Feeding Snails to Chams (video and general info)

[kenya]

Hi guys, I thought you might like it if I shared a video of my male Jackson's enjoying a snail.



Snails are thought to be relished by montane species and are a good source of calcium and a great addition to a varied diet.

I raise my own snails to assure that they are parasite and chemical free. I provide a damp terrarium with organic top soil (eco earth works as well), a layer of weed blocker and lava rocks (hydroballs work as well) for drainage. The snails are fed organic veggie scraps and seem to really enjoy lettuces and kales. I provide a piece of cuttle bone for calcium- snails need it to properly develop their shells.

It is my experience that my Jackson's love the snails and know exactly what they are. Other species seem to have to be coaxed into eating them by more movement. My Fischer's didn't seem interested, nor did my CH juvi Melleri.

You can see in the video that Kenya goes right for the snail without shooting his tongue and instead grabs it with his teeth. Every time I have fed snails to my Jackson's they have done this. My guess is that they instinctively know that the snails have a very strong grip and that they would probably sustain a tongue sprain from trying to shoot and pull them back.

I would love to hear from anyone else who has fed snails to chams and detailed accounts of your chameleon's reactions.

 

[SoCaliSon]

Awesome Video! And a beautiful looking Jax...He is very healthy. I noticed that about not shooting right away and was going to ask if he had to learn that trick the hard way... That is a very interesting behavioral note. Thanks for sharing!

~Joe

 

[SSimsswiSS]

I to use/rotate snails in diet. I think it's instinctual for some chameleons. I collect wild garden snails and clean there guts out by feeding them oatmeal first and after a week or two or three, it's on to greens and there ready to serve. Medium sized snails seem to work best for my chams. The large snail shells can be a bit tuff for all but the biggest chams.

 

[kenya]

I to use/rotate snails in diet. I think it's instinctual for some chameleons. I collect wild garden snails and clean there guts out by feeding them oatmeal first and after a week or two or three, it's on to greens and there ready to serve. Medium sized snails seem to work best for my chams. The large snail shells can be a bit tuff for all but the biggest chams.

This is a good way to do it if you can find snails locally and don't want to raise them yourself. I give snails that are the correct size for the cham I am feeding them to- Kenya had a bit of shell sticking out of his mouth while he chewed and swallowed most of this snail. The video quality is horrible, unfortunately, and it makes it look like a lot more is there than it is. Feeder rule applies to snails- shell no wider than the space between their eyes, but sometimes smaller is even better. Go with your instincts.

 

[BMXICAN]

That's some good stuff Kenya. Thanks for that awesome clip and info. I've been quite curious about snails lately as you know...

 

[summoner12]

Good info!

Very cool Nikki! Thanks for sharing! I might have to try this.

How many snails do you keep? if you keep a few around will they multiply REALLY fast? Is there a way to control how fast they multiply? How fast do they grow? Do they stay in the tank? What is weed blocker? and do you put the top soil on top, then weed blocker and then lava rocks on bottom right? Do you need to provide anything else other than dirt for them to cruise around on? I don't find snails around my new Apt. like I did in Lake Forest when I lived there. Maybe I should cruise by my old work.... we used to have TONS there. People on the night shift would step on them in the walk way and every morning I would walk down the sidewalk trying not to step on all the smashed snails.

SO, can we see some pics of your snails?

 

[Silverdusk]

Are snails something Panthers enjoy or can eat, as well?

BTW- the critters ya sent are doing great! thanks again

 

[FL Chams]

Some collectors here in FL caught a bunch of veileds and had a dead one that was crushed at the bottom. It was a young early gravid female. I took the female right away to the vet because we could check it's stomach for diet. The veileds here in FL are incredibly healthy and super prolific. Since it's virtually impossible to see what they're eating without observing it in the wild the only way to see it was to dissect one right out of the wild. If you get a chameleon that was imported it usually held in that country for several weeks until they have everything they need for the shipment. They usually all have empty stomachs by the time you can get to them. This was perfect because of the unfortunate situation that happened from irresponsible collectors. I immediately took it to my vet and we found TONS of greens in there diet along with brazilian pepper berries(part of the poison ivy family)weird and 4 snails. The weirdest part is they were snails you typically find under rocks. It also contained anole skeletons in there gut. We did a smear of their intestines as well and found only the slightest amount of protozoans. He checked for other parasites and the protozoans is all our Vet found.

