BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Could someone please explain how exactly this works? I just picked up 5 snails I found in a park today. I put them in a small critter keeper and took a bit of the decomposing grass and leaves they were sitting on and put it with them. I realize this goes against the whole detox purpose (as whatever's in their habitat would be brought with them) but it's just until I pick them up something else to eat. Oh, I did give them carrot bits which 2 of them started chomping up immediately. Actually I believe at least 3 have some abnormal shell issues (holes, translucency, and one had been eating at it's own shell for a seemingly long time) so are these just calcium deficiencies or could this be something else harmful to my skink?

Anyway, how exactly do you keep them? What do you feed, what do you put in with them, where to put their container?

And on to my confusion... if a snail has a disease or is sick whatever that it has been living with for a while, and is kept in a container (say with nothing else from it's habitat but some other snails), why would it die? I mean, if it is living near car exhaust and has grown adjusted to it, it wouldn't just die if it's taken away into a clean environment, or would it? Or if it has a desease, better yet, it will remain the same no matter how clean the environment is (depending on the disease I suppose). And if one is sick, won't it infect the other ones? What really gets me is why 3 or 5 days is enought to allow it to die. Again, I'm just taking precautions for my skink.

generally snail bait is the key bad boy, and 3 - 5 days is all you need for them to die from the bait.

I get a big glass jar , like now when its raining go out with the kids and pop them in ..Then when you have a few hundred ..Pop all air wholes in the jar Lid ..Put a teaspoon on water in the jar ..And let them poo out all the green stff incase 1 has been baited .. Then after 2 weeks i freeze them or escargo is all eaten the day there ready , mine are always tongueing for snails easy

Those big moccona jars are good!!! just take the plastic out the glass lid and use that with holes!

Really? You don't even feed them?
Out of curiosity, how long would they live without food?

Does anyone try to gut-load the snails? As I mentioned they seem to have a lack of calcium, so would feeding carrots or some greens make much difference?

Gut-loading snails is pretty pointless only because snails are not the sole foundation of bluey diets. I wouldn't worry about it.

Also, the snail's shells makes up all the calcium the bluey could ask for! They chomp them up and enjoy them.

Snails that I've always caught (not for feeding to other things...) have lived wonderfully on greens and a clean vivarium. If you do feed them for whatever reason, feed according to the bluey food chart and that way you'll be sure to be putting good stuff in your reptile.

KW

Okay, thanks!

But no one answered how long they can live without food.

piggy - to be honest - i've never starved them to find out - but They hibernate for a long time - so I'd say it'd be a while. as long as they have water.

Actually, now that I think about it, they would stay dried up for as long as there's no rain, and that's what mine are doing now. So I suppose they can live for months like that.

And before I forget, if you freeze live snails, can you regenerate them once thawed out?

They cut a hard crust and shut down when its dry yere as long as the snail bait has passed thrugh as a precaution . Just let them mung into them when there ready ..The ones in my state are thick on the ground , french people cookem and eat em to , bit chewy and to many green bubbles for me

I considered that as well. I put a little dish of water and moist paper towel near the air spaces so the moisture allows them to be active enough to pass whatever crap they need to.

I remember reading about a snail that was an exhibit in a museum for some years (something like 10 years), that suddenly started crawling around in the case....so they can go dormant for long periods of time. I would imagine they would go dormant when they started starving.

Blotch wrote:piggy - to be honest - i've never starved them to find out - but They hibernate for a long time - so I'd say it'd be a while. as long as they have water.

"And before I forget, if you freeze live snails, can you regenerate them once thawed out?"


What exactly do you mean?

I mean certain insects are frozen for a period of time, and once the temperature increases they are still alive. Are snails able to stay alive while frozen? I would think so since they can live long periods of time dormant.

Seriously? I've never heard that.

Really? I know there are certain species of beatles that do this, but I think it's pretty rare. I wondered if a snails' shell also does this.

you mean like cryogenically frozen??? I personally wouldn't think so, snails are mostly water - so I guess they'd need some form of moisture to keep living. I could be wrong - but it is an interesting question you pose!

I know there are a few different species of animals that can do this including a type of frog that can be frozen solid, heart stops and everything then revives when thawed. Mole crickets can also do this and I believe there are certain species of snail that can but I don't beleve there are any aquatic snails with this ability.

EDIT
Some of the frogs who can are spring peepers and wood frogs.

In winter they seem to go awol, so I reckon they go hide and just hibernate, none around in the cold of winter here.

Here in Canada, snails deffinately have to stay alive somehow through winter. That's why I thought they could freeze. They are land snails, not aquatic. I'll have to try it sometime. It certainly would save a lot of trouble keeping large quantities alive.