Eating :: Is dieffenbachia eaten or not??

[DullEyeLama]

I have 3 golden mystery snails (aquatic).. I have put a plant in the tank "dieffenbachia".. Is it okay to put it with snails ?? Will they eat it ?? What if they do eat it, is it safe/okay ??

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[coyote]

Hi DullEyeLama. I know little about aquatic snails, but I do know that Dieffenbachia contain high levels of calcium oxalate crystals which can cause intense discomfort if ingested by humans and other mammals. I don't know how that would affect snails, but if it were my snails I would not want to take that chance.

[DullEyeLama]

I saw my water snail clinging on to the plant. I let him do it for few minutes so that I can analyse he did intake it or not.
After a few minutes, I noticed a pair of 'dots' on the plant stem, which is suggestive of snail's teeth maybe. It was like a snake bite thing, hehe.

anyway, I guess that plant is harmful for humans, so why take chances with snails! I removed then and there.

[coyote]

I'm not sure whether the snail actually tasted the plant or not, but with something like Dieffenbachia it's best not to take any chances.

An acquaintance of mine claimed she ate some Dieffenbachia leaves and almost had to go to the hospital because her mouth, tongue and throat swelled up so bad.