If you cant grow snails - any substitute?

[wwcnd]

My South American puffers (Colomesus asellus) are soon arriving and i am hesitating about what to feed them with. Know they need special food to get their teeth in order. Know that snails is the best food but wonder if there is a second alternative? Is shrimp with shell as good?

[RTR]

IME, not nearly as good. For me the C. asellus diet is more than 90-95% snails and I have few to no tooth problems.

Snails are easy to culture. There are a couple of articles on such in the library on this site.

[Pufferpunk]

Regular dentistry (every 4-6 months) will be necessary then.

[wwcnd]

So what you are telling me is that to grow snails is the only alternative for puffer owners? Everybody is doing this? Guess i will do the same

[kass]

Breeding snails is quite easy and a very cheap source of food. Plus most puffers love them.

[Pufferpunk]

There are a lot of crunchy pufferfoods for larger puffers to eat. Unfortunately though, the SAPs are smaller & they're teeth seem to grow faster than most.

[TheSmJ]

Yup. There are other alternatives for the larger puffs, but with the 2-5 inch crowd just about all you have for a staple is snails.

[wwcnd]

Ok, i am convinced to grow snails.... but before i can start i need to convice my girlfriend Let you guys know if i need support on that one

[saynever]

snails can grow anywhere. I have mine in a 5gallon green bucket with an aquaclear 150 on it. I need to get a heater though cause its getting cold int he house and we dont use much heat to save on the bills and the enviroment.

They are in the dark most of the time and dont seem to mind.