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Post by kb.trekkie on Jan 3, 2014 16:14:50 GMT
Okay, so I have been doing an experiment on snails for my science fair project. For 4 weeks I have been feeding two wild caught baby snails vegetables and giving them more substrate and therefore (because the substrate holds more humidity) a more humid environment. I am also feeding two more baby snails chicken mash, and they have less substrate and less humidity. I feed and spray the snails once a week. The chicken mash tends to mold really quickly and becomes covered with hair-like white fuzz. But so far, what is interesting is that the snails that are in the least proper environment are the snails that have grown more!  Maybe it's because of stuff in the chicken mash? I will do some more research. I just thought I should share my experiment. When I get the final results, I will let every body know. |
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Cashell
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,124
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Post by Cashell on Jan 4, 2014 19:35:15 GMT
Sounds cool! Be sure to post pictures and such.
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Post by muddydragon on Jan 5, 2014 12:45:31 GMT
sounds good but the problem i forsee is how will you know if the difference is due to the difference in substrate, the difference in humidity or the difference in diet, or some combinations of the differences. or are there going to be follow up experiments (e.g. chicken mash + more substrate + normal humidty, Chicken mash + more humidty + low substrate etc?) Do the non snail mash ones have any calcium source (chicken mash usually has calcium in) so if they dont that's likely a very strong factor in the growth differences. Anyway very interesting im looking forward to hearing more  |
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Post by kb.trekkie on Jan 5, 2014 19:32:31 GMT
I understand what you are saying. So far the snails being fed chicken mash have grown more, despite the not so good environment. All of the experiment snails have a piece of cuttlebone in their containers. It kind of just happened that the chicken mash snails had less substrate, because at the end of the week when I removed the fungus, some of the substrate came out each time. I also accidentally exposed some of the fungus spores into the veggie snails' containers one week, and at the end of the week they grew more than they had in weeks past! So maybe the extra growth is due to the fungus? Is it good for snails?  |
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Post by wreckoning on Jan 6, 2014 10:08:30 GMT
There is only one way to sure: to keep all conditions identical and change only one thing at a time! It takes a lot longer but at the end, your results become more conclusive.
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Post by kb.trekkie on Jan 20, 2014 15:39:06 GMT
The science fair is this upcoming Saturday. So excited!! I see what you mean, Wreckoning, but I don't have much time. I guess I can only conclude that snails that are fed chicken mash only under the conditions I mentioned grow more. I'm considering doing more experiments in the future. |
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Post by starcrazy19 on Jan 21, 2014 8:51:39 GMT
I feed my snails chicken mash sometimes and it seems to go over pretty well, it has lots of calcium and protein and some vegetable matter so it's quite good for them although I wouldn't feed it exclusively unless I was performing an experiment Not least because, as you say, it goes mouldy at the speed of light. It's worth keeping in mind also that you have a small sample size for your two different groups and there is almost always some difference in growth rate between individual snails even when raised in the same environment together. Out of a sample size of 4, 2 may well be bigger after a couple months for mysterious reasons unknown to me. Genetics and temperament affect their growth too. Anyways hope all goes well with your science fair, this is just the kind of thing I would have done had anyone thought to have science fairs where I come from |
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Post by kb.trekkie on Jan 21, 2014 13:22:45 GMT
starcrazy19, thank you for your advice. I see what u mean. Well, I may not win first place, but I did learn a lot through my experiment. I learned that a snail's environment does not always affect their growth, and that chicken mash is a good food to feed them. |
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Post by kb.trekkie on Jan 27, 2014 18:49:31 GMT
Sorry I was not able to get on for a couple of days. I have great news. I took Best of Show (or first place) in the junior high division of the Oklahoma homeschool science fair !!!!!!!  I will be advancing on the regional science fair! I owe it all to the snails. I am not quite sure why I won (my results weren't conclusive) but maybe it just interested the judges. |
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Zorst
Achatina tincta
Posts: 734 
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Post by Zorst on Jan 27, 2014 20:02:42 GMT
Well done to you and the snails.
Zorst
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Post by kb.trekkie on Jan 28, 2014 1:39:32 GMT
Thanks!
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Post by starcrazy19 on Jan 28, 2014 10:24:09 GMT
Thats great! I guess that's science for you, if you ask the more interesting questions and receive more complex answers in return, your results won't always be clear-cut but thats what makes for a more promising experiment I guess Hopefully you'll be able to learn more from the snails! |
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Cashell
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,124
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Post by Cashell on Jan 31, 2014 0:20:27 GMT
Sorry I was not able to get on for a couple of days. I have great news. I took Best of Show (or first place) in the junior high division of the Oklahoma homeschool science fair !!!!!!! I will be advancing on the regional science fair! I owe it all to the snails. I am not quite sure why I won (my results weren't conclusive) but maybe it just interested the judges. Congratulations! Snails are very intersting animals after all. |
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Giu
Archachatina marginata
Ready, stead, slow!
Posts: 25
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Post by Giu on Feb 12, 2014 14:32:05 GMT
Congratulations!
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Maybe it's because of stuff in the chicken mash?
I will be advancing on the regional science fair! I owe it all to the snails. I am not quite sure why I won (my results weren't conclusive) but maybe it just interested the judges. 
