Snails as food?

[matt]

I've heard that Tylototriton verrucosus will eat snails (and do so in the wild). Is this true of other Crocodile Newts or a trait unique to Tylototriton verrucosus?

 

[foster]

Matt,
I have yet to see a T. kweichowensis eat a snail (and there are plenty in the vivarium). If it ever did happen however I would not find it surprising because this group of kweichows seem to eat whatever I offer.
Chip

 

[jesper]

I think most newts eat snails, I have found empty shells of ramshorn snails in all my aquatic setups, I have witnessed both Pleurodeles waltl, Paramesotriton fuzhongensis and some other species eat them. The Paramesotriton fuzhongensis had much more trouble getting them out than the Pleurodeles. The Pleuros eliminated every snail I put in their tank within hours while the Paras just seem to eat one every now and then.

 

[chris]

I have found that my T.verrucosus ate snails much more often when juveniles. Now they are mature they ignore the same species of snail they devoured as old larvae/juveniles
Chris

 

[TJ]

Is there such thing as a snail without a shell that can be used as food? I have seen references to this in Japanese, but am unsure whether the snail comes naturally without a shell or whether it is somehow "deshelled" (which is certainly something I couldn't do!).

On second thought, that sounds like...a slug...

(Message edited by TJ on March 14, 2005)

 

[alan]

Most of the larger newts I have had relished small slugs.