Gel foods

[jdjn13]

Hi guys,

Wouldn't let me post in the feeding section so just came here instead. Has anyone here tried and gel food recipes for your snails? Or even pre made mixes like repashy for reptiles etc. do snails even take gel foods?

Cheers.

[Liguus]

From some of the "living room" experiments I've done I'm fairly certain snails are not too picky when it comes to diet. I was planning on making some food mixes once the semester is over and I'm not bogged down with exams. Most people should be able to do so, its mostly a matter of selecting ingredients.

I haven't ever looked if there are gel type foods made specifically for snails, but I think caution should be used with the reptile foods because sometimes the ingredients might not be appropriate for snails. Just a few that come to mind are salt and copper compounds, although i'm sure there are other ingredients which may be questionable. Some store brand food should be alright though.

Either way I would use it as a "supplement" to regular feedings with fruit & vegetables.

[muddydragon]

I have considered this (as i make gel foods for my goldfish occasionally), i did think it would be an easier way to serve spirulina and perhaps it would also last longer in the tank than the moistened spirulina. I don't see why the ingredients in gelatine would be a problem, it's just something i haven't got around to trying. (but of course as helix says if you're buying them be careful about what's in them no allium family (garlic etc) no to trace amounts of salt etc)

But the reason i don't really do it is because virtually all other foods it's easier to just feed normally. fresh fruit and veg are easiest as that - fresh. fish flakes, dog food etc are easiest soaked in bowl. I have made "slop" for snails before (basically snail-friendly food i've frozen so it hasn't gone off, e.g. carrot peelings, dandilions after a bout of weeding etc, banannas too spotty for my liking and whized it all up in a blender and fed as just a paste no need to add gelitine) however i would not use thi as a main diet it's best to vary the food and offer a selection rather than a mush of all sorts. (For isntance people sell snail food and tht is not a complete healthy diet for snails - fine as a treat).

[Zorst]

I cant say I've tried feeding snails this way as fresh food is so easy to give them but the idea of the Spirulina is a pretty good one. I may give that one a go because at the moment I just sprinkle it on top of their food or add it to a mash I make them once in a while.

Zorst

[Liguus]

May 2, 2015 8:20:30 GMT muddydragon said:

 I don't see why the ingredients in gelatine would be a problem, it's just something i haven't got around to trying.

How about Agar? I have some on hand. It seems to just be a seaweed derivative.

[muddydragon]

i dont see why it would be a problem. It's usually from seaweed (as you say) or potatoes. I'ld be worried about seaweed and salt content but i assume the marketed seaweed has any salt removed/reduced - i'ld check first though.

[Liguus]

I just checked and my agar says: Sodium - 0mg - 0%
I'll mix up some gel this weekend and see how they like it.

[horrr0r]

My experiences with this have concluded that the processes involved with gelatine foods are more humbug than its worth.

For me, the whole appeal of the gelatine foods were: attracts fewer bugs, lasts longer in tank, less spoilage than fresh food, multiple healthy foods in each bite, and no prep work & cleanup at feeding time.

However, it isn't worth it with the extra cost of gelatine, the time and effort involved in making (the amount of dishes involved), and the low success rate of recipes (i.e. some would 'melt' just a few minutes out of the fridge).

I mean, the whole appeal of convenience and cleanliness is defunct if I have to clean slimy mush off of everything. The best one was the one that I used LOADS of gelatine in, and the blend was apples and salad greens, plus algae - based fish food pellets soaked and blended in. This was the only one that wouldn't liquefy before they finished it.

However, the way I do it now is way less hassle (and dishes, lol) which is to offer a choice of a fresh fruit, a fresh veg, and "fish food tubes"*. I do it that way so they wont all just scarf down the algae food paste and ignore the other food. It's the same idea as those toys you can put dog treats in so they have to work to get it out.

*these are just the algae fish food soaked/mashed into a paste, which is then filled into "tubes" (small pieces cut of a drinking straw or bubble tea straw, depending on which size snails it's for. Wide enough for them to stick a bit of their mouth/face area into to shlurp it out, but not so big that they try to crawl into it!)... my snails seem to enjoy this, but still pay attention to the other foods. It's a billion times easier and quicker than gelatine cubes and has all the same nutritious stuff.