Anyone raise snails/leeches for feeding purposes?

^imp^ · Jul 16, 2003

Just curious...I've read that some newts love leeches and snails. Though, don't these lil' buggers have the tendency to carry parasites?

Anyway, I'd think that capturing and breeding these buggers wouldn't be too difficult... Anyone have any experiences to share with us?

PS: If its not obvious, I'm a newbie...so for all I know, this could be a terrible idea.

kaysie · Jul 18, 2003

snails can often be predatory on newts

i. · Jul 18, 2003

that's not the first time I hear that, that they can harm the newt. I also heard that newts eat them. So at what size would you say they can be considered a meal and what size a threat?

francesco · Jul 18, 2003

I saw snails eating amphibian eggs but not free swimming larvae or adults

chris · Jul 19, 2003

Leeches could hurt the newts badly - if they are over half the size of the newt when not stretched out, they can kill the newt from bloodloss (read that somewhere). One of my paramesotriton tried to eat a very small leech which had somehow found it's way into the tank. The tablrs were turned and it turmed out that the leech got dinner from the newt's lip! The newt was fine, but I would think that many parasites/diseases could be passed on either directl from the leech or from the environment through the bite wound. Also, snails that are large compared to the newt can 'clamp down' on the newt and hurt it with their shells - my n.viridescens got that done to his leg, which subsequently got infected and killed him. Personally I would use regular foods and not take the risk.
Chris

cindy · Jul 19, 2003

As far as snails go, they can carry flukes which can be deadly for newts. I've been raising some kind of small even as adult snails for a couple of yrs. now, but don't know the name of this snail. What I've done is to keep third generation snails only, then go from there. It takes a little time, but it's worth it. This seems to cleanse them of the flukes. Hope that I've explained this well enough.

david · Jul 19, 2003

I don't know if snail shells are good or bad for digestive tracts. Leaches would probably be a bad idea. What about farm raised slugs? Anyone heard of such a thing?

kaysie · Jul 20, 2003

do slugs have poisonous slime?

nate · Jul 21, 2003

Some slug species are certainly distasteful, and I've also heard that some can be poisonous depending on what plants they have recently been munching on.

That said, Taricha and Dicamptodon are documented to regularly eat banana slugs in the great Pacific northwest...people eat them too.

morg · Jul 22, 2003

The small light coloured Deroceras slugs are eaten by every species of newt and salamander I have offered them to.
With fire salamanders favouring this food source to anything else.
This cannot be said of simular but darker slug species which are refused by everything Ive tried them on.

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