Garden snails

[shaunh]

Hi new to finches, just wanted to know after all this rain we have had I have a heap of garden snail around the aviary, is it safe to have them around and do the finches eat them???

[finchbreeder]

Remove the horrible slimy things, to a concrete slab and stamp on them. Then scrape up the yuck and bin it. Oh and welcome to the forum.
LML

[shaunh]

Cheers for that! seams like a real great and informative site. Thanks for the heads up on the snails better get my stomping shoes on!!

[jusdeb]

Pour salt on them and watch them turn inside out ..... so Ive been told

[shaunh]

Salted snails I think there a delicacy in some countries haha

[jluna]

um...putting salt on a snail is an excruciating death. you don't really need to kill them - chuck them over the neighbour's fence if they really disturb you.

[shaunh]

Well they all seam to have found themselves a new home away from my birds so no salt required or aerobatics over the neighbors fence thanx for all the advice.

[monotwine]

I have a peace treaty with my snails, they can stay in the aviary until they are too big to fit through the mesh (well actually I cannot control them coming in) and then I turf them outside as they leave nasty silver lines on my trays of seed. OUTSIDE it's fair game. I cannot lay out snail bait in my planted aviary ;)
I don't see them being any sort of a threat to the birds. Mine don't eat them either, although I have witnessed my birds eating the left over shells of one that were squished unnoticed by myself.

[jusdeb]

um ... dont really walk around with a salt shaker looking for snails

[finchbreeder]

I only knock them off if they are in the avairy or pot plants or some nice new plant. Otherwise they can wander round my garden. I really am not on a permanent hunt for them.
LML