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Post by CertifiedChaser on Sept 19, 2016 20:38:21 GMT
Hey ya'll, new to raising snails and was curious about proper foods for them? I had a few that I found in a yard but seeing as I know almost nothing about snails I put them in my aquaponics grow bed and they disappeared. I thought they would be like aquatic snails and just eat the plants and lay eggs on the plants no questions asked but after they fled the bed I saw they prefer soil. So was wondering other than lettuce what are some specific vegetables/fruits I could grow they would enjoy, how deep of a soil do they need to survive a winter (intend on raising and breeding out in the natural beauty of Mother Nature in an enclosed pen) and any other pointers/tips for a newbie like myself! Thanks all for any and all suggestions.
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Post by robinwhiskers on Sept 20, 2016 2:23:52 GMT
Mine get foods like lettuce, carrots, blueberries, grapes, apples, bananas, and occasional fish flakes and crushed up dog biscuits for protein.
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Post by robinwhiskers on Sept 20, 2016 2:24:04 GMT
Oh, and cherry tomatoes are LOVED by my snails!
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Post by CertifiedChaser on Sept 20, 2016 2:46:23 GMT
Mine get foods like lettuce, carrots, blueberries, grapes, apples, bananas, and occasional fish flakes and crushed up dog biscuits for protein. I thought grapes would be appropriate considering most snails are found/started in vineyards. And speaking of fish flakes/dog food, do you think oats would be a good feed? And thanks for the reply! |
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Post by CertifiedChaser on Sept 20, 2016 3:09:25 GMT
My bad, I searched the forum a bit more and found a list of things they can eat and what not by copigeon (I think that's who it was). But thanks for the input! Would still like to say hey to everyone else here and I'm excited to learn more about this hobby and share my experiences with you all (soon as I find myself some more helix aspersa)!
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Post by robinwhiskers on Sept 20, 2016 14:17:02 GMT
I know some people will soak oats (so they don't expand in the snail's stomach) and feed them to their snails, but I've never risked it.
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Post by CertifiedChaser on Sept 20, 2016 16:02:04 GMT
I know some people will soak oats (so they don't expand in the snail's stomach) and feed them to their snails, but I've never risked it. Hmm, thanks for the info. Didn't know oats would expand in their stomachs. |
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Post by Liguus on Sept 20, 2016 16:36:47 GMT
I add oats to my tree snail food formula since I need it to bind to the terrarium walls. I've also fed oats (soaked) to my "garden snail" species but rarely do since I don't think they have much nutritional value. My standard diet is lettuce, apples, mushrooms, sweet potato, and carrot. For Helix aspersa the soil doesn't need to be too deep, as they'll be fine once they get down past the frost line (which is only a couple of inches if I'm remembering correctly).
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Post by CertifiedChaser on Sept 20, 2016 19:30:45 GMT
I add oats to my tree snail food formula since I need it to bind to the terrarium walls. I've also fed oats (soaked) to my "garden snail" species but rarely do since I don't think they have much nutritional value. My standard diet is lettuce, apples, mushrooms, sweet potato, and carrot. For Helix aspersa the soil doesn't need to be too deep, as they'll be fine once they get down past the frost line (which is only a couple of inches if I'm remembering correctly). Thanks! I figure since I raise mealworms to feed my fish I have a lot of oats around (they use it for bedding and food) so I thought it'd be convenient if snails could eat them as well. Never thought mushrooms would be a good choice. And thanks for the information on soil depth! |
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Post by robinwhiskers on Sept 20, 2016 21:40:07 GMT
Mushrooms contain vitamin D, which is good for the snail's shell, too. Snails also find them quite tasty!
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Post by CertifiedChaser on Sept 20, 2016 22:24:09 GMT
Wow, that's neat! Do you feed them the whole mushroom or cut them into pieces before feeding? I love mushrooms so that shouldn't be a problem.
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Post by robinwhiskers on Sept 21, 2016 0:25:48 GMT
I bought a sealed package of mushrooms chopped in half. Also to make sure they especially had a good amount of vitamin D, I let them sit in the sun for a little while, lol!
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Post by CertifiedChaser on Sept 21, 2016 0:34:07 GMT
Your snails or your mushrooms? Sorry if that's a stupid question, lol. I intend on raising them outdoors (maybe a few indoors when I get some) so plenty of vitamin d there!
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Post by robinwhiskers on Sept 21, 2016 13:50:45 GMT
Lol, my mushrooms. Every now and then I'll take my snails outside for a few minutes, but I don't let them in direct sunlight. They still get lots of good vitamins though!
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Post by CertifiedChaser on Sept 22, 2016 1:41:24 GMT
What kind of container do you have them in? I'm thinking about getting one of those kritter keepers with a heatmat. I already have some coco coir for substrate.
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