 

[BocaJan]

How interesting. I know that my females love to eat kale and strawberries. Haven't found much interest in other things though.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Some collectors here in FL caught a bunch of veileds and had a dead one that was crushed at the bottom. It was a young early gravid female. I took the female right away to the vet because we could check it's stomach for diet. The veileds here in FL are incredibly healthy and super prolific. Since it's virtually impossible to see what they're eating without observing it in the wild the only way to see it was to dissect one right out of the wild. If you get a chameleon that was imported it usually held in that country for several weeks until they have everything they need for the shipment. They usually all have empty stomachs by the time you can get to them. This was perfect because of the unfortunate situation that happened from irresponsible collectors. I immediately took it to my vet and we found TONS of greens in there diet along with brazilian pepper berries(part of the poison ivy family)weird and 4 snails. The weirdest part is they were snails you typically find under rocks. It also contained anole skeletons in there gut. We did a smear of their intestines as well and found only the slightest amount of protozoans. He checked for other parasites and the protozoans is all our Vet found.

That is great information Mike!
If anyone was questioning the practice calcium supplementation at every feeding, (especially for females), 4 snail shells, a lizard skeleton and tons of calcium rich greens should be enough to convince them.

Kenya,
Where did you get your original snails from?

-Brad

 

[summoner12]

Some collectors here in FL caught a bunch of veileds and had a dead one that was crushed at the bottom. It was a young early gravid female. I took the female right away to the vet because we could check it's stomach for diet. The veileds here in FL are incredibly healthy and super prolific. Since it's virtually impossible to see what they're eating without observing it in the wild the only way to see it was to dissect one right out of the wild. If you get a chameleon that was imported it usually held in that country for several weeks until they have everything they need for the shipment. They usually all have empty stomachs by the time you can get to them. This was perfect because of the unfortunate situation that happened from irresponsible collectors. I immediately took it to my vet and we found TONS of greens in there diet along with brazilian pepper berries(part of the poison ivy family)weird and 4 snails. The weirdest part is they were snails you typically find under rocks. It also contained anole skeletons in there gut. We did a smear of their intestines as well and found only the slightest amount of protozoans. He checked for other parasites and the protozoans is all our Vet found.

Very good info Mike! thanks for sharing. I think I might offer some greens. and I am going to try the snails out for sure!

 

[ciafardo 4]

does anyone know of any studies or publishing of these wild veileds of florida this fascinates me numbers locations etc.

 

[kenya]

Very cool Nikki! Thanks for sharing! I might have to try this.

How many snails do you keep? if you keep a few around will they multiply REALLY fast? Is there a way to control how fast they multiply? How fast do they grow? Do they stay in the tank? What is weed blocker? and do you put the top soil on top, then weed blocker and then lava rocks on bottom right? Do you need to provide anything else other than dirt for them to cruise around on? I don't find snails around my new Apt. like I did in Lake Forest when I lived there. Maybe I should cruise by my old work.... we used to have TONS there. People on the night shift would step on them in the walk way and every morning I would walk down the sidewalk trying not to step on all the smashed snails.

SO, can we see some pics of your snails?

I will try to get a photo of the snail tank up soon. The tank is my late little brev's baby tank- it is 5 gallons and has a glass top. Screen would work fine as well and the snails have not escaped (yet?) Right now I have around 40 young snails of varying sizes (but all from the same "clutch". Interesting) and then big momma snail who is the size of a golf ball. Weed blocker is that black fabric that you put under landscaping to keep unwanted plants from popping out of the seeds underneath. I put it on top of a layer of lava rocks and then a layer of either eco-earth or organic top soil and I augment with bits of moist moss (makes it pretty and keeps some extra moisture in) I also have a few live plants in there- a pothos clipping and I had a little palm, but the snails ate it.

My snails are a regular variety of garden snail that is readily found. If you gather wild snails to do this, make sure that you know what species it is and that it is common and not endangered. Avoid anything bright colored or with visible parasites (flukes in the eyestalks are common in some areas)

Are snails something Panthers enjoy or can eat, as well?

BTW- the critters ya sent are doing great! thanks again

The panthers can eat snails but I haven't had one really go for it like the Jackson's do. I have to really convince them that it is live food, it seems.

Glad you are enjoying what I sent

That is great information Mike!
If anyone was questioning the practice calcium supplementation at every feeding, (especially for females), 4 snail shells, a lizard skeleton and tons of calcium rich greens should be enough to convince them.

