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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

best snails for pond zone 4

14 years ago

I need snails desperately. The cheapest ones are on Ebay but I don't know what kind would be best. I used to have a smaller pond and had some kind of trapdoor ones but I don't know what kind they were (or is there only one kind of trapdoor snail)? I want large ones.

Thanks,

Cathy

Featured Answer

bluesunflower

14 years ago

LOL Enough slime? I know for a fact that every slug and snail in my garden had enough slime to get from New Mexico to Seattle just to eat my plants! I spend so much effort keeping them under control I guess I just had a hard time imagining anyone wanting to actually buy them. ;-)

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Comments (11)

aquawise
14 years ago
They are Japanese trap door snails and they are the only hardy trap door snails. Apple snails are trap dpprs but they are not hardy in your zone.
bluesunflower
14 years ago
I am a little confused I think. Don't the snails just show up, like the frogs and every other odd water thing?
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catsmom6
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you Aquawise.

Bluesunflower, I imagine that regular snails do get into ponds but I want large ones and I'll have to buy them, I guess. My pond also is surrounded by a 2-layer wall of concrete blocks (which I hope to hide with flowers) and I don't know if snails have enough slime in them to make the trip.
fool4flowers
14 years ago
Do trapdoor snails eat plants?
drh1
14 years ago
Years ago I added many hardy Japanese trapdoor snails and Black Ramshorn snails. Did that for a couple of years. The next year? Nothing, nada, nyet. No evidence of the snails I'd added. However, now have lots of the little snails with the small, brown shells but nothing that appears related to what I added. Something about "build it and they will come" comes to mind. When I find these snails out and about I toss them into the pond...the fish like them; they must have a thing for escargot - minus the butter and the garlic! LOL! So I suspect you'll have plenty of snails contributed by Mother Nature soon enough.
---David
milwaukeeboy
14 years ago
Cathy,

I got two large trapdoor snails out of a park pond last year (they are about the size of walnuts). They are obviously hardy here because a) they live in that pond and b)they wintered over in mine (you know you have a small pond when you can find two snails in it).

Today I discovered lots of little trapdoor snails (not sure how I feel about this although I can't say I'm too surprised).

If you want me to send you some of the babies, or go grab some larger ones, I could do it for postage or a plant trade.

Drop me a line if you're interested.

-al
catsmom6
Original Author
14 years ago
al,
i don't know how they'd make the trip and the same with plants. Do they have to be overnighted?
milwaukeeboy
14 years ago
Priority mail comes in 2-3 days, I am relatively sure that they would do fine. People on the plant exchange do it all the time.

The small flat rate pack costs $10.

It's up to you. Just remember that if you buy them off of ebay they will have to be shipped too.
catsmom6
Original Author
14 years ago
Ok, are there any particular plants you are looking for?
milwaukeeboy
14 years ago
You have mail.

-alg

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