need advice on keeping

[aravenschild]

Japanese Trapdoor snails...........
While coming down to visit my daughter and her boys stopped at a pet shop, my 8 yr old grandson, feel in love with some 'mystery snail' asked if he could get some for pets, I said ok as they are legal in Missouri, I figured I'd just put them in one of my fish tanks............
Well they turned out to be trapdoors, they are still legal here and I keep several dozen in my pond (but have never kept them inside). I thought about adding these to the pond, but the water temp is in the low 40's(F) and dropping , and we don't want to shock and/or kill them.
The tank they are in now is a grow out tank (75 gallon) that is currently housing some bubble eyed goldfish. I know what they eat in the pond, and they do a very good job, but does anyone here know what I can feed them till spring? I gave them a couple dying lily leaves to munch on (they acted like they hadn't seen food in weeks and the leaves were gone with in a couple hours!  ), but I'll be running out of those soon, especially after it freezes (and that darn waters cold!!!) I've offered them algae pellets but they don't seem to like them as much as the goldfish. (kinda like kids and broccoli!)
Anyone have any suggestions?

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated by my grandson and I.

Thank you in advance

[aravenschild]

P.S.
Just need to keep them fed and inside till spring,...... the grandson has reluctantly agreed to let me put them in the pond then (but I had to get him some mystery snails to replace them )

[Kittyzee]

I think they'll eat vegetable slices (zucchini, cucumber) and spinach leaves and algae pellets.  But I'd Google 'feeding japanese trapdoor snails' and see what you find...

[PondmaninAL]

If they won't eat algae pellets, any leafy green will work. Some snails will eat left over fish food.

[aravenschild]

I was given an address to a place that makes food just for inverts (snails) , if anyone wants the address,
yell.....

[OldMarine]

Hi aravenschild,

I have had Japanese living bearing trap door snails for many years now. The first time I ever found any was at a local lake where they were thriving quite well. Someone must have dumped them there because they are not native of the Northwest. You are right, it would be best to keep them inside until spring. They are quite hardy, but a sharp drop in temperature might do them in. I have them in both my 55 gal. aquarium in my office and in my 365 gal. pond. They are really good at cleanign any left over food, and they do even better on the layer of algae in a pond. Or should I say that they are healthier in a pond with a endless sourse of algae. In my aquarium I suppliment them with those algae waffers for plecostimus and cat fish.

Happy ponding,

[aravenschild]

Up date.............

Ordered and received some pellets that are specially formulated for inverts (snails) its 20% calcium which is great for maintaining their shells and they seem to enjoy it more then the algae wafers!!!!! And one of them even had a couple babies!!!

Thank you again for all the advice 

[OldMarine]

Wow, that's great. It is usually quite rare for them to have any babies this time of the year. It could the healthy change in diet you gave them. I have noticed that the trap door snails will usually have babies in the spring and during a water change.

All of my trap door snails have been outside in the pond for awhile now. They are real slow this time of the year, but they appear to still be eating what's left of the algae.

[Reedman]

When they die, the odor is beyond belief . . . 

[aravenschild]

I think that's true with any invert,..............

[OldMarine]

The only problem with trap door snails is if you have them in an aquarium and they die, they stink up fowel the water real quick. Despite the fact that I have only had a few die on me, I have had to do a partial water change in my 50 gallon tank in my office when they do.

Over the last year and a half I haven't lost any trap door snails in my pond. I believe it is because of the abundant food source most all year round.