What Do Snails Eat

The snail is a kind of worm that carries a shell on its back that it uses as a house against the elements of nature and to protect itself from enemies and predators, they are also usually very delicate and if you want them as pets you have to know what snails eat.

For this, you must take into account that there are a large number of species and types of snails that live in the water as well as on land and you have to know how to distinguish them in order to know the kind of food that should be given to them at any time and not commit any mistake.

Also that they are herbivores that feed on stems, flowers, leaves and even some other insect, but if they are kept in captivity they can be given different food, but as long as they do not go outside the guidelines required for their feeding.

As we previously informed you, there are many species of different sizes and although it is characterized by being very small, there is one that stands out among all of them and it is the one that comes from the African continent, whose size can range between 15 or 20 centimeters.

What do you need:

• They are herbivores so they must feed on plants, fruits and vegetables.
• If they do not find any type of food, they come to eat land.
• They move more than anything during the night hours or in the morning when it is still cool.
• Some species can feed on animals as well as plants, being predators as well.
• They have a very scratchy tongue and or have legs to move around so they crawl along the ground leaving a trail of slime.
• Said slime is characterized by being a gelatinous and dense liquid that they expel to stay wet.
• They tend to have different eating habits depending on their size, age or the environment that surrounds them.
• They also tend to feed on fungi and mushrooms and even include algae in their daily diet.
• Some species tend to feed on the remains of other animals and plants that are usually found on the road when they move to search for food.
• They are quite small and larger species can be found without any problem, such as those from Africa that are usually the size of a man’s hand.

Instructions

Despite all this, many species that roam the earth are taken into account to establish an exotic dish whose great chefs have introduced this animal into the man’s diet and that is counted as a marvel of cuisine to the demanding palate. Although for this, they must be washed well and must be well cooked, because if this is not the case they can make the people who eat them sick apart from everything that they have become a plague that if you do not eat them, they end up finish you off Be careful with them.

Their main problem is that they can’t see much, but they can tell the difference between light and dark, and they are also chased by many animals, including themselves, because they often kill and eat each other. Who’d say!

Things to keep in mind when feeding a snail

1. The first thing you should keep in mind is that they are mollusks that can survive on land or water, so you should know what species you have as a pet and thus not make a mistake when introducing their food to the habitat you have chosen for them.
2. You should also know if your pet belongs to the land and place that in its space or if not, it is aquatic, so you should create an aquarium with fresh water so that it can survive well and you can enjoy the animal for as long as necessary.
3. They usually move using their muscles by contracting them in such a way that it can help them propel themselves and be able to walk, although they do not do it very slowly despite this, which makes them slow animals.
4. To move and survive in the environment that surrounds them, they use the sense of smell, since in addition to being relatively slow to walk; they have the particularity of being deaf and also almost blind, which makes them easy prey for predators.
5. They adapt to situations as they arise, being able to survive in a totally solitary and unitary life or take root in a society where there are many individuals of the same species, but staying apart from others.
6. Despite this, they do not maintain a family life, so they will always be separated from others despite seeing a complete community of snails together; each one goes their own way without having to depend on one another.
7. They usually live in cold and humid environments since they do not like the heat, using their own shells as a home in spaces such as gardens, under the trunks of trees or rocks and they can even dig and live below the surface of the earth.
8. Snails are bisexual but they need another snail of the same species to reproduce, mating with the help of the substance they use to move and thus achieve a perfect coupling and fertilize both one and the other.
9. They use many rituals to attract another couple of the same species, which can last between a few hours or even half a day, during which time they fertilize the eggs, needing a time of two years to be sexually mature.
10. They separate after this ritual and each one receives eggs by their side after mating, which will be buried in moist earth to keep them fresh, waiting four months to hatch, letting the young out into the outside world.
11. This means that when the eggs of the two snails remain, after four months the offspring of one and the other will come to light in two different parts, since after mating each one goes their own way and they do not see each other again.
12. Many of the hatchlings do not come out since the effect of rainwater in the gardens or when watering the plants drags the eggs that are buried in the ground, so very few eggs explode to release a snail.
13. Apart from eating plants, they are also known as scavengers and eat other species after they are dead, since they do not have the ability or the opportunities like other animals to hunt their own food.

Tips

• Always look for foods that can provide them with calcium, since this element is a component of their shell and they often use it to strengthen it.
• If you have flour, breadcrumbs and lettuce you can safely feed your pet, since this is normally one of the foods that they can easily digest.
• Never add salt or sugar to your snail’s food because these elements can be fatal for them, causing immediate death as their small body cannot process them.
• Always keep fruits and vegetable skins with which you can facilitate their daily diet by complementing them with prepared foods that contain calcium.
• Use an aquarium with soil that is always moist and with openings through which oxygen can enter and with a grid of small holes so that they do not slip through there.
• Despite being slow, they can spend the day walking all over the space where you have them in captivity since they love to explore.
• They use the sand to dig and hide from other animals to retire to rest because they do not like to be disturbed and although they do not bite, they like their privacy.
• Their main characteristic is how slowly they walk, but this is not why they are still animals since they spend their time moving from one side to another in search of food.
• Always keep food in its habitat or space where you have the snail, since they are capable of eating land without getting food to survive, so a special tip is that you do not forget to always give them food.
• Keep your environment moist and cool away from the sun’s rays since they do not like the heat very much.