Natural fresh food of plant origin should be present in the diet of domestic snails at all times. Fruits, vegetables, and herbs are an important component of the diet of mollusks, which prefer plant foods. In this article we will talk about what kind of grass can be given to snails so that they receive everything they need for growth and proper development.
Is it worth feeding Achatina snails with this plant?
Under no circumstances should sorrel be given to Achatina snails , since sorrel contains a special oxalic acid, which negatively affects the snail’s body.
The acid not only blocks the absorption of calcium by snails, but also promotes the removal from their body of an element that is one of the most necessary components for building bone tissue.
Tree leaves
Which tree leaves can snails eat? This is the foliage of fruit plants (trees and shrubs), which many people have in their gardens or summer cottages:
- raspberries;
- currant;
- black currant;
- cherry.
The leaves of these plants are offered to snails both fresh and after freezing. But the latter very quickly lose quality, so uneaten leaves are immediately removed from the terrarium.
Dried leaves, ground into powder, make a good fertilizer, which is used in winter as an additive to the main food.
The food of snails in nature mainly consists of greenery (leaves, grass). Therefore, at home, they must constantly receive everything their body needs. Now you know what grass you can give to snails, and if you have any additional questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.
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Is it good for dogs?
Dogs can eat greens to normalize digestion and replenish essential microelements.
Dogs can eat sorrel. Especially if the sorrel is grown in your own garden and thoroughly washed. Although its energy value is negligible, sorrel will help pets get rid of waste and toxins.
You should not give your dog too much sorrel, as oxalic acid can negatively affect kidney function. Dogs should also not be allowed to eat dirty grass.
Preparing and cleaning up leftovers
The following points should be taken as a rule:
- Every day you must offer your pets fresh food;
- All vegetables, fruits and herbs must first be washed and the skins removed.
- for adults, cut vegetables and fruits into large slices or grate them on a coarse grater;
- For small, sick and weakened snails, these products need to be grated or pureed.
Feeding snails should only be done with warm food. You shouldn’t take food directly from the refrigerator; take it out in advance so that the food is at room temperature.
Give the snails as much food as they eat during the night. And the next morning, remove the uneaten leftovers so that they do not mix with the soil and begin to rot, because food spoils faster in a humid environment. Therefore, in order not to encounter such troubles as nematodes, mold and unpleasant odors, this rule should be followed. The terrarium will be clean and your pet will be healthy.
If you are the happy owner of small snails, then before throwing away the lettuce leaves from the terrarium, take a good look at them so as not to accidentally throw away any crumbs.
Can I give it to goats?
Horse sorrel, one of the most common weeds, is harmful to domestic goats.
Sorrel is not a suitable food for goats as it negatively affects intestinal motility. Sorrel can cause constipation and even stop the stomach.
Sorrel is especially dangerous if there is a lot of it in the hay, as this dangerous grass can cause clogging of the stomach and intestines.
Is it possible to give meat to pet snails?
The claim that all snails are natural vegetarians is not entirely true. Sometimes the owners of Achatina and Arkhachatina feed their pets well-cooked (without salt) meat. Alternatively, you can use chicken cooked in the same way. However, we should not forget that animal food is quite heavy and is not so difficult to digest. For this reason, it is better to avoid meat food due to its harmfulness to snails. Even if it is rarely used, it is better not to give it. In addition, snails raised on meat feed can exhibit aggressive and predatory behavior, which can result in the snail attacking its smaller relatives.
Snails are fed with fruits.
What is good for rabbits?
Sorrel should become an integral part of the rabbits' diet . Sorrel is a tasty treat for rabbits, and also strengthens their immunity and improves metabolism.
Rabbits that eat sorrel are more active, mobile and resistant to stress. Adding sorrel to food improves its taste. Adult rabbits should be given up to two hundred grams of sorrel daily, and baby rabbits - up to sixty grams.
Winter diet
Plant food must be selected according to the season, so the summer diet for gastropods will be more varied than the winter one. When asked what they feed snails in winter, you can confidently answer: vegetables and fruits that are well stored all winter or food you frozen in the summer.
