# breeding garden snails, help please



## lychas (Jun 16, 2007)

just wondering if anyone can tell me how to breed garden snails?


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## cacoseraph (Jun 16, 2007)

my one and only tip:

they eat olive oil, it doesn't contain them

my brother and sister-in-law use copper strips (pounded flat copper pipe) to contain them out of their garden


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## Drachenjager (Jun 21, 2007)

lychas said:


> just wondering if anyone can tell me how to breed garden snails?


Just me , but id let another snail do that....


Seroiusly tho, put them in a container, add black and white news paper , mist the news paper to keep it damp , and wait and you will have baby snails... its pretty easy. OR you could feed them some greens lol but they will thrive on the black and white news paper. Soy ink is good for you...if your a snail or earth worm


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## lychas (Jun 21, 2007)

i just found a lone snail, can i keep it on peat moss? what is the best food?


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## beetleman (Jun 21, 2007)

it can be kept on any moist substrate,soil,peatmoss etc. as for feeding any fruit,veggie,dogfood,you name it they will eat it.


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## Darwinsdad (Jun 21, 2007)

You could try planting a garden. Those and slugs breed like mad in my garden.


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## Drachenjager (Jun 21, 2007)

lychas said:


> i just found a lone snail, can i keep it on peat moss? what is the best food?


moist news paper


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## Black Widow88 (Jun 22, 2007)

You know I've never even knew/heard that snails eat moist news paper. I thought all the ink and stuff would harm them. But this is *speechless* WOW!  

Black Widow88


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## lychas (Jul 9, 2007)

where do they lay their eggs? How long till i see baby snails?


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## bugmankeith (Jul 10, 2007)

I've kept mine on soil misting each day to keep it moist. They must have a cuttlebone in the tank to keep their shells strong. They eat a wide variety of things like romaine lettuce, dog or cat kibble, bananas, strawberries, watermelon, apples, carrots, peaches, and so on.

They dig little holes in the soil and lay there eggs under the substrate. You will know their eggs because they will be round, and in bunches.

They will breed forever it would seem and the little snails grow quick in captivity.

The sides of the tank will have alot of slime though so you'll need to scrub it often with mabye a sponge.


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## lychas (Jul 10, 2007)

thanks, yea i have cuttle bone in the tub for them, how long till they start laying if they are sexually mature?


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## bugmankeith (Jul 11, 2007)

I found some in winter and brought them inside, they started mating immedietly. I would assume after a heaving misting, lots of food, and it being warm they would emerge and mate, eggs followed about 2 weeks after for me.

If the enclosure is not that moist, (but make sure its not bone dry) and then suddenly you mist it alot it will simulate a heavy rain.

Thats the only way I can explain it.

This is a topic I made a long time ago about the snails I bred. I released them back a year after capture and their offspring were in my garden soon after. I think they ate eggs of other snails though.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=69371


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## Matt K (Jul 12, 2007)

Try these:

http://escargot.free.fr/eng/snail.htm

http://www.ehow.com/articles_4907-pet-snails.html


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## beetleman (Jul 12, 2007)

heh, with me i don't do anything they just breed like crazy,and babies everywhere  yes cuttlebone and alot of food they go nuts


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## Black Widow88 (Jul 12, 2007)

WOW! Should try that some time!

Black Widow88


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## lychas (Jul 12, 2007)

thanks guys, watered them last night so that got them nice and moist. Will let you know if and when i get results.


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## Black Widow88 (Jul 12, 2007)

Your Welcome! Looking forward to the updates!

Black Widow88


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## lychas (Jul 15, 2007)

still no signs of eggs, its only been a bit over a week, anything i may be doing wrong?


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## beetleman (Jul 15, 2007)

no don't worry,your doing everything right just alittle patience,trust me it will happen


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## Drachenjager (Jul 15, 2007)

lychas said:


> still no signs of eggs, its only been a bit over a week, anything i may be doing wrong?


one snail may be the problem lol


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## bugmankeith (Jul 15, 2007)

Once they lay eggs and they hatch you'll know it, give it time. Before you know it you'll have more than you can think of.


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## Drachenjager (Jul 15, 2007)

beetleman said:


> no don't worry,your doing everything right just alittle patience,trust me it will happen


UMMM did you miss this statment?



lychas said:


> i just found a lone snail, can i keep it on peat moss? what is the best food?


