Habitat - Indoor :: SNAILS!!

[megcornell]

I thought that if I bought a snail, it could help clean the tank a bit as my turtle is a dirtbag, however, today is the second day in a row I've come home to a dead snail... is it possible my baby turtle is attacking them or are they just bad snails?

[adammaxis]

I've had snails die of poor water conditions. Perhaps the turtle is messier than you thought

[sonyj]

Actually, snails help contribute to a dirty tank. They aren't bottom feeders and will not clean the bottom debris of the tank. I have found that they help with the left overs of the veggies that my turtle gets (little bits of lettuce floating around the tank edge) but that's about it. And it could be that the turtle is getting it. They will try to eat anything else placed in their tank.

[industrial_girl_2000]

I wouldn't use a snail in my turtle tank. My turtle would eat them (there's not a lot out there that she wouldn't eat).

And yes, snails actually contribute to the dirtiness in a tank. I've been told not to use them in fish tanks either unless you have a plant to take care of the nitrate (waste) build-up.

[megcornell]

hmm, i never thought of the snails as being capable of producing too much waste, but due to their quick demise I'll stop buying them anyways...

[missibsu]

There are small cornucopia snails that come attached to water plants that you buy. You usually end up with a few when you buy plants and don't even realize it. I have taken to breeding these snails specifically for food. They are small and don't last long when I feed them...which is about once a month. A nice treat, and easy to breed. Hard to get rid of later. They are dirty, and require constant cleaning, but as for breeding, they do it on their own.