It is not recommended to feed snails with out-of-season vegetables purchased at the supermarket, since most often they are treated with special substances that prevent the spoilage of these products. Such substances are poisonous to shellfish. If, at your own peril and risk, you decide to feed your pets with products purchased in the supermarket, then thoroughly wash all vegetables and fruits, and also cut off the skin, in which harmful substances accumulate after processing.
Should chickens be eaten?
Sorrel will only benefit domestic chickens. Sorrel has a beneficial effect on the body of chickens due to its high protein and vitamin C content.
In winter, you can replace the main food of chickens with green herbs by fifteen percent, and in summer - up to thirty. For chickens, you can add a decoction of herbs to their drinking bowls.
What herbs do snails eat besides parsley and dill?
This is quite an impressive list.
Basil is used as a supplement to the main diet. This greenery should not be given to snails as a separate dish due to the presence of essential oils in it. Megasa snails are considered to be recognized lovers of this herb. This plant also contains tannins. And also a high content of saponin, glycosides, vitamins C, B2, PP.
Spinach is characterized by its content of fiber, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals. It contains a large amount of beta-carotene and vitamins A, B, C, PP, H, E. This greenery also contains a lot of selenium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and sodium.
Arugula is a herb with vitamins B, E, A, C, K. It contains a lot of copper, manganese, iron, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and phosphorus.
Carrot tops are almost never used by humans, but they make a great treat for a snail. It contains proteins, a lot of calcium, and chlorophyll. And also almost all B vitamins, vitamins C and K. Among the microelements one can highlight iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, potassium, selenium, etc.
Beet tops are rich in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. Moreover, the concentration of these minerals significantly exceeds that present in beet roots.
Radish tops have a number of vitamins (C, B1, B2, PP), a large amount of potassium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, protein, magnesium, essential and mustard oils (less than in fruits). Radish leaves have a spicy, slightly bitter taste.
Greens in a snail's diet can be not only fresh, but also frozen and dried.
Do guinea pigs need it?
Small rodents should be given only the domestic variety of sorrel ; horse sorrel is dangerous and poisonous to the body of small pets.
Sorrel is indispensable for guinea pigs due to its high content of vegetable protein, thiamine and fiber. However, it is recommended to give these greens to guinea pigs no more than twice a week. If an animal eats sorrel every day, it can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
Protein cookies
To prepare cookies that are healthy for snails, we will need:
- 50-100 grams of grain mixture ground into flour, you can use any cereal and bran, except semolina;
- 25-50 ml of warm water, add water gradually until a loose dough forms;
- 1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped herbs or grated vegetables, strain the water from the vegetables;
- 5-6 gammarus crustaceans or 1/2 spoon of dried daphnia;
- mix everything thoroughly;
- place in the microwave for 15-20 minutes.
Then let the protein liver cool and you can treat your Achatina with it.
Is it acceptable to feed parrots?
Parrots readily eat fresh greens, but sorrel should only be included in their diet in limited quantities. Parrots often have problems with the kidney system , which the owner may not be aware of. Oxalic acid has a cumulative effect and can negatively affect kidney function.
For domestic animals, sorrel can both benefit and cause irreparable harm. It is important to strictly control the diet of your pets, including monitoring the amount of sorrel consumed. In small doses, sorrel is useful for dogs, turtles, chinchillas, rabbits, chickens, small rodents and parrots. You should provide your pet not only with good basic food, but also give him fresh herbs to feast on, then the animals will give love to their owner for many years.
Herbs
Many owners of shellfish, in particular African giants, are interested in what greens can be given to Achatina snails and whether it is possible to give grass to Achatina snails. Let's consider this question.
The diet of African mollusks is the same as that of other species of herbivorous invertebrates. Therefore, they are given the same herbs as other snails living in captivity. Let’s immediately answer the common question: can snails eat dandelions?
Dandelions are one of the first plants to appear in the spring. This juicy greenery is a wonderful treat for pets, which they eat with great appetite. At the same time, it contains a number of vitamins and a large amount of iron, potassium, copper, and phosphorus.
Dandelions and other herbs can be present in the snails' diet all year round. They are prepared in the summer. At the same time, they are collected in places with good ecology, far from enterprises, highways, etc. Fresh greens are first washed well, dried with a paper towel, and only then offered to the snail.