I mean yeah he could have some wiht only one snail but it wold be more likely with more eh?


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## Galapoheros (Jul 16, 2007)

I'm curious, just what specie do you have?  So many people call different kinds "garden snails".  I looked into raising snails many years ago.  You have a pic?  If it has a striped shell, it might be Cepaea nemoralis.  That and some others are edible.  Never know, maybe it will start looking tasty some day, hehe.


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## lychas (Jul 16, 2007)

sorry, should have mention, next door neighbour found another 4 for me and later that day got another 1 so i have 6 all up. I'm in australia so i think they are Helix aspersa.


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## lychas (Jul 16, 2007)

also could it be to cold/dry? they seem to spend all their time sealed off with that dry mucus.


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## beetleman (Jul 16, 2007)

lychas said:


> also could it be to cold/dry? they seem to spend all their time sealed off with that dry mucus.


possibly,my snails almost always seal themselves up when it gets alittle dry in their enclosure,just keep it alittle more moist,that's what i do with mine and they are all over the place,also being too cold could also be another factor.


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## beetleman (Jul 16, 2007)

Drachenjager said:


> UMMM did you miss this statment?
> 
> 
> 
> I mean yeah he could have some wiht only one snail but it wold be more likely with more eh?


no, he said he has a bunch of them.


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## lychas (Jul 16, 2007)

it got down to 8 degrees the other night


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## lychas (Jul 17, 2007)

would it be to cold, they aint even eating


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## beetleman (Jul 17, 2007)

yeah most likely that's a bit too cold.


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## lychas (Jul 17, 2007)

whats a good temp?


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## beetleman (Jul 17, 2007)

it should be atleast around 60 or higher i believe.


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## lychas (Jul 18, 2007)

oops i ment 8 degrees centigrade


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## Drachenjager (Jul 18, 2007)

beetleman said:


> no, he said he has a bunch of them.





lychas said:


> i just found a lone snail, can i keep it on peat moss? what is the best food?


In my neck of the woods lone snail means one not that its from Texas(Lone Star State)


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## beetleman (Jul 18, 2007)

Drachenjager said:


> In my neck of the woods lone snail means one not that its from Texas(Lone Star State)


i know that,i was answering to his post,when he already got bunch more.


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## Drachenjager (Jul 22, 2007)

beetleman said:


> i know that,i was answering to his post,when he already got bunch more.


ok, somehow when i read the thread , he said he had one then you posted then when i questioned he said someone gave him more lol its gotten thrown out of order lol


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## bugmankeith (Jul 22, 2007)

Any eggs yet?


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## beetleman (Jul 22, 2007)

Drachenjager said:


> ok, somehow when i read the thread , he said he had one then you posted then when i questioned he said someone gave him more lol its gotten thrown out of order lol


 yeah, it happens


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## lychas (Jul 22, 2007)

no eggs yet but putting them on heat in a couple of days when my heat cord arrives


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## ScienceDvia (Aug 8, 2007)

*snails*

Snails are hermaphrodites, so they can breed with any other snail. Go looking for some more snails, but remember, when they breed, they BOTH lay eggs. My experience with snail babies is that most of them die because the crawl too far away from the food. So, if  you do get babies, keep scraping them back to the food. Favorite foods are leave lettuce and cucumbers. In my garden snails/slugs have eaten tomatoes, peppers and carnations to the ground over night. but the lettuce works wonders. I have used this in my classroom year after year and my students get the snails to eat out of their hands. If you want a snail to come out of its shell, spray it with a little distilled water. It will usually come out.

Any questions, please contact me.

ScienceDiva


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## bugmankeith (Aug 8, 2007)

If you keep them on peat moss/dirt mix there is some nutrients in the peat moss, so if they wander they should still be able to get some food until they find the food you put in.


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## beetleman (Aug 8, 2007)

:clap: exactly snails go crazy over romain lettuce and cucumbers,apples i know mine do,but ofcourse peatmoss/substrate works good too,they will pick up anything that's edible to them


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## Black Widow88 (Aug 8, 2007)

I know it's insane! I kept European Garden Snails once.....OMG! It was like they went through all the apples my mom bought in like no time!  

Mind you hermit crabs love apples too but at least they don't go crazy over them like snails do.

Black Widow88


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