Post by kristensaurr on Sept 14, 2010 4:48:42 GMT
Hi I dunno if anyone here remembers me, I put up two threads a while back. One about snail favorites and another asking if anyone could identify my snail and slug. Since that time I have released my snail and slug back into the backyard of my friend (where I found them). I had had them for about a month and just didn't feel like I had the equipment necessary to take care of of them as well as I wanted to.
But I am back. And this time I will do it RIGHT. I really like snails, and although I did not continue my research after I released my first ones, I believe I have a pretty general knowledge about how to take care of them. I am expecting one to three new brown garden snails from the same friend's backyard. I have read through all of the feeding forums, and have a supply of tomatoes, apples, a potato, and iceburg lettuce for the new comers until my mother can shop for some more fruits and veg. ANYWAY.
Basically, I just want to make sure that the setup I have for my snails currently is good. I have a cuttle bone, coconut fiber substrate (my mom was stingy with her monies so it was the only one I could afford. It comes in a block and you wet it to make it...usable. The process was...I dunno. I don't really recommend it but since it was all I could afford at petsmart it was fine. I want to make sure that this substrate is acceptable, my friend uses it for her tarantulas and swears by it. I have a hide, made out of a half coconut shell. It's about the size of my fist that my old snail could definitely have fit through. A shallow water dish, and a piece of cardboard to put food on. Does anyone have any suggestions for something BETTER to put food on? Will this suffice? Is just on the dirt okay? In the water? A whole PLATE would definitely not fit. The tank is probably...if I had to guess...maybe 2-3 gallons. But I'm not sure. Will three snails fit in here comfortably? It's plastic, and I heated a nail in a candle with a pair of pliers to melt holes into it. I don't really like drilling because it leaves sharp pieces. That's about all I've done for the preparations.
I live in Sacramento, California, so it remains pretty warm year round. I don't feel like I'll need any special heating equipment, especially because in the wild they're outside during winter, etc. But if you think I will DEFINITELY need some sort of extra heating, do tell.
Also, I read that destroying the eggs is necessary, if you don't plan on keeping them. I'm just wondering what these eggs will LOOK like. Will there be a little bunch of them somewhere that I can easily see and dispose of?
Last point. My friend is going through the snails in her backyard right now. She's found a good little bunch and she plans on making a little dating show video for me to select the snails that I would like (she's goofy). She says she has found one with a cracked shell. I'm not good with dealing with death, so I don't want to deal with that one. But she has also said that she has found some that look like they have repaired shells. I wouldn't mind adopting one of those, should I just sprinkle extra calcium on it's food? Will it need any sort of extra care?
Thank you all SO much!! ;D
Text is edited so everyone can read it propely. - CroSSLeSS
But I am back. And this time I will do it RIGHT. I really like snails, and although I did not continue my research after I released my first ones, I believe I have a pretty general knowledge about how to take care of them. I am expecting one to three new brown garden snails from the same friend's backyard. I have read through all of the feeding forums, and have a supply of tomatoes, apples, a potato, and iceburg lettuce for the new comers until my mother can shop for some more fruits and veg. ANYWAY.
Basically, I just want to make sure that the setup I have for my snails currently is good. I have a cuttle bone, coconut fiber substrate (my mom was stingy with her monies so it was the only one I could afford. It comes in a block and you wet it to make it...usable. The process was...I dunno. I don't really recommend it but since it was all I could afford at petsmart it was fine. I want to make sure that this substrate is acceptable, my friend uses it for her tarantulas and swears by it. I have a hide, made out of a half coconut shell. It's about the size of my fist that my old snail could definitely have fit through. A shallow water dish, and a piece of cardboard to put food on. Does anyone have any suggestions for something BETTER to put food on? Will this suffice? Is just on the dirt okay? In the water? A whole PLATE would definitely not fit. The tank is probably...if I had to guess...maybe 2-3 gallons. But I'm not sure. Will three snails fit in here comfortably? It's plastic, and I heated a nail in a candle with a pair of pliers to melt holes into it. I don't really like drilling because it leaves sharp pieces. That's about all I've done for the preparations.
I live in Sacramento, California, so it remains pretty warm year round. I don't feel like I'll need any special heating equipment, especially because in the wild they're outside during winter, etc. But if you think I will DEFINITELY need some sort of extra heating, do tell.
Also, I read that destroying the eggs is necessary, if you don't plan on keeping them. I'm just wondering what these eggs will LOOK like. Will there be a little bunch of them somewhere that I can easily see and dispose of?
Last point. My friend is going through the snails in her backyard right now. She's found a good little bunch and she plans on making a little dating show video for me to select the snails that I would like (she's goofy). She says she has found one with a cracked shell. I'm not good with dealing with death, so I don't want to deal with that one. But she has also said that she has found some that look like they have repaired shells. I wouldn't mind adopting one of those, should I just sprinkle extra calcium on it's food? Will it need any sort of extra care?
Thank you all SO much!! ;D
Text is edited so everyone can read it propely. - CroSSLeSS