How many calcium sources?

[jack]

My snails should come tomorrow or the next day.

I have powdered egg shells (which I also feed my birds) and cuttle bones (also for the birds). Do I need more calcium sources, and if so, what?

I know that calcium is very important and I don't want to harm the snailies by not giving them enough!

[Katie]

My Snails do just fine with no other calcium source other than a Cuttle Bone. As long as you know they eat it, they should be fine

[coyote]

Some people like to use liquid calcium in a spray bottle, either instead of or in addition to a cuttle. I use cuttle in the tank at all times, and I also spray twice a day with liquid calcium, including the food. Even if they don't visit the cuttle, they will get some calcium when they eat.

There are plenty of snails who do just fine with only cuttle, though. But for juvenile snails still growing, some extra calcium wouldn't hurt.

[jack]

Super! WHere do you get the liquid calcium? I'm paranoid about using the wrong kind and killing my snails.

I also have heard of powdered oyster shell but wouldn't know where to begin to look for that.

[Rachel]

liquid calcium can be got from ebay, i use exo terra liquid calcium

[jack]

Thank you!

Has anybody ever used this:



It's meant for reptiles. I'm going to look for the liquid calcium now...

[Dusk]

Nov 12, 2009 19:14:14 GMT jack said:

I also have heard of powdered oyster shell but wouldn't know where to begin to look for that.

<<points to signature >>

[jack]

Hmm...I looked at that, and it seems to coarse? I have Otala lactea, not GALS...

[Dusk]

It's very slightly coarser than limestone flour, but definitely fine enough for smaller land snails. You could always get some oystershell grit from a pet bird/poultry supplier and grint it youself, that way you can get it as a fine as you want

[coyote]

I use Kent marine concentrated liquid calcium, which I find in the marine aquarium aisle of the pet supply store.

[Katie]

Thats what I use, the Kent stuff. Hasn't seemed to do much though. May try it with some baby Aspersas See if it enchants their growth at all

[Hannah-Bird]

Can smaller snails overdose on calcium at all? I know it sounds silly, but I just gave mine cuttlebone for the first time and wanted to make sure I was doing it right.

[Dusk]

No - any excess they eat will just pass right through them

[Hannah-Bird]

Thanks! I was a little worried; one snail was rasping on it so much chunks got stuck to his face and made a calcium mustache! It was pretty cute.

[danikat]

Mine always seem to go through phases where they go mad for cuttlefish, then they calm down a bit, sometimes I won't see them on it for days and then they're back to eating almost nothing else. Silly things.

I'm pretty sure as long as you have enough cuttlefish that they can all get to it they should be fine, but extra sources couldn't hurt. I like to grind up oyster shell and add it to their snail mix.

[aerliss]

Question; why oyster shell?

[danikat]

Just easier for me.
I buy it crushed and just need to grind it up a little more so it's easier than cuttlefish to add to snail mix and we don't eat enough eggs to use egg shell.

I've heard it has a slightly higher calcium content than cuttlefish, but I don't think it really makes much difference for the snails.

[crossless]

I always know when to wait eggs. First no one seems to be noticing cuttlefish, but same time of month everyone is attacking it and eating it like mad. So cute when they "sit on row" and eat it.

[DullEyeLama]

I have water snails..golden mystery..
How do I feed them cuttlebone? I put a piece but never saw anyone grazing at it.
If not cuttlebone, how to feed them calcium supplements? Tablets dissolved in water? Do I thrust one tablet in the cucumber or something and hope they will graze that part?

[crossless]

Cuttlefish will float day or few after that it starts to sink in bottom of tank if it's isn't meant be floating all the time. There's too that type of cuttle that don't sink at all. Some give water snails some vocation food time to time that has calsium in it. Some water snails too need calsium in their water otherwise their shell melt, but maybe be it depets from species..

[crossless]

Hmmh.. I bought some mussels with shells and I took shell apart from flesh. For my tiger I saved shells. I'm now starting to boil dirty shells and I was wondering should I crush shells or keep them whole for my snail?

[coyote]

Why not crush some and leave others whole, and see which ones the snails prefer?

[morningcoffee]

Try both and see which they prefer?

EDIT :: Oops, didn't see coyote's post... didn't mean to be an echo! ;D

[coyote]

I don't mind having my advice seconded! ;D

[pickalilly]

Oh, by the way, make sure the cuttlefish you feed your birds is SALT FREE. Birds can have some salt, but snails can't!