Snails can make great pets. They are particularly suitable for school projects and teach children to take care of a living being. Moreover, it is quite easy to breed them, even if there are food differences between the various species. Whether it's land snails or freshwater snails, you can ensure these adorable, slimy critters have a delicious diet that feeds them properly.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Feeding the Land Snails
Step 1. Choose fruits, vegetables, seeds and grains suitable for their diet
Land snails like different foods, mostly fresh. If necessary, they also like turtle food found in the water. However, their diets should generally consist of cooked fruits and vegetables, seeds and grains. Here are some foods that they can consume without any danger:
- Fruits: apples, apricots, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, melon, nectarines, raspberries and strawberries.
- Vegetables: Cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, green beans, peas, sprouts, sweet corn, turnips, watercress.
- Seeds: sunflower and pumpkin.
- Cooked cereals: oats, rice.
- They will have less trouble eating the most callused vegetables if you read them first. Just make sure they aren't hot when you feed them.
Step 2. Chop up the food or cut it into pieces smaller than a dime
Use a vegetable grinder or kitchen knife to cut through all the foods before feeding them to your snail. This pet is sensitive to chemicals and pesticides, so be sure to use organic products and wash them well before feeding them.
Step 3. Start with about 50g of food per day
There is no hard and fast rule on how much food to feed land snails, so over time you will need to understand your little friend's dietary needs. If she consumes everything you have available, you could increase the portions. If you don't eat it within 24 hours, don't forget to take it off.
Step 4. Avoid industrially processed and hard-to-digest foods
Do not give snacks or foods rich in sugar or salt. Also, keep in mind that snails have a hard time digesting millet, pasta, crackers, and bread.
Step 5. Fill a dish with mineral water
She doesn't have to drink it, but she needs it to humidify the environment in which she lives. Then, pour mineral water into a shallow dish and put it at his disposal so he can get wet. Replace it every 24-48 hours.
- Never use tap water as it may contain substances that are harmful to your health, such as chlorine.
- If you don't have a water filter system, try leaving the tap water in the sun for 48 hours to dissolve the chemicals inside.
Step 6. Sprinkle some mineral water on her every 24-48 hours
You can also use mineral water to bathe your little friend and keep her hydrated. Fill a spray bottle with mineral or filtered water and spray it on the snail and inside its habitat.
If you live in a very dry climate, try to bathe it 1-2 times a day
Step 7. Always keep a source of calcium in the case
Snails need a lot of calcium to keep their shells in perfect health. A great option is the cuttlefish bone, because you can crush it and put it in the case so that you gnaw it. You can also mash and add other sources of calcium to your food, including:
- Snail shells;
- Calcium powder;
- Powdered oyster shells;
- Natural plaster;
- Natural limestone;
- Bone meal;
- Wood ash.
Method 2 of 2: Feeding the Freshwater Snails
Step 1. Make them coexist with the fish
Freshwater snails are omnivorous animals and typically feed on algae and food residues left behind by the fish they share the aquarium with. Also, try putting in some aquatic plants that they can nibble on.
Consult with your vet or livestock store clerk to find out which fish live best with the freshwater snail species you intend to breed
Step 2. Use algae wafers
If you don't have fish in your aquarium, you can buy algae wafers. Follow the instructions on the package to know the doses to administer based on the number of snails you are raising.
You can buy them on the Internet or in most animal husbandry stores
Step 3. Boil the finely chopped vegetables
In addition to algae, freshwater snails like blanched vegetables. To blanch them, you need to soak them in boiling water for 2 minutes before running them under ice water. Freshwater snails especially love fresh peas, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini and iceberg salad. Once blanched, let them cool completely, then pour them into the aquarium.
- Chop or cut the vegetables into pieces smaller than a dime.
- Start by adding a small amount of blanched vegetables to the aquarium each morning and calculate how quickly they eat them.
- Adjust the quantity until you notice that all the food you introduce is consumed within at least 12 hours.
- Eliminates all residues after 24 hours.
Step 4. Provide an additional source of calcium
Like land snails, freshwater snails also need calcium to keep their shells healthy and strong. Then, integrate this mineral into their diet in the form of a snack. You can choose between:
- Cuttlefish bone;
- Snail shells;
- Oyster shells;
- Natural limestone (keep in mind that it can raise the pH of the aquatic environment).
Step 5. Ask for some dietary advice from a livestock store clerk, an expert or your trusted veterinarian
The quantities, frequency and quality of foods to be administered vary according to the species, the number of snails you breed in the aquarium and the other forms of aquatic life with which they share their habitat. Your best bet is to speak to the shopkeeper you bought these little creatures from or consult a veterinarian.
- You will likely have to go through trial and error before figuring out exactly what your little friends like.
- If they leave food behind, try giving them less or choose something else.
- For starters, give them the food they can consume within 3 minutes, twice a day.
- Some snail species may need additional food sources, such as fish feed or in the form of bottom fish tablets.
