goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Sept 8, 2008 10:22:00 GMT
There is a demand for snails as pets but usually for the giant species or more unusual species of smaller snail. Cepaea nemoralis as a common native species to the UK and can be collected readily so I imagine you would find difficulty in obtaining money for these as people can obtain them for free if they look for them.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Aug 19, 2008 8:45:22 GMT
Hi Shannon and welcome. Good luck with your snail venture, soon you will be well and truly hooked!
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Aug 11, 2008 15:41:43 GMT
Absolutely yes you do. Have a careful read of the links provided in this thread and you will see why. Essential when you are setting up a new tank and also for the long term health of your goldfish, the test kit will show you any problems with the water quality of the tank and enable you to do something before the fish suffer.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Aug 11, 2008 10:22:06 GMT
I have found this with some of my snails before they died yes. I always thought that it was something to do with the snail's body beginning to dry out, they never seemed as moist during their last days.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Aug 1, 2008 15:37:22 GMT
www.kokosgoldfish.com/I have 4 fancy goldfish of different breeds. They are full of character - definitely an underestimated aquarium fish.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 31, 2008 13:25:31 GMT
Wow! What an unusual idea. I would think it would be fine, the article says the paint is non-toxic. Only thing it may do if brightly coloured is make them more noticeable to birds! Better not let my lot see the pics, they might want custom designed shells as well ;D
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 31, 2008 10:54:46 GMT
Hmmm it might work better as a bottle garden type set up with planted plants and very small species of snail that are not as messy as Helix.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 31, 2008 10:52:31 GMT
I have a lot of snails ;D so they all get handled once a week at least and I often handle others more than that if they are up and about!
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 30, 2008 8:15:00 GMT
I'm not sure since I haven't tried yet as I don't have any adults. The person I got Morph from has had quite a bit of success with them though, she has more hatchlings growing on.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 30, 2008 8:12:10 GMT
I would go for the biggest one so they have as much space as possible. It looks like they would be great houses though. I take it the covers have ventilation holes?
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 30, 2008 8:09:38 GMT
I handle all my snails. You will find they become tame with repeated handling and don't retreat back into their shells. I mostly handle mine when they are being cleaned out once a week when they have a bath. Mine seem to enjoy being out of their tank and outside for a run on the lawn in the summer once in a while.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 28, 2008 12:20:29 GMT
Hi Sally, thank you and its very nice to be back! Yes those fronds are absolutely amazing, really mobile. Hopefully I have fixed the broken picture links. He is a very active snail and his appetite certainly hasn't diminished!
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 28, 2008 12:15:05 GMT
Wow - what gorgeous shells, almost like marble! They look like they will be spoilt rotten!
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 28, 2008 12:11:59 GMT
Thanks welshlassy they are gorgeous! Well I heard back from the seller over the weekend - she has tried to send me pics but my AOL is playing up and I can't open them. Anyway she says the pics of ones she sold previously on ebay (ie the ones you bought welshlassy) are the same species as the parents of Morph, so Morph is a haemastomus! She has Trinidad megas but they are not breeding yet. Thanks everyone at least I now know what he is!
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 24, 2008 10:46:08 GMT
Thanks Kevin - I e-mailed her last night and she has kindly offered to send a picture of the parents for me so hopefully the baby will soon have an identity!
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 23, 2008 19:49:02 GMT
They look like right little characters and I think the names you have suggested suit their colouring very well
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 23, 2008 19:31:15 GMT
Thanks Kevin - well if thats the case then that certainly solves the problem I will contact the seller again to check. She did mention there were 2 species of megas being bred but not which type she had or if she had both - I just assumed from the wording in the listing it would oblongus not oblongus haemastomus. At the mo the baby has fawn shell and pale body - like most baby snails ;D so can't tell from his physical appearance which he is yet!
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 23, 2008 15:17:01 GMT
Thanks - thats my point, I want to make sure that the Megabulimus oblongus available in this country are just that, Megalobulimus oblongus that have been introduced to those 2 places (Trinidad and Barbados) as I don't think they are native there, and they are not one of the numerous listed subspecies that hasn't been identified and given the tag Trinidad etc because that is where they were found. Presumably though if introduced if they are a subspecies they are likely to be all the same subspecies? From what the seller told me and she was very helpful I think mine will be from the Trinidad stock as you say, so maybe I just need to make sure any other c/b I get can be traced back to the ones originally imported from Trinidad. He is not haemastomus. What I meant by the same breeding stock is the same species or subspecies - otherwise I will end up with a cross breed which I don't want. I understand what you say about the inbreeding and agree although I think officially the jury is still out as to whether inbreeding does have an effect on snails? My head hurts now!
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 23, 2008 9:57:57 GMT
I recently bought a c/b Megalobulimus oblongus on ebay. It is only 4 weeks old at the moment but in the long term I would like to obtain another so I can attempt to breed them. However I obviously need to make sure I obtain the right partner for him so I don't have a problem with cross breeding. From what I can gather and correct me if I'm wrong there are 2 strains of Megalobulimus oblongus available in the UK 'Trinidad' and 'Barbados' and these refer to the areas they were collected and they have been introduced to these islands and are localised strains of Megalobulimus oblongus - not unidentified sub-species of Megalobulimus? So my question is when I come to breeding my mega do I need to make sure his partner originates from the same breeding stock ie Trinidad or Barbados or do I just need to make sure it is a Megalobulimus oblongus ie the Trinidad and Barbados tags are not important in terms of maintaining pure genetic Megalobulimus oblongus stock. Hope this is not too confusing
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 21, 2008 13:39:18 GMT
I guess its a question of living life to the max and being up and about more and not living as long or spending a lot of your time asleep and living longer. Quality over quantity ;D
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 21, 2008 10:27:43 GMT
When I used to keep Helix aspersa I found mine were happier outside or in the garage, they seem to prefer much cooler conditions than normally found indoors. As the temperature dropped in the winter they naturally went into hibernation, as long as they are well fed before this I used to just let them hibernate and wake them when the temperature rose in the spring. If you find yours are happy indoors there is no need to let them hibernate/aestivate, this is just a response to adverse conditions and lack of food sources during the winter, if you provide a constant temperature and food they simply will not hibernate. Snails of this species I have kept indoors permanently I have found do tend to have periods of inactivity when they do not eat or move around so much.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 21, 2008 10:22:20 GMT
I think lotsfofsnails is right, he looks just fine to me. My snails very rarely retreat completely into their shells unless conditions are not right for them, ie too cold or dry. Most spend their time sitting just in their shells like your pictures show or even further out! Mine often look slightly swollen if they have put on weight or are expecting eggs as lotsofsnails says.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 21, 2008 8:50:44 GMT
You have had some really good success with breeding! I keep records of whom my snails came from and where and also the date I got them and if known the date hatched so hopefully that data will be helpful when I breed some of my species.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 18, 2008 15:24:58 GMT
Welcome Timmo. Hopefully you will find all the information you need on here and if not post away and everyone will be happy to help. I have apple snails too, they are great aren't they. I am sure you will soon end up with more than 1 snail, they are addictive!
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Jul 18, 2008 15:22:47 GMT
Be sure to post pics when they arrive - bet you can't wait!
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