularly (probably once a week) for eggs, as fulica lay MANY eggs in one go and you will find yourself over-run with babies otherwise! Eggs can be humanely destroyed by just putting them in a tupperware and placing them inside the freezer for at least 24 hours. You can then just throw them away or put them in a compost bin, as they will no longer be viable for hatching. They should definitely have a place to hide in the tank, many reptile brands sell nice hides or caves that look nice in the tank and are easily cleanable, or a chunk of cork bark, however you can very cheaply make your own by using something like the bottom half of a sturdy plastic bottle with a thin layer of coir spread over the top, or using a cheap plastic plant pot on its side. Tank ornaments such as fake plants help make the tank look nice and snails seem to enjoy climbing or hiding behind them, again many reptile brands such as Exo Terra, Lucky Reptile, and Komodo make these or you can sometimes cheaply buy aquarium ornaments. Do make sure that there is nothing too heavy/solid in the tank like stone, as snails can damage their shells on these in a fall. Polyresin type ornaments are good. I hope that helps as a starter, please feel free to ask questions if you need any more info or clarification.
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Post by morningcoffee on Aug 29, 2020 13:04:53 GMT
Every snail is different, but to be honest I've never had a snail of any species that showed much interest in spinach, blueberries or banana beyond a small nibble or two. My current snails are also pretty disinterested in cucumber. Try some Little Gem or Romaine lettuce, carrot or sweet potato, both sliced very thinly - with a vegetable peeler is ideal.
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Post by morningcoffee on Aug 28, 2020 15:32:03 GMT
If he's not moving and hasn't been eating, it could be the death smell. It didn't smell quite like I expected either. It's strange he wouldn't eat anything, perhaps he was ill when you got him? Another possibility- is the soil too damp? If you squeeze a handful and more than a couple of drops come out, it could be stagnant water. Wet soil was my first thought as well. I would try taking things out of the tank and (although it sounds silly) giving everything a good sniff to try and identify where the smell is coming from - the snail itself, the soil, any tank ornaments, food dish etc. Check for any old food or poop that's been missed and might need to be cleaned up too. Also, if you are using cuttlebone as a calcium source, it can smell pretty disgusting when it gets damp.
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Post by morningcoffee on Aug 27, 2020 9:28:21 GMT
My baby fulica are not really growing.. I feed them various things from garden eggs, cucumber to even chicken feed(although they usually do not seem interested in it) please what is best for baby fulica.. I also have cement blocks in their space for calcium I've never heard of snails having cement blocks for calcium and not sure if this is a good source of it. I'd replace this with small dishes of moistened limestone flour (calcium carbonate) which you can buy easily and cheaply online, Amazon and eBay are good sources. You could also try cuttlefish bone. Best diet is a mix of mostly leafy, vegetables and fruits with a source of protein no more than once a week. My African snails were usually fed on leafy lettuce (especially darker varieties such as butter lettuce, Batavia, Romaine, little gem etc), dark greens such as kale, sweet potato, courgette/zucchini, carrot, tomato, peppers, apple etc. For protein I used to give them soaked cat/dog biscuits about once every 10 days, however you can also try soaked fish flakes, cooked egg, raw meat, or uncooked unflavoured nuts like peanuts or cashews. I would also ensure that their conditions are species-appropriate in terms of temperature and humidity. They need a heatmat on the side of their tank (never underneath) to provide gentle warmth, unless you live in a hot country. Fulica also don't like their environment to be too wet - you shouldn't need to spray the tank too often, even once a day may be too much unless it's a very light misting. A good way to check if the substrate is too wet is too take a handful of it and squeeze - if more than a drop or two of water comes out, it's too wet. If no water comes out, it's too dry. You should also be sure that you're not cleaning the tank too regularly or too thoroughly as this can upset the natural balance of soil flora/bacteria which the snails need for their digestion. You should not fully replace the substrate unless there are serious problems like mites. You can occasionally remove some of the substrate and mix in fresh substrate if it's getting old or smelly, but you should always mix it with some of the old to help keep the natural soil flora intact. It's OK to wipe down the tank walls and ornaments to clean off slime, and remove old food and snail poop, on a fairly regular basis however.
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Post by morningcoffee on Aug 25, 2020 9:09:26 GMT
They could be springtails. Do they jump away when disturbed? If they're just in the soil and not on the snails then chances are they are just harmless soil bugs of some kind.
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Post by morningcoffee on Aug 25, 2020 7:35:46 GMT
The other thing I would say is that I know at least one person has posted here in the past when they were keeping worms with their snails, and they reported that the worms had actually gone inside the snail's breathing holes and caused serious problems or death - may not be a possible issue with large worms and smaller snails, but maybe worth bearing in mind.
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