feeding margie babies

[Moracai]

was wondering what people have had success with in getting margie babies to eat. Mine are a week old now and so far haven't eaten anything other than their egg shell. I have tried lettuce, cucumber and porridge with no success yet.

[KathyM]

Mine love mashed banana and sweet potato

[Moracai]

ahh, ok. I will give those a try
Thank you!

[section8angel]

Can't remember how long it took for all mine to start eating, but I think it' been said that some can take 2 weeks.

Mine have eaten; snail mix, corn on the cob, hemp, mushroom, carrot, fruit pulp (Apple, orange, mango and pear mostly, sometimes raspberries and others were in it too), cucumber, courgette, tomato, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts..... and can't remember what else lol.

They didn't eat much fruit pulp at first but it's grown on them and they finished all of it last time lol.

[Val]

Mine didn't eat for about a week and they aren't eating a great deal now but what they do like is sweetcorn but with the niblets chopped off so that the soft bit is showing and thinly sliced sweet potato, they haven't touched anything else. I have found that margies generally don't seem to like lettuce or cucumber.

Val

[Moracai]

Thanks everyone. I was starting to worry as I figured it might take a few days to eat. Now that I know it can take up to two weeks, I will stop panicking
Thanks for the ideas, it seems like I have lots of choice once they get going. I had just assumed since their parents love cucumber and lettuce that the babies would too. Just goes to show you!

[LisaLQ]

All mine (margie and tiger babies) loved courgette and lettuce, good job too cos it was the main part of their diet ;D Sweet potatos sliced thinly too, then whatever else was handy - apple, banana, melon etc.

But my adults wont touch lettuce, oh apart from Boo who loves it. They eat courgette rather than cucumber, which they also turn their noses up at.

[Moracai]

I put in some mashed up nectarine, and one of them is eating. The other 7 turned their noses up at it though. But it's a start.

[Val]

They will definitely like the corn though, cut of the niblets about halfway through and up-end them so that the soft part is uppermost, it's a bit fiddly but I can almost guarantee they will eat it!! I place my babies on the corn and they always eat some of this. Mine didn't like nectarine either

Val

[section8angel]

Mine weren't bothered, they ate it without me cutting the niblets off lol.

[Arno]

valerie said:

They will definitely like the corn though, cut of the niblets about halfway through and up-end them so that the soft part is uppermost, it's a bit fiddly but I can almost guarantee they will eat it!! I place my babies on the corn and they always eat some of this. Mine didn't like nectarine either

Val

Whats the point?If you do that you might as well buy corn in jars,saves a lot of work.(and you don't have to worry about salt content,thats minimal and even less after washing)

[Paul]

I find margies definitely show a preference to fruit over vegetables. Mango, banana & papaya are their favourites. Sweetcorn goes down well also, particularly if I mash it up a bit.

I had a few surprises the last few weeks for my snails in general.

I was running low on what I normally feed them so I gave them some fresh broad beans I had. I chucked some scraps into the garden and saw native snails monstering the beans, but particularly the pods so I gave it a whirl with the Achatinids. They loved it. The other was potato. If I feed potato it is sweet potato, never normal spuds. I've always considered it a bit starchy. But I gave them a load of peelings and they gobbled them down. I'm not sure if they just appreciated the change or they love it. Usually the older ones are hesitant about new foods, but both adults and babies finished them all first, before eating some sweetcorn I had given them also.

[deadmansfinger]

sweat potato, tomatoes and peppers went down well with mine.
they haven't touched the lettuce or cucumber i offered them.

they are also eating loads of cuttlefish.

Brian ;D

[anjieburdett]

I find margies prefer fruit over veg too ;D I feed all my snails raw normal potato and its always the first thing to go!! i can chuck whole peaches in with my margies and in the morning there is just a stone left!! They love it.

Anjie,x.

[LisaLQ]

Ahaaah, guess who's sending her hubby back to Morrisons for some peaches....

