When is it ok to feed snails?

[Zbiz]

Well my little guy is about 2 months old now. The other day I made eggs for breakfast and I made some for him with the shell. I crushed the shell into peices and then scrambled the egg. When he ate the eggs it look like he was uncomfortable while swallowing. I've been wanting to feed him a couple snails but I'm worried that the shards of shell are gona hurt him while he swallows it. What do you guys think?

Thanks for any replies!

[Zach]

Offer as many snails as you can...big or small. The shells are great for them for nutrition and jaw workout. Just don't feed any that could have been exposed to chemicals.

[Geoff Gates]

younger blueys often have trouble breaking through the shells. I'd crush the snail shell before giving the snail to him.

[Leigh]

Go with smaller snails for the youngens, and as mentioned smash them first if he's struggling, mine wont eat the whole shell if they're big.Can you get this sort where you are , the shell's thinner and mine has no trouble with them, does the lot in shell and all

[bluecheezytree]

[beckym]

Can you feed any types of snail? Are the ones from my garden here in England okay?

[Jenn]

If you get them from outside make sure you detox them.

[beckym]

How do i do that?

[Leigh]

How do i do that?

Put them in a bucket/tub
1/2 inch of water and some greens, and cover top, but not air tight
after three or four days if they're still alive they should be good



I dont use any pesticides in my garden so I know mine are ok

[RLeeW]

I have some newbie questions. Can I get some snails from my local fish store and can I keep them in my beta fishes tank?

[Jenn]

I'm not sure they can live with the beta fish.

Some petstores sell them and others don't so you'll just have to check. If you get really lucky you might get a pet store that gets them in their plants and gives them away because they are pests. Sadly none of the pet stores by me do that.

[RLeeW]

Hmmm..... I have seen the snails that are suppose to be the tank cleaners are those the same snails that I can feed to our BTS?

[Jenn]

They'll be called mystery or apple snails normally.

[MartinsPerson]

Hmmm..... I have seen the snails that are suppose to be the tank cleaners are those the same snails that I can feed to our BTS?

Yes, but be sure to detox for a little bit longer than average. Especially if you get them from petco. Sometimes they use a product called finquil and it is really toxic. Also the shell is a little tougher on those guys, maybe crush it for a baby.

[mewzic-7123]

wat is the difference between snails and slugs, i know there anatomony tiny bit diferent, why not slugs?

[Jenn]

I know one of the big pros for the snails is their shells. It has lots of calium. Slugs obviously don't have a shell. I'm not sure if there are any ofther reasons.

[Leigh]

The sticky excresion is not liked by blueys in my experience, try one he'll either have it ,try to have it{like mine did} and didnt like, or totally ignore it, offer a smallish one because they're not as slimey and see how you go.


OOhh, remember the detox rule

[RLeeW]

So can I just order apple snails online? Also, how many do the BTS eat? Trying to cover my food bases for variety.

[Jenn]

You can order apple snails online. My guys only get 2-3 of them as an extra treat because they cost so much but they could easily eat more then that.

[NomadOfTheHills]

How do i do that?

Put them in a bucket/tub
1/2 inch of water and some greens, and cover top, but not air tight
after three or four days if they're still alive they should be good

Don't forget to dechlorinate the water