Rules for feeding snails at home

It can be a rewarding experience to keep snails in your home aquarium, but you must know how to feed them properly to ensure their wellbeing. Even though they are frequently thought of as low-maintenance pets, snails’ nutrition is very important to their overall health and vitality.

A common misconception among aquarium enthusiasts is that snails can only exist on algae or leftover fish food. Snails, however, require a more well-balanced diet that

Feeding in the wild

The general consensus is that snails are extremely delicate animals that should only be fed food that has been finely chopped or pureed. However, these members of the fauna are far from innocuous in the real world.

On their long tongue, snails have roughly ten thousand tiny teeth. Consequently, their diet consists of:

• berries;
• vegetables;
• grass;
• fruits;
• leaves;
• tree bark;
• insects, etc..

Carrion is even edible to large snails. But only a few species can survive on such a diet.

List of approved foods for domestic snails

Every snail has a distinct flavor profile and will never consume anything it dislikes. For your pet, you can create a complete, healthy, and varied diet with a list of approved foods.

When food is raw, it contains a much higher percentage of nutrients than when it has been heated.

Suggested foods consist of:

• Fruits. You can only give sweet and ripe apricots, bananas, pears, peaches, nectarines and figs. Melon and watermelon can also be included in the diet. It is permissible to give non-acidic varieties of plums and apples, but only those species that contain a minimum of acid.
• Exotic fruits. Allowed are coconut, avocado, papaya, mango.
• Berries. Snails can have raspberries, grapes, strawberries, cherries, and black currants in their diet.
• Vegetables. Snails should have sweet potatoes, white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green peas, bell peppers, zucchini, or squash. Allowed are carrots, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes (but only non-acidic varieties), squash, boiled beets, and Chinese cabbage.
  Snails like Jerusalem artichoke, boiled lentils, pumpkin, cauliflower, and green beans.
• Greens and herbs. It is recommended to feed snails with salad chicory, head and leaf lettuce, clover, spinach, dandelions, parsley, plantain and burdock.
  It is acceptable to have woodlice, chamomile, celery, daisy, asparagus and even stinging nettle in the diet, but only if it is boiled first. Snails will happily feast on carrot and beet tops, alfalfa and dill.
• Mineral supplements. Snails also need mineral supplements – for example, eggshells, shell rock, cuttlefish shells. This also includes feed chalk.
• Other products. Snails" diet can be quite varied and contain any edible types of mushrooms. But they are given only fresh and thoroughly washed, not boiled. Semi-arboreal and arboreal types of snails need lichen.
  Birch, oak, currant, apple, linden, grape and raspberry leaves, as well as birch bark, are useful. Pumpkin, sunflower, flax and sesame seeds are introduced into the diet, including nuts, with the exception of peanuts. Milk is also useful.
  Snails are not averse to eating boiled shrimp, mussels, squid, fish and octopuses. You can give snails turtle and fish food, meat and bone meal. As well as daphnia, gammarus, boiled rabbit and chicken meat, but only without adding spices and salt.

Give with caution

Some foods should only be given in small amounts and with extreme caution to domestic snails. However, it would be preferable to turn them down completely because if you don’t, your pets could experience some pretty major health issues.

Give your snails the following foods cautiously at home:

• Vegetables and herbs. The most suitable foods for snails are eggplants, artichokes, kohlrabi, boiled peas, rutabaga, boiled potatoes and turnips.
  With great caution, you can give thyme, boiled beans and beans, horseradish leaves, mint, lemon balm, tansy, motherwort. As well as oregano, cilantro, St. John"s wort, honeysuckle and basil.
• Fruits. This includes tangerines, sweet kiwi, blackberries and cherries, as well as overripe persimmons.

Foods that can be given, but only in moderation and occasionally, include:

• Low-fat cottage cheese and boiled turkey. These products are not food for snails in nature, so rare use as a protein type of feeding is permissible.
• Other products. Non-canned olives, poppy seeds and various dried fruits.
• Cat and dog food. Only the highest quality product can be used and very rarely, since the composition often contains salt, which is very dangerous for snails.
• Mineral stone. It may contain salt and various additives.
• Calcium gluconate. This type of calcium contains not only calcium, but also other additives that are not recommended for snails.
• Bread. It often contains not only salt, but also various thickeners with stabilizers, which is dangerous for snails.
• Compound feed intended for poultry. Such products contain large amounts of vitamins, which leads to hypervitaminosis in snails. In turn, this can lead to the development of various diseases and even the death of a pet.
• Baby purees. This includes various species that do not contain salt, sugar and cream. Baby puree is often included in the diet of domestic snails, but this product is not desirable. Such purees are intended specifically for humans, so they will bring little benefit to the body of mollusks or may even harm.
  They also contain various preservatives that ensure long-term storage of the product.

In the video below, an accomplished breeder will discuss her suggestions for providing food for snails:

Feeding snails at home is easy, but it takes care to make sure they get a balanced diet that includes a variety of vegetables, algae, and foods high in calcium to keep their shells strong and healthy.

Strictly prohibited

If you intend to keep a pet at home, like a snail, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the list of items that are strictly forbidden. There’s a chance that giving them to mollusks could seriously impair their health.

Fruits and berries

Large concentrations of organic acids found in a variety of berries and fruits are strictly forbidden. These acids both hinder the snails’ body’s ability to absorb calcium and aid in the decomposition of any calcium that is already present.

To learn what happens, say, if you give an orange to a snail, you can combine some citrus juice with a tiny bit of feed chalk. Because of the reaction between the acid and calcium, the orange juice will start to vigorously bubble.

If the snail consumes an orange or any other sour food, the same thing happens. It’s a myth that if you give calcium to a mollusk and an orange separately, this kind of reaction won’t happen. Since the action will start inside the snail’s body, the outcome will be even worse.