Plantain leaves and stems are rich in vitamins B, K, C and protein, the amount of which is 3%. The healing properties of this plant persist throughout the summer months. Snails eat it with great appetite.
Stinging nettle is another herb that has medicinal properties. For snails, it is better to collect young shoots that have not yet begun to “sting” your hands. Moreover, the leaves of the plant are less prickly than the stems. Green leaves contain vitamins A, B, C, K, as well as calcium and iron. Before giving the snails nettle, it is doused with boiling water or dried.
Young clover leaves are widely used in the diet of not only adults, but also small Achatina. This plant contains protein and fiber, as well as vitamins A, C, E.
Burdock leaves are similar to lettuce and can serve as soil for young Achatina. At the same time, they contain a lot of useful substances necessary for the “younger generation”. Burdock can be harvested throughout the season.
Each of the herbs listed above can be offered to domestic shellfish in fresh, dried (ground into powder) or fresh-frozen forms.
How to strengthen your shell
To grow and maintain the shell strong and healthy, it is necessary to include in the menu foods containing minerals, especially calcium, and vitamins. Their lack can lead to deformation, thinning of the shell, and to the fact that the snail begins to gnaw on the shell of its relatives or its own.
There is a high calcium content in sepia (comb or cuttlefish bone), shell rock, gummarus, mineral stone, a large selection of which is provided by pet stores. Natural chalk is very useful (not to be confused with chalk sold in office supply stores - it contains many different harmful chemical additives that can harm the health of your pet).
An ideal source of calcium and other microelements is the raw shell of chicken or quail eggs. It must be washed thoroughly, dried well, crushed with a coffee grinder, and then the resulting powder must be added to the soil every day.
Carrots and beets
Let's consider the question: can Achatina snails eat carrots or beets?
As for carrots, fresh (or boiled) they can serve as food for Achatina, starting from their birth. It is enough to chop the vegetable with a grater and offer it to the snails.
Carrots contain a lot of beta-carotene, as well as vitamins B, C, E, K, PP. In addition, this vegetable contains a lot of iron, calcium, fluoride, zinc and 1.3% protein.
It is better to give beets to snails in boiled form, but first crush them using a grater.
In addition to root vegetables, tops are also suitable for food. It can serve as a bedding and a “vitamin plate” for babies.
Potato
A common question: can snails eat potatoes? Let’s look at them especially carefully.
This root vegetable is known for its high content of starch, the consumption of which is not typical for shellfish. Its presence is extremely undesirable in the diet of Achatina and other invertebrates. At the same time, some snail breeders still offer their pets mashed potatoes in small quantities.
Cucumber
Now let's figure out whether snails can eat cucumbers. This vegetable can also be present in the diet of domestic Achatina (another species), if there is complete confidence in its naturalness.
Fresh, nitrate-free cucumbers collected in summer are a good treat for shellfish. But the high content of harmful substances in these vegetables can result in the death of your pet.
Even if Achatina prefers cucumber and lettuce to other vegetables, you should not constantly feed it only this monotonous food. This leads to an imbalance in the body, which is often the cause of disease and developmental disorders. Instead of cucumbers, you can include zucchini, sweet peppers, and chopped fresh carrots in your clam’s diet.
What do snails eat in winter?
The nutrition of snails in winter should not differ significantly, since domestic snails do not hibernate.
In addition to fresh foods, you can give frozen foods (see List), following all recommendations.
In winter, you can give dried herbs collected in summer:
- clover, plantain;
- oak, currant, birch leaves.
Dried herbs are ground with eggshells.
In addition, in winter it would be useful to place a houseplant (terrarium, enclosure) in the snail’s home:
- Kalanchoe;
- aloe;
- oat or wheat sprouts.
The main diet of the Achatina snail
Absolutely all Achatina are almost omnivorous . The feeding process of such a giant mollusk is carried out through a “tongue”, which is seated with peculiar horny spines. In natural conditions, Achatina feed on rotting vegetation and carrion, mushrooms and algae, lichens and citrus bark.
The diet of representatives of the genus Ashatina includes more than five hundred different types of vegetation, including vegetables and legumes, pumpkin and melon, salad plants, potatoes and onions, sunflowers and eucalyptus.