[felix93]

anjieburdett said:

I find margies prefer fruit over veg too ;D I feed all my snails raw normal potato and its always the first thing to go!! i can chuck whole peaches in with my margies and in the morning there is just a stone left!! They love it.

Anjie,x.

Gosh, you are so generous, the whole peach for your margies I only give a quater to nearly half for 6 margies.

[anjieburdett]

I was talking about my big margies and not the babies lol - but the babies still like peach ;D

Is that generous then?? You're making me feel like i'm overfeeding them haha i feed them everyother day or everyday if they need it, at each feed i usually give them a whole sweet potato cut in half, a whole small normal potato cut in half, a whole apple cut in half and the peach! I also chuck in some lettuce cause the tigers like it They eat it though!! Surely if i was overfeeding there would be loads of waste

I go to my local market every thursday where the fruit and veg is cheap but doesn't last very long and i spend £5ish on the stuff the snails like.

What does everyone else spend on feeding their snails?

Anjie,x.

p.s. sorry i'm hijacking someone elses thread! Forget the last bit !

[Moracai]

Thats ok Anjie, it's always good info to know what people are having success with!
My margie adults favorite seems to be tomato and sweet red peppers. But they also love apples, nectarines, cucumber and lettuce (romain lettuce only though)
I should try some peach. I never seem to buy them as the fuzzy skin freaks me out and I can't stand touching them LOL

[felix93]

anjieburdett said:

I was talking about my big margies and not the babies lol - but the babies still like peach ;D

Is that generous then?? You're making me feel like i'm overfeeding them haha i feed them everyother day or everyday if they need it, at each feed i usually give them a whole sweet potato cut in half, a whole small normal potato cut in half, a whole apple cut in half and the peach! I also chuck in some lettuce cause the tigers like it They eat it though!! Surely if i was overfeeding there would be loads of waste

I go to my local market every thursday where the fruit and veg is cheap but doesn't last very long and i spend £5ish on the stuff the snails like.

What does everyone else spend on feeding their snails?

Anjie,x.

p.s. sorry i'm hijacking someone elses thread! Forget the last bit !

I was thinking the adult margies too, not babies. *Just pick myself up from fainting on the floor.*

I must be so mean! I only give them 1 cucmbers, 1 decent size of sweet potato, 1 courgette, half a whole lettuce, 1 1/2 to 2 apples and half aubergine as regular daily meal (I feed them once a day at 11pm), but that is between all my snails (about 40 lot in total except the bubbas). Occasionally they will have an odd banana, avocado, mango, peaches, melon and the snail mixed or some bread.

Now I feel so gulity, better not compare with Anjie's generous feeding anymore.

*Sorry to hijack the thread too, I get my coat now and close the door behind me*

[Arno]

Don't feel guilty,my snails don't exactly live the life of luxury either,their main course is cucumber,sweet potato,apples,lettuce and courgette with sometimes melon or anything else which happens to be on sale ;D

[Moracai]

I found watermelon went down a treat with margies and tigers.

[Val]

snailwatcher said:

valerie said:

They will definitely like the corn though, cut of the niblets about halfway through and up-end them so that the soft part is uppermost, it's a bit fiddly but I can almost guarantee they will eat it!! I place my babies on the corn and they always eat some of this. Mine didn't like nectarine either

Val

Whats the point?If you do that you might as well buy corn in jars,saves a lot of work.(and you don't have to worry about salt content,thats minimal and even less after washing)

The point is that if you cut the niblets in half as it were then the soft inside bit is exposed, it is this soft bit that the babies love to eat, well mine do anyway

Val

[deadmansfinger]

anjieburdett said:

I was talking about my big margies and not the babies lol - but the babies still like peach ;D

I tried my margies (both adults and babies) on peach last night and there wasn't a trace of it left this morning

[KathyM]

Thanks for this thread - I've now got some great ideas to give the bubs. I'm sending Baz out for some peaches/nectarines today, will report back.

[felix93]

Bought the whole box of peaches this morning, so all my snails are going to have a treat tonight. And will put a whole peach in for my margies!