Raising snails. Will these sufficie?

[JacksJill]

I only feed them occasionally maybe 1-2 a month. I like that they have a little vitamin A as well as calcium. I have found nutritional analysis of snails but it doesn't take the shell into account because people don't eat the shells. You might try to find and weigh an empty shell to guestimate the amount of calcium.
There was a study of digestion times of snails by Jackson's on Hawaii. It might have some info you could use. I'll see if I can find it.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

Yesterday as I was taking my GSD on a walk around my neighborhood I came across these amazing snails.View attachment 234473
I've been reading @snitz427 thread on raising snail and I was wondering if these would suffice? How can you determine the sex?

Make sure you get few generations down beofre you feed them. Snails are notorious for fluke worms.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

Snails are hermaphrodites so they can be both male and female when it comes to mating! Great find - crazy what these Chameleons make us notice on peaceful walks!

Just make sure you seperate, rinse and hatch any eggs in a seperate container as wild snails can carry parasites.

@jamest0o and @Andee have been great resources!

This

 

[cyberlocc]

THANK YOU!! Yea I’m sure there is about 50 from what I hear in the attic. I think the exterminator layed only 7 down. I’ll make then lay down more.

I think the main nest is somewhere in my bedroom, they are extremely loud in that area and caught one on camera on my makeup table

This might be a stupid question but would they try to eat my chameleons? Yes everyone laugh at me for the question I love Larry I don’t want to fight off a rat, Imelda can protect herself I believe in her

I only feed them occasionally maybe 1-2 a month. I like that they have a little vitamin A as well as calcium. I have found nutritional analysis of snails but it doesn't take the shell into account because people don't eat the shells. You might try to find and weigh an empty shell to guestimate the amount of calcium.
There was a study of digestion times of snails by Jackson's on Hawaii. It might have some info you could use. I'll see if I can find it.

I thought about that as well. Just do a before and after. A bodily mass of calcium roughly would probably be good. If you were to grind a snail's shell, I feel like it would be quite a bit of calcium dust.

Additional supplementing with Reptiworms and Isopods, would also help the case. With those as planned feeders it becomes a concern of over calcium as well.

Chams are not being given supplements in the wild, so where they are receiving that calcium is intriguing.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

I thought about that as well. Just do a before and after. A bodily mass of calcium roughly would probably be good. If you were to grind a snail's shell, I feel like it would be quite a bit of calcium dust.

Additional supplementing with Reptiworms and Isopods, would also help the case. With those as planned feeders it becomes a concern of over calcium as well.

Chams are not being given supplements in the wild, so where they are receiving that calcium is intriguing.

Snail shells are 80% calcium. Im not sure in what measurement in comparison to how much we dust though.

 

[JacksJill]

I'm sure snails play a part in getting them calcium in the wild. In Hawaii they were trying to determine how much of a threat they were to the native snail population. They wanted to know how many they could eat in a year.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

I'm sure snails play a part in getting them calcium in the wild. In Hawaii they were trying to determine how much of a threat they were to the native snail population. They wanted to know how many they could eat in a year.

This is good to know... i really want to measure how mich calcium their shells have now at a feedable size.

 

[cyberlocc]

Snail shells are 80% calcium. Im not sure in what measurement in comparison to how much we dust though.

80% seems low, the makeup of the inner shell as I was told is pure Calcium, and the outer shell which is extremely thin is a protein. What kind of snail was that data for? Link handy? Is the rest just proteins? Is it mixed through the entirety.

Seasnails shells have make up of mother of pearl and such in them, however land snail's do not.

To be clear, I am not doubting you, just curious what the other 20% is.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

80% seems low, the makeup of the inner shell as I was told is pure Calcium, and the outer shell which is extremely thin is a protein. What kind of snail was that data for? Link handy? Is the rest just proteins?

Seasnails shells have make up of mother of pearl and such in them, however land snail's do not.

Lol my biology professor I intern for. He guesstimated. Theyre made of three layers mostly calcium, and the protien makes up less than something like 2% of the total makeup. But that doesnt necessarily mean the rest is all calcium. But it may be higher, regardless its a ton of calcium!

 

[cyberlocc]

Lol my biology professor I intern for. He guesstimated. Theyre made of three layers mostly calcium, and the protien makes up less than something like 2% of the total makeup. But that doesnt necessarily mean the rest is all calcium. But kt may be higher, regardless its a tpn of calcium

Well I think that would alter based on diet.

What I was told by the snail keeprs, is that snail's shell starts from their calcium intake, they are born with it. However after birth, the extract nutrients they can find, be that calcium, or lime, ect.

