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Post by snailysnail on Mar 8, 2009 12:35:16 GMT
well, i was planning on getting some of the bogwood or redwood off ebay to make some climbing space for my snails as their tank is very bare just now. but i think the prices are ridicules for a piece of wood, so my mind wandered to the many fushia trees/bushes in the garden and their are very similar to the wood i saw on ebay, if you just scrape off the flaky 'bark'. i would put it in the oven to sterilise it, but does anyone know if it would be okay for the snails...no bad resins or poisonous or anything? and if it started to grow leaves would they be alright munching them too?
anna x
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Post by snailysnail on Mar 8, 2009 13:34:19 GMT
and also i'm sure i read dock leaves are okay to give them also, but i had a feeling that they have a high oxalic acid content. our garden is overrun with them!
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Mar 8, 2009 20:11:21 GMT
I don't know of any information regarding how safe fuchsia or dock might be for snails. There is some evidence that snails know how to avoid foods with a high oxalic content, so they might ignore any dock you put in the tank anyway. I don't think anyone knows anything about fuchsia branches or foliage. Here's a list of known fulica host plants. Fuchsia isn't on it, because it's native to the New World, where GALS wouldn't be able to find it. I'm not aware of any problematic resins in fuchsia like there are in pine family trees, but I don't know at all about toxins.
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Post by snailysnail on Mar 8, 2009 22:06:40 GMT
i think ill try dock leaves, and if they don't touch them i'll know they don't like them. do you think it is too much of a risk putting a fuschia branch in? i have skinned the bark and the green underlayer off it, washed in well in the shower and hung in up to dry above the rayburn. thanks,
anna x
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Mar 9, 2009 21:31:10 GMT
If it was my snails, I'd probably go ahead and put it in. I'm curious why you took the bark off, though. I've left the bark on the sticks I've put in the tank, primarily because they have a little algae growing on them and the snails like to graze on it.
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Post by snailysnail on Mar 10, 2009 10:07:14 GMT
i know about the snails grazing on the bark and hurting their mouths from the sap in it, but that was on pine trees, whereas i dont think ther is much sap/resin in fuschia either. as the bark is so flaky and easy to eat i decided to just take it off, so if there was resins in the bark, they wouldnt be able to eat it. just a precaution i took.
thankyou, i will put it in the tank next weekend and see what the snails make of it. i'll keep you updated!
anna x
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Post by snailysnail on Mar 29, 2009 17:35:17 GMT
hello everyone again, ive had the fushia in the tank for just over 2 weeks now and all the snails seem to be fine. they have buried a bit more than usual but i think that is simply down to the temperature dropping down the last week(there's snow on the hills! and so the sun hasn't been shining in the window as much because of the clouds.)
anna x
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Mar 29, 2009 19:34:58 GMT
Glad to hear it's working out well.
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Post by snailysnail on Mar 30, 2009 21:15:24 GMT
thanks!
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