A snail question for the AU folks... please

[AneesasMuse]

I came across someone asking where to find "Apple Snails" in AU and I am assuming they mean the P. bridgesii that is almost totally aquatic except for laying a nice pink clutch above water level. They would make a nice Bluey snack... I'm raising them up for Larrikin right now, in fact... but I have no idea where to find them in AU.

Anyone in AU know if they are even there ...and where they might be?

Thanks,
~Aminah

[Richard.C]

im an aussie and cant say ive heard of them,we just use garden snails as a rule,heaps of them and there natural for blueys where i live,i personally dont use them much these days as i live next to a market gardens so paranoid about the use of snail poisons,im not sure about other aussies but ive never heard of using different snails,we have water snails though but yeah,soz cant help u there

[Soggydog]

I'm not from australia but i found that Piper will eat just about any type of snail I have this type of unknown species that came in on the plants in my tropical aquarium that she loves

[Lisa]

You can buy aquatic snails at a petshop but they're as pets or to keep like fish or hermit crabs, so they are an expensive snack.

But like Rich says, we just use garden snails (they are basically the ones escargot are made of, the ones that people farm for human consumption). Or even native snails. Smaller and mostly harder to find, they're more predominant in bushland areas but go down just as well.

A tip though. Surprisingly when I've kept natives with garden snails, the natives eat or take over the garden ones. That surprises me because garden snails aren't native (although they've been here for 100s of years) and are much more prolific. But it seems to happen. Bizarro.

I can see why someone would be hunting for them but because we have a severe drought and snails are hard to come by these days. I saw someone advertising 60 odd garden ones for 20 bucks and considered it but it was a couple of months ago and mine were all asleep. Snails have become a real treat these days for mine due to the scarcity of them. If I find one I have to draw a name out of a hat to see who gets it. 'Tis a shame, they're such good tucker.

[AneesasMuse]

That's so funny... "draw a name out of a hat!"

I did suggest to them, go and find some "pets" in the local fish store/pet store. That's where I find my Apples, actually.

I wish I could find a good source of any type of "garden snail" here... I've definitely tried. I can only get escargot that is "ready to eat" and I don't care much for snails, myself.

Thanks!
~Aminah

[Lisa]

I have actually heard of people who buy the tin ones for people, and they wash all the salt water or whatever they are packed in off them and feed them to their blueys and they go down a treat. But I don't think tin snails have shells, and that's like the best part!

I tried snails once years and years ago but I had to spit it out. It tasted, and the texture, was very rubbery. It was in Paris too, so they were cooked proper, they were just yuck. I still to this day don't know what possessed me to try them in the first place. I had a major brain malfunction that day for sure.

[kris21]

I can't find snails, all the shells in my backyard are empty.
Like 20 of them and no sign of the snail itself so my bluey misses out.
I too saw the snails for sale and when i get my shingles i might end up buyging some off him.
Kristy

[Lisa]

I hardly find even empty shells anymore.
Conor reckons that because I don't use poisons anymore in the yard since I got my lizards, and because I live in the bush and there's alot of other skinks and snakes and all sorts of critters, geckos, frogs etc roaming out there that they are probably getting in first and eating them when the snails are young and small. Stupid nature! Or that, at some stage, I took the 'queen' snail and so there's no more reproducing out there.
He's probably got a point, but I'm not going to tell him that.

My vet told me to put chinese containers out upside down with holes cut into them and stick lettuce in there and stick them under bushes and you'll have snails in no time. But the possums just eat it. I really don't like possums.

If I see the ad again for the snails I'll probably end up buying them. But they're seasonal I guess. I'm assuming he had a glut because wherever he lives got alot of rain.

[Richard.C]

hmmmm,we still get millions of snails here,if u walk outside on a moist night the ground crunches,lol,lisa they dont really eat much of the shell anyways so tinned snail meat would be fine for feeding them,we cooked the tinned snails at trade school,oh i was an apprentice chef,fully qualified now,the snails are just in a brine to help preserve them,oh and no i couldnt bring my self to trying one,lol,just seems wrong for me,ill have to suss out where to get the tinned snails from,would be good for pink tongues

[kris21]

I'll try the chinese container trick to see if it works for me. I think the guy who sells the snails is thegreenscorpion.com.au

Kristy

[Leigh]

I know its different over here, but if you leave a piece of wood up against a cool shaded damp corner fence/shed they congragate on the under side during the dry/day time. I've found that growing Kale in the garden for my skink seems to attract them , the baskets ate the bloody lot {five biggish plants}over three nights, I also chuck out all veg waste in one spot in the garden covered with an old potio set nylon cover, that works.

[AneesasMuse]

This is so ironic... a year ago, I was trying to rid my gardens of all snails and slugs (but still in a humane and non toxic way cuz I have a tortoise) ..and now, I'm trying to attract them back to it! LOL

I'll start putting the scraps in the compost again and lay a board over it.. see if that works. I do have the Apples in the aquarium inside, though.

Thanks, everyone! I still ain't eatin' no rubbery snail, tho!

[bruno]

Hi

I breed me own snails Helix pamatia. In me backyard.Then I allways

have different size to give the young skinks

Do collect garden snails, but never use them before they have eaten

abouth 3-4 days, of what I give as food.Works fine for me.

To Zack. Why can`t I upload pictures ?

Bruno