“Are tomatoes safe for snails?” A scientific answer!
Nov 11, 2020 2:33:49 GMT
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Post by slugs on Nov 11, 2020 2:33:49 GMT
So, a lot of times I see discussions on whether tomato is okay for snails and slugs. Today, we have an answer!
Disclaimer: I can only vouch for the tomato FRUIT. I strongly discourage feeding tomato leaves or stems.
The short answer? Yes! Tomato is perfectly safe to feed to your gastropods.
The long answer:
So, we all know our little friends are pretty sensitive to things. They really have no protection from the outside world- their skin is like our raw skin.
So, for science! Today I disprove everything I’ve heard as to why tomato should not be fed to gastropods.
Claim #1: It’s too acidic, it’ll hurt them!
This one I doubted from the get-go, but I still decided to give it a test.
I have a pretty large, nasty blister on my finger right now, and conveniently enough, it actually popped earlier today. Raw, open flesh. You see where I’m going with this, right?
So, I popped out the bag of tomatoes I bought for this experiment, chopped one open, and rubbed a tomato alllll over the wound.
The result? Nothing! It actually had a soothing effect- it felt kind of like cold water, but slightly more relaxing if that makes sense.
Claim #2: It’s too closely related to nightshade, it’ll poison them!”
Well, this one I doubted right from the start. Potatoes, INCLUDING SWEET POTATOES are just as closely related to the nightshade plant. But, alas, it is my civic gastropod owner duty to test it out.
So, what did I do for this, you ask? What could I have possibly done to test the toxicity of a tomato? Well, I became a slug.
Not in the literal sense, of course, but I embraced the slug mentality. I didn’t eat anything all day, and then for dinner, I had nothing but tomato. As much tomato as I could shove in my mouth, I ate. I don’t like tomato very much so this one was hard. Blech.
The result? Again, nothing! I had no ill effects- it just felt like I certainly ate a lot, which I absolutely did.
So, the final test. After these tests, I decided to take the leap of faith. I fed tomato to my own slugs. Rather thankfully, I had no ill effects- they actually rather liked it!
In Conclusion:
Yes! Tomato is perfectly fine to give to gastropods, and I wouldn’t worry about it at all. I wouldn’t make it the main food, as its rather watery and low in nutrients like a cucumber. But, if you decide to give your slimy friends a nice snack, this is certainly an a-okay food to give them. In moderation, of course! We don't want any fat snails and sluggies
Disclaimer: If, by some stroke of misfortune, something does indeed happen to your gastropods after eating tomato, I am in no way shape or form responsible. While I wholeheartedly believe that tomato is okay for them, I feel the need to state this because of the potential “what if”s and any potential blame that may be pinned on me from any potential ill effects this may cause, however indirectly.
Disclaimer: I can only vouch for the tomato FRUIT. I strongly discourage feeding tomato leaves or stems.
The short answer? Yes! Tomato is perfectly safe to feed to your gastropods.
The long answer:
So, we all know our little friends are pretty sensitive to things. They really have no protection from the outside world- their skin is like our raw skin.
So, for science! Today I disprove everything I’ve heard as to why tomato should not be fed to gastropods.
Claim #1: It’s too acidic, it’ll hurt them!
This one I doubted from the get-go, but I still decided to give it a test.
I have a pretty large, nasty blister on my finger right now, and conveniently enough, it actually popped earlier today. Raw, open flesh. You see where I’m going with this, right?
So, I popped out the bag of tomatoes I bought for this experiment, chopped one open, and rubbed a tomato alllll over the wound.
The result? Nothing! It actually had a soothing effect- it felt kind of like cold water, but slightly more relaxing if that makes sense.
Claim #2: It’s too closely related to nightshade, it’ll poison them!”
Well, this one I doubted right from the start. Potatoes, INCLUDING SWEET POTATOES are just as closely related to the nightshade plant. But, alas, it is my civic gastropod owner duty to test it out.
So, what did I do for this, you ask? What could I have possibly done to test the toxicity of a tomato? Well, I became a slug.
Not in the literal sense, of course, but I embraced the slug mentality. I didn’t eat anything all day, and then for dinner, I had nothing but tomato. As much tomato as I could shove in my mouth, I ate. I don’t like tomato very much so this one was hard. Blech.
The result? Again, nothing! I had no ill effects- it just felt like I certainly ate a lot, which I absolutely did.
So, the final test. After these tests, I decided to take the leap of faith. I fed tomato to my own slugs. Rather thankfully, I had no ill effects- they actually rather liked it!
In Conclusion:
Yes! Tomato is perfectly fine to give to gastropods, and I wouldn’t worry about it at all. I wouldn’t make it the main food, as its rather watery and low in nutrients like a cucumber. But, if you decide to give your slimy friends a nice snack, this is certainly an a-okay food to give them. In moderation, of course! We don't want any fat snails and sluggies
Disclaimer: If, by some stroke of misfortune, something does indeed happen to your gastropods after eating tomato, I am in no way shape or form responsible. While I wholeheartedly believe that tomato is okay for them, I feel the need to state this because of the potential “what if”s and any potential blame that may be pinned on me from any potential ill effects this may cause, however indirectly.