HEMP SEED

[Correne]

Hi,

Have read that snails like hemp seed. Have bought some hemp for ours but am unsure what to do with it.

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Paul]

Hi,

Just realised I forgot to help you out with this. Basically, like most seed it is more nutritious if not cooked. But, people eat it cooked for nutrition reasons so it is obviously still well-worth feeding.

The idea, is to try and make hemp butter. Crushing the seeds and then scraping through a sieve will produce it but it can be a tiresome process, especially on uncooked seeds as they are very hard.

So, here is what I do:

Simmer/Boil the seeds until most of them split. You will see the seeds tap-root sticking out.

Crush with pestle and mortar or in my case a mallet in a pan!

Then push all the mixture through a sieve to remove large pieces of shell.

Scrape the butter from the underside of the sieve and serve.

It is worth mentioning that in my experience large, hard bits of shell won't cause problems. The snails are unlikely to choke. For a kick off they don't breathe through their mouths and secondly the are able to distend their stomachs to accomdate large items. Look at the large piece of egg-shell the babies manage to consume.

It is worth trying a blender/mixer/liquidiser and coffee grinders. You can buy de-shelled hemp but the cost defeats the idea of using hemp and I believe the shell is worth feeding to them.

I tried just feeding them cooked seeds. They ate it but it was more difficult for them to get at the soft insides so they didn't eat as much.

Lastly, as with most high protein baits, don't give them enormous quantities, make sure they have plenty of water. You may find they get too much of a good thing And the tank tends to get dirtier, quicker because they poo a lot more.

paul

[Correne]

Hi Paul,

Thank you. As always, thorough and clear advice.

Corrie

PS You can never have too much of a good thing!

[Paul]

Just to add, that I recently bought a coffee ginder. The antique type cause I wanted one cheap.

It ground up the uncooked hemp a treat. I just added a little water to make a paste. The advantage of this is that more of the fibre from the shell ends up in the butter. My snails loved it, especially the tiger who hogged most of it.

And then I broke the grinder, lol. (I think it is repairable, part of it came unglued).

Here's a pic of the grinder:



paul

[lee]

Is it just the standard black stuff you get from fishing shops paul ? i did go take a look but didnt want to buy any just incase , not untill i had double checked.

Cheers
Lee

[Paul]

That's the stuff. In my experience, it is cheaper in pet shops. Also, fishing shops often sell it cooked so it is up to you which you get. It does go much darker when it is cooked so that may have been why you were unsure.

Have a taste yourself, it is very tasty, kind of nutty.

paul

[Paul]

I have created a page about hemp, with nutritional info etc:

www.petsnails.co.uk/index.php?action=showdoc&document=hempseed

paul

[Arno]

Here's what I do(the lazy version lol):soak the seeds in water,mix them with one of those sticky things,pour out excess water.......ready to serve

Arno

[Paul]

I'm using this regularly now I have the coffee grinder fixed. Just needed glueing.

A few tspns (it won't allow me to write the long version - very odd!) of hemp gives enough for a small dish. You do need to remove it daily though, like the chicken mash it tends to start smelling quicker than other foods would.

Arno, do you mean a pestle and mortar?



I used a mallet in the same way, how long do you soak the seed for - perhaps that is the key?

I'd definitely recommend a cheap grinder, it is absolutely effortless. Instant hemp-mash.

paul

[Arno]

Paul,I soak the seeds for about 15 minutes,then use one of those stick mixers(the Braun kind).

[Paul]

So Arno,

How does it go down with your snails, do particular species prefer it, or perhaps refuse to eat it or is it an individual thing?

I've found that it is most enjoyed by the Tiger, my dimidiata and my possible ventricosa followed by the fulica, stuhlmanni and reticulata equally and lastly my margies who nibble at it and seem the least interested?

paul

[Arno]

Well it differs(is that correct english?),my Margies loved the first time I gave it,but now they just eat a little bit.The other species:fulica,panthera,iredalei,reticulata seem not that interested.Maybe they will eat more if they don't have any alternative......

[Paul]

Differs is the correct word.

Perhaps it is like when me and Fredrik first offered Chicken mash to the snails. They pigged out and had too much of a good thing, and as a result avoided it for a few days. Both are protein rich. I have been feeding mine hemp more regularly but in much less quantity. When I put it in my hot tank, my tiger wakes up, demolishes it all and then sleeps it off, I can't slow him down. Perhaps it has encountered hemp in the wild, with it being wild caught.

It is worth mentioning though, that I have read numerous times that young snails prefer fresh fruit and veg more than adults. It tends to be juveniles which are damaging to crops. Adult African snails seem to prefer more rotted matter, detritus and perhaps cereal type food.

paul

[Arnau]

Can I feed my helix pomatia with hemp seed? or hemp fits only for african snails?

[Paul]

My Cornu aspersum (Helix apsersa) eat it also, so give it a try.

paul

[Arnau]

Well, my helix pomatia like hemp seed very much

[Paul]

Great, I think we can safely say that hemp is a winner for most snails. There are plenty of other seed and cereals to try!

paul

[Arno]

well my snails seem to have lost their appetite for hempseed,so i'm trying sunflower and mustardseed now

[apple]

Does snails eat whole hemp seed, without being crushed?
There´s any problem on it?

[apple]

I bought some 100% natural hemp in powder, I mixed today with water and snails are loving it!! I´m really happy for them.
Btw I ate a bit and it´s very nice! I bought also some seeds with honey to eat. lool

[Val]

Mmmm sounds yummy!! ;D

Val

[Big Dave]

anyone considered feeding thees cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110092733571&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr8_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=110099415983&itemcount=8&refwidgetloc=active_view_item&usedrule1=StoreCatToStoreCat&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget thaght id add there pure hemp pellets incase the auction ends

[tarantulabarn]

Aug 13, 2006 21:00:20 GMT apple said:

Does snails eat whole hemp seed, without being crushed?
There´s any problem on it?

No problem with the whole seed, its just easier to crush it for them, i use both and a seed mix that we make up for all our snails, roaches and millipedes

hemp





seed mix

Both can be given dry or wet

[cookilicious]

Any ideas for food stuff good for stronger shells?

[pickalilly]

I have only tried hemp once with my snails, but I simply crushed it, uncooked, in warm water and served. They loved it, especially Albert, so do you think it is fine to serve uncooked to retain nutritional values?