Cuttle fish from sea, safe for snails?

[scalysnailtail]

Apparently youcan't get the salt out of the actual cuttle fish bone, but I brought a sack on cuttle fish home, washed them, cute them into shape, boiled them. is it safe? Will the salt water effect my snails?

[crucify]

Salt = dead snails. Nothing that has been soaked in a salty environment should be risked around snails, they're far too sensitive to it.

[Cashell]

No offense, but what's the point of using cuttle bone fresh from the fish when you can buy them from packages in the pet store? That way you don't have to worry about contaminants and salt from the sea.

[snailboat]

It does seem like a shame to waste the internal shell that a cuttlefish spent so much time building, though, doesn't it? If it could be used rather than wasted, it seems like it would be a good thing...

[scalysnailtail]

Jan 30, 2014 3:56:16 GMT Cashell said:

No offense, but what's the point of using cuttle bone fresh from the fish when you can buy them from packages in the pet store? That way you don't have to worry about contaminants and salt from the sea.

i'm not sure how prices are where you are, but if i sold what  i got at the beach for as much, i would be rich.

[crucify]

Don't buy from the pet stores, it's overpriced and you get nothing for it. Go on eBay and bulk buy it, it's way cheaper. I've still got a huge box full of cuttle in the garage.

[tsrebel]

I don't see the problem?
1. All cuttle fish bones come from the sea
2. and will probably have a little salt in them, but the snails don't seem to be harmed.
3. How can you make sure that the expensive ones at the pet store don't contain salt? After all they are meant for birds or reptiles that can handle a little salt.

This may be a language problem, since English isn't my native language. Please explain.

[scalysnailtail]

Jan 30, 2014 12:02:27 GMT crucify said:

Don't buy from the pet stores, it's overpriced and you get nothing for it. Go on eBay and bulk buy it, it's way cheaper. I've still got a huge box full of cuttle in the garage.

Its in bulk because someones got it from a beach and treated it?

[scalysnailtail]

Jan 30, 2014 12:05:00 GMT tsrebel said:

I don't see the problem?
1. All cuttle fish bones come from the sea
2. and will probably have a little salt in them, but the snails don't seem to be harmed.
3. How can you make sure that the expensive ones at the pet store don't contain salt? After all they are meant for birds or reptiles that can handle a little salt.

This may be a language problem, since English isn't my native language. Please explain.

No, your English is fine ^^

[thejaybird]

Surely when you handle your snail you're exposing them to salts on your skin, even if, as recommended, you wet your hands? Most seem to survive that, and everyone knows a particularly nasty method for killing snails and slugs in the garden is to pour salt on them, but in reality they are actually perfectly capable of surviving that and quite often will 'rise from the dead' if you pour a cup of water on them.

So to be honest, if I found cuttlefish on the beach, I would boil it for an hour, change the water, boil again, change the water and boil again to extract as much salt as possible. Then I'd probably bake it in the oven like I do with the wood for my roach tank, just to be sure. After that there's not likely to be much in the way of salt or bacteria on it.
That's just what I would do, everyone is allowed their own opinions about what is too much risk for a snail.

[Zorst]

I always get my cuttle fish bone from the beach as its a free source. All cuttle fish bone comes from here anyway, but you do have to wash and process it.

First I soak it for 12 hrs in fresh spring water, changing the water at least 4 times during this time, then I boil it twice. If it still tastes salty after this and yeah tasting it on the tip of your tongue is the best way to find out. I will then boil it again once or twice more. After this I dry it in the range and store in dry airtight containers. Its not hard work and it lasts for ages if kept dry, but more importantly its free.

My snails have been eating cuttle fish prepared this way for several years now and its not made them sick or harmed them in any way.

Zorst

[starcrazy19]

I have no idea where 'commercial' cuttle comes from (farmed or collected on the beach) - but regardless it all comes from the same saltwater animal. There must be some trace salt on it and since we all use it, it can't be that damaging.

