[mat.si]

Here are a few more masobe photos (there's no such thing as too many masobe photos ), this time some sequential snail feeding photos.

Snail shells are the most natural source of calcium for breeding females and IMO an essential part of a successful long term captive propagation of this amazing species.

During the egg-laying season females will simply go crazy over snails. One to three snails are usually offered by tweezers once a week. Sometimes they would snap down on them so hard, that I get worried they will break their teeth on the tweezers.
Outside the breeding season females usually don't show much interest in snails.

[NigelMoses]

Simply amazing Matjaz!

[Sgvreptiles]

What species of snail do you feed?

[mat.si]

Achatina iredalei

[DDReptiles]

Nice pics, I have some females that like them more than others. Also I find some females really like the hornworms.

Wish I was able to get some of your snails though, the ones I am using are such a pain in the ass to reproduce.

[NigelMoses]

I am having the same problem Derek. I am currently trying to breed freshwater aquatic snails from aquariums. They grow at such an incredibly slow rate.

[gekkocorner]

Originally Posted by DDReptiles

Nice pics, I have some females that like them more than others. Also I find some females really like the hornworms.

Wish I was able to get some of your snails though, the ones I am using are such a pain in the ass to reproduce.

Awesome Animals Matjaz. is that a bonzai tree where the Masobe is standing?

(Derek.

Don't you have some Helix aspersa? They reproduce like crazy.)

[Sourri]

Hi Matjaz,


very cool photos! I never managed it to take pictures of snail eating!

[geckofactory]

Nice pictures indeed. Interesting to know as well, I think I will have to take a look into keeping masobes.

yours,
Fabrizio

[mat.si]

Thanks everybody. Although they are not the easiest species to keep and breed, working with masobe is a really rewarding experience. Hand feeding them snails is one of the more enjoyable aspects of working with this species.

I mostly use various Ficus trees for my masobe terrariums. That's indeed a fake bonsai Ficus tree on these photos. Fake being because these are basically just branches of a slow growing species of Ficus grafted on an interesting looking trunks of another species. I don't remember these species names at the moment, but sometimes you get new branches with different leaves start growing from the original trunk and those are much faster growing than the grafted ones. These trees like/need spraying with soft water and a good lighting.