This is interesting! In America, such snails are considered a real national disaster, due to their very rapid reproduction and the ability to devour almost everything that gets in their way, including tree bark, any crops, as well as plaster on buildings, so people involved in breeding Achatina in the United States are at risk real prison sentence.
As observations show, the food preferences of the giant mollusk change quite noticeably with age, so young individuals give preference to living plants, and older Achatina eat almost any rotting vegetation with great pleasure. In order to build a strong shell, even the youngest Achatina willingly scrape particles from calcareous rocks and shells of dead mollusks, and also eat crushed eggshells.
What can you feed a snail?
The basis of a complete diet for the domestic Achatina snail can be represented by lettuce leaves, a variety of natural greens, as well as shoots of cereals and vegetables, including beet or carrot tops. Many land giant clams love fresh Chinese cabbage .
Important! The owner of such an original pet must be prepared for some capriciousness of the Achatina snail in terms of nutrition, so the owner will most likely have to adapt to the “original” taste preferences of his mollusk.
Also, it is very important to include cucumbers and tomatoes, zucchini and pumpkin, carrots and spinach, young corn on the cob, cabbage and peas in the main diet of an unusual pet. Achatina react positively to some fruits and berries, which can be represented by apples and pears, watermelons and melons, bananas and mangoes, apricots and plums, avocados and pineapples, as well as cherries, strawberries and raspberries.
The following foods are extremely beneficial for land mollusks:
- dill and parsley;
- lettuce and spinach;
- nettle and dandelion;
- clover and plantain;
- chamomile and burdock;
- corn and barley grits;
- pearl barley and rolled oats;
- rice and buckwheat;
- lentils and flaxseeds;
- sunflower and sesame;
It is advisable to cut soft vegetables, fruits and berries into not too large slices. It is advisable to feed food products that are too hard to the giant clam in pureed form, first grinding it on a regular grater or in a kitchen blender.
Important! Experts and experienced breeders advise supplementing the Achatina diet with birch and oak, raspberry and apple leaves, linden leaves, as well as freshly squeezed pumpkin, carrot or peach-pear juices.
It is important to remember that any food given to your pet must be fresh and at room temperature that is comfortable for the snail.
What is forbidden to give
The category of products absolutely prohibited for feeding the giant mollusk Akhetina includes:
- spicy and pickled, as well as smoked products;
- any sweets, including sugar;
- salt in any form;
- lemons and oranges, which contain natural acids that help break down shellfish;
- gooseberries and currants, quince and viburnum, cranberries and sloe, as well as cherry plum;
- vegetable crops from the nightshade family, including unripe tomatoes, eggplants and “green” potatoes;
- pork and beef, fatty lamb;
- cream and sour cream;
- flour and any flour products, and especially pasta, which can cause intestinal obstruction in a giant snail and subsequent death of the pet.
It should be noted that sorrel and wormwood, ragweed and ginger, radishes and radishes, onions and garlic, and hot peppers are also completely prohibited.
Important! You cannot use calcium gluconate and calcium D-3 as a supplement or supplement to the diet, and you cannot feed the snail with dog or cat food, fruit and candied berries.
Snail feeding mode
It is advisable to feed your domestic snail in the evening, since such giant mollusks belong to the category of nocturnal creatures, showing increased activity in the evening and at night. It is enough to feed adult snails once a day, but the youngest snails need unhindered, round-the-clock access to food .
It is strictly forbidden to place snail food directly on the lining substrate. Food should be given in a special small bowl or tray. Many owners of land snails prefer to use a regular lettuce leaf as a “plate”.
If in the summer the snail’s diet is very rich due to a large amount of greens, fruits and vegetables, then with the onset of winter the supply of vitamins to the body of the land mollusk is noticeably reduced. In winter, you can feed Achatina snails with carrots and cabbage, beets and pumpkin.
Important! You cannot use calcium gluconate and calcium D-3 as a supplement or supplement to the diet, and you cannot feed the snail with dog or cat food, fruit and candied berries.
And also bananas and apples, which are chopped and added to not too fatty cottage cheese. Also, veterinary stores sell special food flakes for vegetarian fish, which are very suitable for land mollusks.
Some owners of Achatina snails grow various green crops in pots on the windowsill in winter. Among other things, currently the range of products in stores in summer and winter has practically no significant differences.
