What Food Makes Snails Grow Faster?
What Food Makes Snails Grow Faster
Some snails grow faster than others in the same population, and a farmer can select the fastest-growing snails for breeding stock and sell the slower-growing ones. This may be an adaptation to living in the wild or may be a genetic trait. The speed of growth is also influenced by environmental factors such as temperature, moisture and the breeding technology used.
Snails feed on plants, fungi and tubers. They prefer to eat fresh, leafy, juicy vegetables and fruits over dry ones. Some of their favorite foods include apple, apricot, artichoke, asparagus, barley, beans, blueberries, cabbages (all varieties), carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, dandelion, elder, henbane, hibiscus, kale, lettuce, peach, peas, plum, rose, rapeseed, spinach, yam and zinnia.
Their eating period is between April and October. Snails will usually eat a few times a day, and their diet may vary from day to day. In very dry weather, they do not feed as much.
They need a lot of calcium to develop strong shells and stay healthy. They can get this from cuttlebone and oyster shells, but they also eat soil.
It is recommended that a grower add a good amount of calcium to the soil where the snails are kept, as this will encourage their growth. This can be done by adding a mineral supplement to the soil, or by setting out calcium in a feeding dish or trough so the snails can eat it at will.
What to Feed Snails
A complete diet for snails should consist of a balanced mixture of hay, leafy vegetables, tubers and fruit. Some farmers also add oats, corn meal, soya bean meal, laying mash, crushed oyster shell and other ingredients that provide calcium.
For garden snails, a variety of vegetables like onions, carrots, sweet peppers, beetroot, broccoli and cauliflower are suitable. They can be blanched to make them soft and easier for them to eat.
Other food items for garden snails are fresh berries, fruits, leafy greens and shredded vegetables. These can be fed to snails in a water tank or placed in a shallow dish on a bed of soil.
The food you feed your snails should be high in protein and low in salt. Salt drains their body of its water and is a major cause of death for snails.
If your snails are not getting enough water, they will die from dehydration. To prevent this, keep a shallow dish of water for your snails to drink from and bathe in. Replace the water every 1-2 days.
You can also give your snails some flakes from algae wafers or fish flakes to help them with their hydration. Some people also feed their snails small amounts of shredded blanched veggies or store-bought bottom feeders to help them survive.
What to Avoid
Snails are sensitive to many pesticides, so it is important that you avoid giving them contaminated fruits and vegetables. Wash all fruits and veggies thoroughly before putting them in the tank to remove any chemicals that are harmful for them.
