Emma
Achatina achatina
Posts: 98
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Post by Emma on May 17, 2005 8:41:50 GMT
Hi hi
This is something thats been problem with regarding my tigers. paul as u will know my tigers have pretty badly damaged shells. basically my tigers have rarely if ever touched any of the cuttle fish i give them, and as a result any shell they do put down is brittle and papery. I dunno why they wont eat the cuttle fish. I was just wondering if anyone gives their snails calcium by different means and what. obviously my tigers wont be growing or breeding if they cant utilse calcium! also just to mention, their general appertite is very good and they eat all the veg i give them.
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Post by Paul on May 17, 2005 13:41:56 GMT
Hi Emma,
You could try other sources of calcium like Oyster shell but you've still got to convince them to eat it.
Snail farms seem to mix calcium in with the soil, perhaps this is a more natural way for them to eat it.
But, the way to do it, I think, is to create a mix with crushed cuttlefish in. Try the hemp idea or mix it in with porridge. or something similar. Now, it stands to reason that adult snails are gonna use less calcium so you are kind of forcing calcium on them this way. Not sure if that will cause any problems, long term if they got too much that way, but at least you'll know they are getting some. Then it's worth monitoring to see if there shells are improving. It may be that they have repaired the existing shell as best they can.
I have a sub-adult dimidiata with a very weak shell. It looks crushed at one point. I picked it up gently last night and I felt it crush further, it spends all day eating cuttlefish but it doesn't seem to be able to repair this kind of injury very well, perhaps coz it isn't a proper break. I think its shell will always be weak.
paul
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Birte
Archachatina marginata
Posts: 25
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Post by Birte on May 18, 2005 18:01:44 GMT
i sometimes give my snails a mixture of calcium powder , flour and water, they absolutely love it. maybe you could try this.
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Post by Emma on May 18, 2005 23:25:03 GMT
:-/hey birte where do u get the calcium powder from?
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Post by fredrik on May 18, 2005 23:54:33 GMT
Too much calcium isn't healthy for the snails either. -"Enough is as good as a feast"
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Emma
Achatina achatina
Posts: 98
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Post by Emma on May 18, 2005 23:56:49 GMT
my snails arent eating the cuttle fish thou..thats my worry that they arent getting ANY calcium.
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Post by fredrik on May 19, 2005 7:05:24 GMT
Hi again Emma?
Have you tried the suggestions Paul mentioned?
Try feeding your snails food that are high in calcium, such as dandelions and common plantain (Plantago major). Instead of feeding the snails apple, pear and bananas, give them papaya and/or prickly pear (the fruit of the Opuntia cactus).
Avoid food that contains oxalic acids (kale, spinach, cabbage) and phytic acids (peas, beans, germ and bran from grains) since they inhibit calcium take-up.
Good luck Fredrik
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Emma
Achatina achatina
Posts: 98
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Post by Emma on May 19, 2005 10:04:40 GMT
ok! i will give it a go!
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Post by fredrik on May 19, 2005 16:38:54 GMT
Sounds great. Let us know how it goes.
Best wishes Fredrik
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Birte
Archachatina marginata
Posts: 25
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Post by Birte on May 22, 2005 21:36:54 GMT
i got my calcium ( i think i used the wrong name... it's for using in the garden) in a shop where you can buy things to build, for example wood, nails, and so on, they do also have plants. ( my dictionary doesn't say how these shops are called in english in german it would be 'baumarkt' which would be 'builing market' in english...
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Post by Paul on May 23, 2005 14:32:21 GMT
We call them "DIY Shops" - .aka. Do-It-Yourself shops.
paul
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Post by bookitten on May 31, 2005 17:06:55 GMT
My injured garden snail wont eat cuttle bone any idea what to do? What do they eat outside? sophie
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Post by Paul on Jun 2, 2005 4:22:02 GMT
Try crushing the cuttlefish bone and powdering over food. He'll eat it by mistake.
paul
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Post by bookitten on Jun 3, 2005 11:28:50 GMT
Ok. he really really like cucumber. But wont touch lettuce. sophie
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apple
Archachatina degneri
Posts: 1,078
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Post by apple on Sept 20, 2005 20:10:35 GMT
It´s good if I give the cuttle fish to Achatina , after take it out from the fish and wash it well with water? The cuttle fish doesn´t need to take a different process to be available for snails? Thank you.
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Arno
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,493
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Post by Arno on Sept 20, 2005 20:43:47 GMT
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