This makes it easy to provide the mollusk with the proper food ration . Vegetables, as well as herbs, fruits and berries, must first be thoroughly washed to remove nitrates and pesticides, which are a deadly threat to an exotic pet.
Vitamins and minerals
Protein supplements of animal and plant origin should be mandatory in the diet of a giant clam, but the second option is more preferable. Strong protein mixtures are given to Achatina no more than a couple of times a week, and the snail’s daily diet necessarily includes highly nutritious plant mixtures based on foliage, a small amount of cereals and lichens. Animal protein can be given to Achatina about three times a week.
High-quality mandatory supplements can be presented:
- cuttlefish shell;
- feed chalk;
- shell rock;
- eggshell;
- Daphnia and Gammarus.
When choosing a source of animal proteins, it is advisable to give preference to chicken or turkey meat, shrimp and squid, mussels, as well as dietary rabbit meat.
Feeding characteristics of snails by species
When choosing a snail to keep indoors, you need to pay attention to the fact that the diet of the species is slightly different.
The first step is to dispel the misconception: large snails do not eat other snails, so you can safely plant snails in your home.
- Large land snails Achatina divide foods into favorite and unloved, and stubbornly refuse the latter.
- Grape snails have a long digestive tract, so despite their small size, they eat quite a lot.
- Pressed algae (sold in pet stores) must be added to the diet of river snails).
- Garden and forest snails feed on wet plant food and need water.
Naturally living snails often carry microscopic parasites.
Therefore, it is worth considering whether the proximity of specially bred “domestic” snails and their “wild” relatives in a terrarium will cause harm.
Feeding during breeding
If you want to get offspring from domestic snails, it is advisable to give them more protein. For example, gammarus, ready-made protein mixtures for pets.
Baby snails eat the same food as adults. Mollusks up to 1 month of age should be given crushed food, gradually turning them into feed in increasingly larger pieces.
Zucchini and eggplant
While giving zucchini to snails is not only possible, but also necessary, the situation with eggplants is different. Let's consider this topic in more detail.
Shellfish do not develop food dependence on zucchini, even if they are regularly present in the diet. They are rich in vitamins, beneficial microelements, and cannot harm snails.
For all its advantages, this product is very low in calories. Therefore, it must be included in the clam feeder along with grain mixtures and nutritional supplements.
This vegetable tolerates freezing well, so it is harvested seasonally.
Eggplant, unlike zucchini, is considered a product harmful to snails. Its composition (especially in the peel) contains a lot of solanine, which in a certain concentration is dangerous even for humans, not to mention snails. It is advisable to completely exclude this product from your pets’ diet.
Preparation for reproduction
For proper reproduction, certain conditions are created; it is recommended to prepare them in advance:
- the volume of the terrarium is at least 15 liters;
- temperature +27, +28 degrees, a very important condition, since it will be difficult to get pets with other indicators;
- put wet soil on the bottom. The optimal soil thickness is 10 cm;
- provide calcium during procreation and after the process;
- clean the terrarium.
When deciding to breed a snail, do not stop halfway. It is recommended to study possible problems and how Achatina lays eggs in order to prepare for future pets.
If fertilization is successful, they carry eggs for about 6 weeks, form holes in the ground and hide future offspring in them. https://youtube.com/watch?v=-7p4qgG2EYY
It is recommended to touch the clutch of Achatina eggs with your hands only in emergency cases, for example, when the eggs are not in a hole, but spread out around the terrarium. The heat of the hands harms them.
Achatina also lays false eggs. They can be recognized by their color (translucent) and the absence of a shell.
A balanced diet during pregnancy and after laying is very important , since a lot of strength, energy and nutrients are spent at this time. It is advisable to add supplements with vitamins.
There are viviparous Achatina. This species does not lay eggs, but gives birth to newborns through natural birth.
Vitamins and minerals
Mollusks, like any living organisms, need vitamins and minerals. In pet stores you can buy vitamin complexes created specifically for Achatina. You should carefully read the instructions for use and monitor the expiration date of the drug.
Achatina needs vitamins and minerals
New foods in the diet
Feeding snails should be carried out with a variety of foods, try to alternate food. After all, these animals get used to certain foods and may refuse others.