In captivity, you feed them cuddlebone that is the only mineral they are given access to, so there shell is only calcium. If given access to Lime they will process it as shell material as well.

That's how it was explained to me anyway. I'm going to ask again, if any of them have any data on it, as I am curious now lol. They take snail's seriously so you got to be careful talking about using them as feeders haha.

Also don't understand how it's 3 layers. A snail's shell is only a couple layers at birth, as they grow a layer is added constantly. There shells as hundreds of layers thick when grown.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

Well I think that would alter based on diet.

What I was told by the snail keeprs, is that snail's shell starts from their calcium intake, they are born with it. However after birth, the extract nutrients they can find, be that calcium, or lime, ect.

In captivity, you feed them cuddlebone that is the only mineral they are given access to, so there shell is only calcium. If given access to Lime they will process it as shell material as well.

That's how it was explained to me anyway. I'm going to ask again, if any of them have any data on it, as I am curious now lol. They take snail's seriously so you got to be careful talking about using them as feeders haha.

Also don't understand how it's 3 layers. A snail's shell is only a couple layers at birth, as they grow a layer is added constantly. There shells as hundreds of layers thick when grown.

By no means a snails shell expert. Not my area of study lol. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-are-seashells-created/

 

[cyberlocc]

By no means a snails shell expert. Not my area of study lol. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-are-seashells-created/

That was a very good read I see now what he meant by the layers, don't know why I didn't get that the first time lol.

However in that link, it says calcium and protein, and some mentions of pearl. However that's seasnails land snail's are a completely different beasts. From the shell, and parastic load fronts.

You got me scared about that Flukes now, is that in land snail's? Sea and aquarium snail's carry alot of pests that land snail's do not. Land snail's carry rat Lungworm that AFAIK water snail's do not.

Edit: shoot Flukes is land snail specific lol.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

That was a very good read I see now what he meant by the layers, don't know why I didn't get that the first time lol.

However in that link, it says calcium and protein, and some mentions of pearl. However that's seasnails land snail's are a completely different beasts. From the shell, and parastic load fronts.

You got me scared about that Flukes now, is that in land snail's? Sea and aquarium snail's carry alot of pests that land snail's do not. Land snail's carry rat Lungworm that AFAIK water snail's do not.

Edit: shoot Flukes is land snail specific lol.

Yeah the flukes is land snails. Id say 1 out of 5 we gather have them in the first generation. Seperate the babies and youre generally good ive noticed. I think breeders say to do the same thing regardless.

 

[cyberlocc]

Yeah the flukes is land snails. Id say 1 out of 5 we gather have them in the first generation. Seperate the babies and youre generally good ive noticed. I think breeders say to do the same thing regardless.

They do, but you said multiple generations lol. So now you got me spooked, I am buying some lol.

There is a breeder how breeds for feeders here in AZ, so I am going to get some from her, if she confirms them to be safe.

If I had my first babies.....

So my snail's had baby's, earlier this year, finnaly. And my wife went to feed them and their was FFs, so she took it outside to open it, and got called away and left the 10 gallon tank outside in 90f. She didn't know that the tank would turn into an oven cooked all the babies and all but 3 of my adults . I had 11.

 

[JacksJill]

I took wild snails from my yard when they laid eggs I took the eggs and put them in a fresh clean container of damp soil to hatch so they had no contact with the adults. I have fed that 2nd generation off with no problems so far. Actually on the 3rd generation now.

 

[cyberlocc]

I took wild snails from my yard when they laid eggs I took the eggs and put them in a fresh clean container of damp soil to hatch so they had no contact with the adults. I have fed that 2nd generation off with no problems so far. Actually on the 3rd generation now.

Good to know, I missed my first gen anyway. Didn't notice the eggs till they hatched

 

[GoodKarma19]

Question for you snail feeders! Would ramshorn snails be acceptable? Obviously somewhat unnatural, but I was considering starting up an Indian pea puffer nano tank, and would be breeding clean ramshorns anyway!

 

[cyberlocc]

Question for you snail feeders! Would ramshorn snails be acceptable? Obviously somewhat unnatural, but I was considering starting up an Indian pea puffer nano tank, and would be breeding clean ramshorns anyway!

No, no aquatic snail's.

They are riddled with parasite and bacteria, and even breeding them out won't change that. Aquatic snail's are dirty little things.

 

[GoodKarma19]

No, no aquatic snail's.

They are riddled with parasite and bacteria, and even breeding them out won't change that. Aquatic snail's are dirty little things.

Roger roger! Just thought I'd ask, just in case by some miracle they were ok.

 

[Highway61]

Jack pulling a dine & dash. Again, walked right up to the snail and wrapped his mouth around it. Easily to most disgusting thing I've seen him eat so far