I would think if the fish/squid was killed and the cuttle structure extracted, the cuttle would be subjected to much less saturation in salt water than cuttle that washes up on a beach. That cuttle will have been floating around soaking in salt water for who knows how long - long enough for the rest of the fish to decompose, certainly. It's also exposed to whatever chemical contaminants are in the water, which especially near the coast, can be a bit unpleasant.

Since you CAN get cuttle so cheap... in bulk off ebay, or sometimes in big bins in some pet department stores sold cheaply by weight, I wouldn't bother with stuff off the beach. I always scrape and wash what I buy, as molluscs & inverts can be more sensitive than other animals, and you can taste it to see if it's noticeably salty.

Theres also the vegan issue that the stuff in the shops may have come from an animal that was harmed, wheras collected on the beach, you at least know the fish probably just died naturally.

[scalysnailtail]

Jan 30, 2014 15:00:43 GMT starcrazy19 said:

I have no idea where 'commercial' cuttle comes from (farmed or collected on the beach) - but regardless it all comes from the same saltwater animal. There must be some trace salt on it and since we all use it, it can't be that damaging.

I would think if the fish/squid was killed and the cuttle structure extracted, the cuttle would be subjected to much less saturation in salt water than cuttle that washes up on a beach. That cuttle will have been floating around soaking in salt water for who knows how long - long enough for the rest of the fish to decompose, certainly. It's also exposed to whatever chemical contaminants are in the water, which especially near the coast, can be a bit unpleasant.

Since you CAN get cuttle so cheap... in bulk off ebay, or sometimes in big bins in some pet department stores sold cheaply by weight, I wouldn't bother with stuff off the beach. I always scrape and wash what I buy, as molluscs & inverts can be more sensitive than other animals, and you can taste it to see if it's noticeably salty.

Theres also the vegan issue that the stuff in the shops may have come from an animal that was harmed, wheras collected on the beach, you at least know the fish probably just died naturally.

So what are you saying here? its ok? or it isn't? all good points though.

[crucify]

Jan 30, 2014 13:25:47 GMT scalysnailtail said:

Jan 30, 2014 12:02:27 GMT crucify said:

Don't buy from the pet stores, it's overpriced and you get nothing for it. Go on eBay and bulk buy it, it's way cheaper. I've still got a huge box full of cuttle in the garage.

Its in bulk because someones got it from a beach and treated it?

I got my box from a pet store seller, so I don't know how they sourced it, I just know they sell pet supplies at not-extortionate prices.

[starcrazy19]

I don't know if it's okay or not, just ruminating really, and concluding that I probably wouldn't risk cuttlefish from the beach when it's cheap enough to buy and I've never had any problems with the store-bought stuff after washing & scraping it

[Cashell]

To all commenters that responded to my post:

I'm well aware of the fact that all cuttlebone comes from the sea creature - cuttlefish and that all bones will have a little salt in them which won't harm the snails. However, the cuttlebone that pet stores use for birds and reptiles is in fact well processed, boiled etc. to reduce excess sodium as these animals cannot tolerate high sodium diets either.

Based on what I've read, it seems like cuttlebone is very expensive in Europe which is why it appears that the OP gathers his fresh from the fish to avoid paying for over priced bones. Where I live in Canada, cuttlebones are cheaper than garden soil, so I do not have to worry about paying premium prices to supplement my snails' diets.

As thejaybird and Zorst suggest, boil or soak it for extended periods to remove excess sodium to make it suitable for your snails.

[Giu]

Here in Europe is expensive.. Yep. I have to pay almost 3 € for just ONE cuttlebone, lenght about 20 cm. I take during events, I anyway boiled them before. Snails have never had problems.

[snailed]

Can someone give me a link to purchase some cuttlebone that is safe? Also, I saw calcium powder, is this safe for snails? I feel like the cuttlebone is so large for my tiny snails.

[muddydragon]

if yo only have a few small snails at this stage it's best just to buy one "bone" froma pet shop.

Calcium poweder should be fine. I use NAF limestone flour (for horses) which is very good.