If the snail refuses some new product, then do not give up and offer it again the next day. After some time, the pet will try the new food and realize that it is tasty.
Sometimes snails refuse one type of apple, while they eat others with pleasure. Therefore, try different options to shape your clam's diet.
Biological features of Achatina
1) Feeding Achatina.
Large adult snails can be fed once every few days, but small ones need food every day. African snails are vegetarians. Since they all prefer different products, it is difficult to advise anything specific.
In any case, green salad, cucumbers and apples are an integral part of the diet.
You can add fresh, non-bitter tree leaves to your food. In second place are spinach, zucchini, corn, avocado, mango, berries, papaya, melon, watermelon rinds with pulp, and bananas. Snails may love these foods, but they may also completely ignore them. Sometimes you can pamper snails with oranges or grapes, but it is better not to do this often. Most snails do not pay attention to potatoes, cabbage or carrots. To replenish your diet with carbohydrates, you can use oatmeal, bran, dry unleavened cookies or durum wheat bread. 2) Food additives.
For good shell growth, snails require a source of calcium carbonate and vitamins. There should be a piece of chalk or grated eggshell in the terrarium. Interestingly, snails ignore chemically produced chalk (not natural). Vitamin and mineral mixtures can be purchased at a pet store. In principle, complexes recommended for reptiles are suitable for snails.
3) Water.
Along with food, the container should contain a container of water.
If your snails are very small, it is better to pour water into something shallow, otherwise they may drown. It is also recommended to regularly spray the substrate and walls of the terrarium (without fanaticism, there is no need to create a swamp!). In general, giant snails love water because they need it to secrete mucus. They can and should be bathed sometimes - sitting at the bottom of the sink or bathtub, the snails themselves are drawn to the stream of water. 4) Reproduction of Achatina.
Most species of giant snails are able to reproduce at the age of 9 to 18 months, and do so throughout the year. The incubation period lasts 4-8 weeks, different for each species. When the thickness of the substrate layer is less than 3 cm, the snails reproduce reluctantly or do not do so at all, since they have nowhere to place the clutch.
If this happens, do not panic - the snail will not necessarily die. If the soft body is not visible on the chip, or it protrudes slightly, you should lubricate the broken edges of the shell with some kind of antiseptic. You can temporarily relocate the wounded mollusk separately. Most likely, in a few days the healing process will begin: the mollusk’s body itself will begin to secrete tissue that will close the chip and dull its edges. Sometimes everything doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing, but at least infection won’t get inside.
Another common problem: snails tend to scratch their own shell or the shell of a neighbor with their radula, rubbing the grooves in it. You can fight this “bad habit” by lubricating the shell with something that tastes nasty, but is not dangerous to the snail’s health.
From the point of view of the comfort and safety of snails, it is better not to handle them too often, especially if this means “digging” the snail out of the substrate. However, they do not hide in the shell when picked up and will happily “lick” water from the palm of your hand. You should not pick up a snail by vulnerable parts of its body (such as the edge of the last whorl of the shell, where it grows). To take a snail, you need to moisten the mollusk’s leg with water and insert your finger under it, and hold the heavy shell with your other hand.
Giant African snails
– ideal pets for lazy, forgetful or overly active people. They can be left without food and water for 2-3 weeks and not be afraid that they will die. The mollusks will go into suspended animation, hide in the shell, form a thin organic cap at the mouth and use only the resources of their own body. After returning, you will only need to wet them with water, and this will serve as a signal to them that it is time to “wake up”. Well, it won’t hurt to feed the poor creatures either.
Mineral nutrition for Achatina
It has been proven that calcium is the most important mineral supplement for Achatina. Without this mineral, Achatina will not be able to grow, its shell will collapse, and eventually the snail may stop growing and become ill. It is important both for small snails and for adult individuals, since Achatina grows throughout its life. If the snails begin to have problems with the shell (it cracks, flakes, etc.), you should urgently increase the size of the mineral supplements.
This can be a pure calcium mixture:
- feed chalk;
- crushed egg shells;
- sepia;
- shell rock, etc.
You can prepare a calcium-rich mix, which is seasoned with vegetables or given separately.
