question on snails

[jwolfe152]

Has anyone feed snails to a captive garter specifically sirtalis sirtalis I'm just a little hesitant because of the shell does anyone one have any anecdotal or reported cases of problems or not? I was wondering because it rained a bit and i went walking and found loads of snails and a few fiddle heads they have the brown fuzz but they were all unrated a bit so i grabbed a few and a load of snails because if i can for a little treat hear and there good if not I'll throw them back in the woods no biggie. I know they eat slugs but not due of snails because as stated before if the shell could cause problems. I might b4 wrong but i didn't think the shells was calcium but another mineral/mix of minerals, but please if I'm worrying over nothing just say so lol thanks guys

[jwolfe152]

Well after reading the wiki on common snails Helix aspersa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix_aspersa) The shell sounds harmless but i think this might be a problem ParasitesParasites of*Cornu aspersum*include:The nematode*Nemhelix bakeri*(family*Cosmocercidae)[31][32]But please anyone else with an opinion on feeding them please share it i would still like to hear everyones thoughts and/or concerns

[d_virginiana]

I know a lot of people on here feed slugs... And I think I remember seeing something about never feeding a snake a snail with a cracked shell, as that throws off their method of de-shelling them?
My motto is when in doubt, don't feed it. If you have any concern about parasites or pesticides (snails can easily pick up chemicals crawling around on grass and sidewalks) it's better to avoid that potential problem IMO. As long as they are eating well and getting a balanced diet, I don't think the excitement of getting a new prey item outweighs the risk of something giving them parasites.

[jwolfe152]

Ok. These snails were found out in the woods were it overtures every year so i seriously doubt pesticides/chemicals are a problem. these are all wc so I'm sure they have some kind of worm/parasite already in them i just don't want to be adding an overload. I've never had a fecal float done I'm not even sure if the vets here would do them. I called a few before and they didn't want to deal with a wc snake. Maybe i can find a few more to see or call them all back and see if they will just do a fecal float and let me treat them. I don't know if maybe they think I'm an idiot for taking a wc snake to the vet for any reason or what its hard to say lol

[infernalis]

I have never been able to get a Thamnophis interested, The Storeria gobble them up, but never had any luck getting a garter to show interest.

with all of the other known good foods, I would personally not bother myself

[jwolfe152]

Yea that's weird because a lot of people here talk about how theirs LOVE slugs but the 4i got show zero interest in slugs but they love steelhead trout, pinkies, liver, chicken, beef, tilapia, tadpoles, and night crawlers. I don't know why they won't eat the slugs. More than anything it would have been something different for them, if they would even eat them considering that won't eat slugs.

[guidofatherof5]

I'm with Wayne. My garters just look at me like "What the heck is that" On the other hand I released a bunch of baby dekayis and within seconds of the release they were pulling snails out of their shells and having a good meal.

[jwolfe152]

How stdio they pull them out of the shell it seems it would be extremely difficult with no lips to suck it out and no fingers/hands to grab lol

[guidofatherof5]

They sink those needle teeth in and pull. They are very efficient at it.

[jwolfe152]

Wow i would love to see that

[ConcinusMan]

I've experienced no problems feeding them these snails that came in with potted plants and established themselves along the walls of my house. But I break the shell and peel it off first. Make sure you don't get them from an area where slug poison/bait is used. Slugs eat nutritious vegetation high in iron and for some plants, calcium. Gut loading them with leafy greens and veggies is a good way to make them more nutritious.

http://i60.tinypic.com/rtpyww.jpg

[joeysgreen]

I would really like to keep red belly snakes one day; I"ll have to start a colony of snails first :)

As per the vet.. Am I the only one that gets excited to see reptile poop? It's way more exciting than dog poop, you find the coolest, most bizarre bugs!

Ian

[guidofatherof5]

I would really like to keep red belly snakes one day; I"ll have to start a colony of snails first :)

As per the vet.. Am I the only one that gets excited to see reptile poop? It's way more exciting than dog poop, you find the coolest, most bizarre bugs!

Ian

I like reptile poop:D

[ConcinusMan]

You two are completely nuts. I know because i can recognize my own kind. :p

[Muslim1]

My experience was different. I removed the snail fom the shell washed it, fed it via hemostats , loved it. Slugs were ignored. I did recently sell a radix who gobbled slugs. Who knows. I stick to nightcrawlers, silversides, pinkie parts. Unless its a problem feeding.

[Muslim1]

My experience was different. I removed the snail fom the shell washed it, fed it via hemostats , loved it. Slugs were ignored. I did recently sell a radix who gobbled slugs. Who knows. I stick to nightcrawlers, silversides, pinkie parts. Unless its a problem feeding.