It is strictly forbidden to eat the berries and fruits listed below:

• pineapple;
• orange;
• lemon;
• cherry plum;
• lime;
• cranberry;
• gooseberry;
• pomegranate;
• viburnum;
• sloe;
• rowan;
• bramble;
• guava;
• feijoa;
• red currant;
• various citrus fruits.

Vegetables

Certain vegetables should not be fed to snails:

• radish;
• radish;
• garlic;
• onion;
• potato;
• The pepper is sharp.

Greens and herbs

The following items are in no way appropriate for snails:

• wormwood;
• ragweed;
• acacia leaves;
• rhubarb;
• linden blossoms;
• green potatoes and their eyes, as they contain a toxic substance;
• sorrel, as it contains oxalic acid, so the reaction will be about the same as with citrus fruits;
• tomato and potato tops – contain a poisonous substance.

Other products

It is not advisable to supplement the diet of domestic snails.

• Kefir, sour cream, cheese, cream, fatty cottage cheese, beef, pork, lamb. These products contain a lot of fats that the mollusk"s liver simply cannot digest on its own. Additional cheese contains salt with other harmful additives.
• Eggs. In the case when snails are constantly given egg whites with yolks as a protein supplement, over time the mollusk goes into a spiral and dies.
• Semolina, noodles and pasta. These products are prohibited both raw and cooked. After entering the digestive tract, they swell, after which the mollusk simply cannot remove them from its body. As a result, the snail dies.
• Ginger, peanuts, sugar, salt, candied fruits, various spices and calciumD3. Various additives with preparations containing calcium are prohibited.
• Products from the human table. This includes various sour, sweet, salty, fried, spicy and smoked products, including alcohol. Cookies, honey, candy, chocolate and cakes are also prohibited.

Features of home feeding of snails by species

Different kinds of snails can be kept in your home. Nevertheless, it’s important to research the distinct taste preferences of each kind of mollusk beforehand. There are, nevertheless, a few broad guidelines that apply to both land and marine snail species.

Achatina snails

These mollusks can adapt quickly to almost any diet and can eat nearly any kind of food without any special requirements. However, they have foods that they can refuse in addition to their favorites. You will need to spend some time closely observing the mollusk in order to learn about all of its characteristics and taste preferences.

It is advisable to follow these suggestions:

• Achatina love carrot, pumpkin, peach and pear juice.
• They love different cereals, but the main favorites are barley, corn, rice and buckwheat.
• They will happily enjoy young corn.

Feeding guidelines for Achatina snails are as follows:

• give food in the evening;
• grind or chop hard foods with a blender, soft ones – just cut into small cubes;
• feed adult snails once a day, for young individuals provide constant access to food;
• put food on a lettuce leaf or a saucer, but not on the ground or bedding;
• provide the mollusks with constant access to fresh water.

Forest and land snails

Forest snails initially consume only the eggshell; they do not require any other food. Mollusks must be given unrestricted access to pre-crushed food in the form of powder in the future.

Using the following additives is acceptable:

• spices;
• shell rock;
• feed chalk;
• egg shells;
• fish bone meal.

Mollusks retreat inside their own shells to sleep if they don’t have enough food or moisture. Warm water can be used to reactivate the snail.

Aquarium snails

Mollusks can coexist with ornamental fish in one aquarium or in their own. When providing food for this kind of snail, there are numerous subtleties to be aware of:

• algae are a favorite delicacy of mollusks;
• organic plaque – for its formation on the walls of the aquarium, algae are needed;
• chopped grass and leaves – are among the favorite foods of snails.

If fish and snails coexist in the aquarium, the fish waste products serve as an additional food source for the snails. The leftover food that the fish did not have time to eat is actively picked up by snails from the ground. Giving fruits and veggies along with other feeds to aquarium snails is also acceptable.

Grape snails

This is a humble species. Grape snails can be fed at home by:

• live plant shoots;
• vegetables;
• fruits;
• calcium;
• protein supplements.

White bread may be occasionally given, but it must first be soaked in water. But only as a delicacy, and no more than once a month, can this product be added to the diet.

Garden snails

This species can survive in captivity for five to nine years if given the right diet. Garden snails are not picky; however, they do require a particular diet and unrestricted access to fresh, clean water.

Products that other mollusks consume are ideal for this species. Pets, however, are not permitted to provide:

• sweets;
• salty;
• pickled;
• pasta;
• fruits containing a large amount of acid.

River snails

For river snails, a diet meant for marine species is appropriate. Giving algae in the form of tablets is also acceptable. It is crucial to keep paper out of the aquarium because snails enjoy eating it and then perish from their digestive tracts’ incapacity to handle such "food."

Rule	Explanation
Feed in moderation	Provide small amounts of food to avoid overfeeding and water contamination.
Offer variety	Include vegetables, algae wafers, and calcium-rich foods for a balanced diet.
Remove uneaten food	Take out any leftovers after a few hours to maintain water quality.
Feed at night	Snails are more active at night, so feeding them in the evening is ideal.
Avoid fish food	Snails need specific nutrients, so avoid feeding them only fish food.

Snail feeding doesn’t have to be difficult at home. You can maintain your snails’ health and well-being by feeding them a balanced diet that consists of a variety of vegetables, calcium sources, and occasionally protein.

To prevent overfeeding, which can result in low water quality, keep an eye on their eating habits and modify portions accordingly. To keep the area tidy, it’s also critical to make sure that every food is fresh and to remove any leftovers.

Feeding your snails can be an easy and fun part of keeping your aquarium clean with a little thought and care.

Video on the topic

What to feed Achatina snails | Feeding rules

Feeding small Achatina snails at home

Achatina snail: all the intricacies of keeping at home