Serious snail question...

Maggie3fan

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It rains 7 months out of the year in Oregon. There are some benefits to so much rain...slugs and snails are one. There are 55 snails and slugs in this bucket, all acquired in one collecting session. 100_2746.JPG
I feed my box turtles a good varied diet. But I really want to know if a turtle can eat too many snails or slugs in one sitting. My sister gave me an ornate female last time I was at her house and I have named her Scrappy. Y told me she was sick and didn't move...but here she is a monster. She is a bully, and she runs and bumps my hand away from the food I am trying to give her. She is very territorial. She is cool and I really like her. This is her having a snail of a time...lol100_2773.JPG
100_2755.JPG100_2765.JPG100_2680.JPG
 

DoubleD1996!

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It rains 7 months out of the year in Oregon. There are some benefits to so much rain...slugs and snails are one. There are 55 snails and slugs in this bucket, all acquired in one collecting session. View attachment 346190
I feed my box turtles a good varied diet. But I really want to know if a turtle can eat too many snails or slugs in one sitting. My sister gave me an ornate female last time I was at her house and I have named her Scrappy. Y told me she was sick and didn't move...but here she is a monster. She is a bully, and she runs and bumps my hand away from the food I am trying to give her. She is very territorial. She is cool and I really like her. This is her having a snail of a time...lolView attachment 346191
View attachment 346193View attachment 346194View attachment 346196
Sounds like a good meal to me. If it's part of a varied diet there's no harm at all.
 

Chefdenoel10

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It rains 7 months out of the year in Oregon. There are some benefits to so much rain...slugs and snails are one. There are 55 snails and slugs in this bucket, all acquired in one collecting session. View attachment 346190
I feed my box turtles a good varied diet. But I really want to know if a turtle can eat too many snails or slugs in one sitting. My sister gave me an ornate female last time I was at her house and I have named her Scrappy. Y told me she was sick and didn't move...but here she is a monster. She is a bully, and she runs and bumps my hand away from the food I am trying to give her. She is very territorial. She is cool and I really like her. This is her having a snail of a time...lolView attachment 346191
View attachment 346193View attachment 346194View attachment 346196

Why was there FOAM coming from her mouth in picture number 3?
Was one of the snails she ate poisonous?
Did she eat too many?
😧😱…..

None the less…. 🤢🤮🤮🤮.
To eating snails. Yuck!
 

Moonfleur54

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It rains 7 months out of the year in Oregon. There are some benefits to so much rain...slugs and snails are one. There are 55 snails and slugs in this bucket, all acquired in one collecting session. View attachment 346190
I feed my box turtles a good varied diet. But I really want to know if a turtle can eat too many snails or slugs in one sitting. My sister gave me an ornate female last time I was at her house and I have named her Scrappy. Y told me she was sick and didn't move...but here she is a monster. She is a bully, and she runs and bumps my hand away from the food I am trying to give her. She is very territorial. She is cool and I really like her. This is her having a snail of a time...lolView attachment 346191
View attachment 346193View attachment 346194View attachment 346196
She has quite intense and beautiful eyes! Great photos!
 

jeff kushner

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That last pic is magical Mags! What a great shot!

You guys have serious "snailage" out there....That was only one gather trip, wow!

Like others say, you vary their diet so no long term issues but if they get sick from stuffing their tummy's and get sick from "Pigletosis" (eating too much), they did it to themselves......I've done that a few times!

great pics as always!
 

TammyJ

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Do snails congregate? If so then I guess it may be a normal thing for an event like this to take place in the wild? Great pictures!
 

Maggie3fan

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Maybe you could help supply a local restaurant!!! A side slug hustle
The guy next door to me is a 'natural' gardener and he told me in the early 1800's a European duke wanted escargot, so he imported these snails to eat...I'm old now so I know picking up poop barehanded won't hurt, and snail slime won't hurt and I do pick snails and slugs barehanded if I spot a special one...but eat one...not "no" but "hell no" lol
see what keepers with creeps of turtles or tortoises? Both of these came from my sister...she has beautiful box turtle pens and keeps each sub-species separate, but because I've gotten rid of most of my chelonia, so they are all getting the hands on approach to chelonia keeping...lol100_2720.JPG
 
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Maro2Bear

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That’s a serious haul of proper shelled snails & slugs. It’s been ages since Ive had a real shelled snail about, unfortunately many slugs. Darn things really ruin our plants.

I think @Chefdenoel10 asked about the “slime“. Instead of me rambling about the slime, here’s the Cliff’s Notes take on Snail Slime.

🐌🐌 All land snails and slugs make slime (mucus). Snail have different types of slime which is a mucus secreted by glands: Body slime to keep the animal moist and to prevent it drying out. Slime to move along on to protect its foot from damage the snail secretes a continuous trail of slime.
 

Chefdenoel10

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That’s a serious haul of proper shelled snails & slugs. It’s been ages since Ive had a real shelled snail about, unfortunately many slugs. Darn things really ruin our plants.

I think @Chefdenoel10 asked about the “slime“. Instead of me rambling about the slime, here’s the Cliff’s Notes take on Snail Slime.

🐌🐌 All land snails and slugs make slime (mucus). Snail have different types of slime which is a mucus secreted by glands: Body slime to keep the animal moist and to prevent it drying out. Slime to move along on to protect its foot from damage the snail secretes a continuous trail of slime.
Yes, I asked.
Gary (my garden snail) must be dehydrated?
He just doesn’t give off that much slime??
I remember as a kid the slugs we had we rediculusly full of slime..
Eeeewwwww!!!!!

Last question,
Does a tortoise/turtle eat the whole snail shell included? Or does it just bite the heads off?? 😭
Poor Gary….. I think he just tinkled himself as I asked that one.
Ok back to Maggie’s thread…..
 

TammyJ

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Yes, I asked.
Gary (my garden snail) must be dehydrated?
He just doesn’t give off that much slime??
I remember as a kid the slugs we had we rediculusly full of slime..
Eeeewwwww!!!!!

Last question,
Does a tortoise/turtle eat the whole snail shell included? Or does it just bite the heads off?? 😭
Poor Gary….. I think he just tinkled himself as I asked that one.
Ok back to Maggie’s thread…..
My redfoots ate the entire snail - snailmeat, slime and shell if it was stuck on. I used to make sure I did not give them too large snails, as those had really tough shells that I thought may be a choking hazard. I imagine that some turtles/tortoises in the "wild" probably died that way.
And yes indeedy...slime sure ain't what it used to be, no sireee.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I actually used to not give my redfoot a lot of snails because I had heard that they can carry some awful diseases our parasites? Have to Google that.
They do.
But mine live outside and eat anything that falls, hops, flies or crawls into the enclosure.
What can you do?
 

MenagerieGrl

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Why was there FOAM coming from her mouth in picture number 3?
Was one of the snails she ate poisonous?
Did she eat too many?
😧😱…..

None the less…. 🤢🤮🤮🤮.
To eating snails. Yuck!
I believe the Foam is the snails form of reaction/protection, frequently when I pick snails for my chickens, they will foam up...
 

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