Kenya,
Where did you get your original snails from?

-Brad

The original snail came from a lady I know from Devon's work. She had found it in a gutter while cleaning her house and ID'd it as a European brown garden snail. They are non native so she didn't want to put it back. She knows we have quite the menagerie and love offbeat bugs, so she offered it to us. Snails are hermaphrodites and I think that our big "mamasnail" fertilized herself because we looked into the tank one day and there were around 60 babies clinging to the side!!

 

[Lizardlover]

Thanks for the extra info on snails Nikki! My panther loves snails when I can find them after a rainy day, theyre all over my yard, but my panter really enjoys them.

 

[Sepioteuthis]

This topic really makes me want to feed my jacksons and mellers some snails, but I don't think we have any decent sized wild snails aroung here. Does anyone know where I could buy some?

cheers,
Suzanne

PS: Mike is you ever get another opportunity to examine the stomach contents of a Florida veiled, please share! This is great information!

 

[sruli]

Thank you for showing this video.

This behaviour was, apparently, described by Altevogt and Altevogt (1954), and it is mentioned in a few of my books. But I hadn't seen it yet. (Hope that I will soon, though!) It seems that they like slugs, too, and eat them the same way.

I *think* that I have seen them just grab the occaisional 'worm' if it is very close. I have definitely seen neonates do this with close prey.

 

[sruli]

Lifted from Wikipedia, lifted from other sources:

All land snails are hermaphrodites, producing both spermatozoa and ova.
Most snails can mate[vague] when they are around 1 year old.[6]
Prolific breeders, pulmonate land snails inseminate each other in pairs to internally fertilize their ova. Each brood may consist of up to 100 eggs.
Pulmonate land snails and slugs have a reproductive opening on one side of the body, near the front, through which the outer reproductive organs are extruded so that exchange of sperm can take place. After this, fertilization occurs and the eggs develop.
[Thus, they cannot self-fertilize.]
Parthenogenesis has also been noted in certain species.

I keep hearing that I can get land-snails in Chinatown... so far I have not found them; I will keep looking.

I am going to try and nail the species of the snail that you are using.

I will try to get a photo of the snail tank up soon. The tank is my late little brev's baby tank- it is 5 gallons and has a glass top. Screen would work fine as well and the snails have not escaped (yet?) Right now I have around 40 young snails of varying sizes (but all from the same "clutch". Interesting) and then big momma snail who is the size of a golf ball. Weed blocker is that black fabric that you put under landscaping to keep unwanted plants from popping out of the seeds underneath. I put it on top of a layer of lava rocks and then a layer of either eco-earth or organic top soil and I augment with bits of moist moss (makes it pretty and keeps some extra moisture in) I also have a few live plants in there- a pothos clipping and I had a little palm, but the snails ate it.

My snails are a regular variety of garden snail that is readily found. If you gather wild snails to do this, make sure that you know what species it is and that it is common and not endangered. Avoid anything bright colored or with visible parasites (flukes in the eyestalks are common in some areas)



The panthers can eat snails but I haven't had one really go for it like the Jackson's do. I have to really convince them that it is live food, it seems.

Glad you are enjoying what I sent



The original snail came from a lady I know from Devon's work. She had found it in a gutter while cleaning her house and ID'd it as a European brown garden snail. They are non native so she didn't want to put it back. She knows we have quite the menagerie and love offbeat bugs, so she offered it to us. Snails are hermaphrodites and I think that our big "mamasnail" fertilized herself because we looked into the tank one day and there were around 60 babies clinging to the side!!

 

[summoner12]

This topic really makes me want to feed my jacksons and mellers some snails, but I don't think we have any decent sized wild snails aroung here. Does anyone know where I could buy some?

cheers,
Suzanne

PS: Mike is you ever get another opportunity to examine the stomach contents of a Florida veiled, please share! This is great information!

Let me know how your Melleri go after the snails... Right now Lenny is in a Dubia craze.

 

[Lizardlover]

maybe i should catch a snail or two so i can have a supply too.

 

[ColorCham427]

Let me know how your Melleri go after the snails... Right now Lenny is in a Dubia craze.

LOL my Mitsio was once in a "Dubia craze"... took him quite a while to try something different. I am thinking about trying the snails once I get into WC females.