Feeding in Snails.

Snails are very versatile feeders. They can feed on anything from leaves to fruits. Snails can feed on cocoyam leaves, cassava and okra leaves, cabbage, lettuce, pawpaw as well as eggplant leaves.

Snails can also feed on fruits like mangoes, banana, pawpaw, tomatoes and pears.

It is important that you feed your snails with the right food that would support tissue growth and supply calcium needed to grow their shells.

There are specially formulated snail feed in the market that you can use to feed your snails for improved growth and productivity.

Many may wonder if snails do have mouth, how and what they eat. Well, it will shock you to know the following.

It is popularly said, "You are what you eat". This is no exception to snails. As their general wellbeing and quick growth revolves round proper feeding. Good enough, snails eat a wide variety of food which could be classified into any of these categories: tubers, agricultural by products, fresh vegetables, fruits, leaves, cereals, fibers, drinks, and concentrates. Virtually all human consumables can be eaten by snails with few exceptions hence they are omnivorous in nature and that is why they have been able to survive for generations. History has it that snails have been in existence since prehistoric times.

Leaves and Vegetables:

Some leaves eaten by snails include leaves of paw-paw, cocoyam, banana, sweet potato and cassava. Snails eat a lot of vegetables too. Some of their best vegetables include pumpkin, cabbage, lettuce, okra, water leaf, spinach, garden egg plant, amaranthus and all green vegetables that can be eaten by man.

 Fruits:

Snails also eat fruits, some of which include breadfruit, cucumber, green beans, nectarine melon, peach, plums, paw-paw, banana, plantain, orange, apple, pineapple, grape, tomatoes, ripe pear, avocado and all edible fruits.

 Tubers:

Snails eat tuber crops like yam, sweet potato, cocoyam and cassava when cooked.

 Drinks:

Snails take water, soft drinks & beverages, fruit juice and wine. However, caution need to be applied when serving them water to avoid drowning.

 Agricultural by-products:

Agricultural by products like wheat bran, rice bran, corn, soybean, residue bran, palm kernel cake, peel of plantain and banana, fresh maize chaff etc. can also be eaten by snails.

 Cereals:

Dried and processed maize, groundnut cake, soybean meal, and sorghum. Supplements: feed supplements like fishmeal and blood meal are also good for snails.

 Concentrates: this include poultry waste and feed, fish feed.

 Minerals: limestone, wood ash, fish meal, bone meal and chalk.

Snails also need a lot of calcium in-take for growth and shell formation. Calcium or mineral supplement can also be derived from ground eggshell, oyster shell, bone meal or even soil.

SECRET TO SNAIL RAPID GROWTH

Snails need calcium a lot to help ensure rapid growth and the development of their shell.

ABOUT THE SUPPLEMENT

Just one pack can feed 50 giant snails for about 20 to 30 days depending on the individual choice of use.

* It can be used to spice their feed.

* It can be served in the natural powder form. Or wet with a little water.

* It can be mix into their drinking water.

WHY YOU SHOULD FEED YOUR SNAILS PROPERLY

Feeding is very vital to all living things, as it serves as source of energy, growth and general healthy living. This is also applicable to snails as a living thing. The essence of feeding the snails is to aid reproduction capacity and increase their size, thereby expanding your investment return. Therefore, be consistent in feeding your snails. They can eat up to 3 – 5 % of their body weight in 24hours. Snails convert feed to body weight when a balanced diet containing protein, vitamin, minerals, calcium carbonate and phosphate is given to them. Agricultural chemicals in form of spray or powder should be avoided, as they are toxic to snails. Feed snails as much as they can eat, ensure useable water quantity daily.

If active snails are starved of food, they will shade 2 - 5% of their body weight in 24 hours. Snails are basically fed twice in a day i.e in the evenings between 5pm - 7pm and early in the morning, between 7am-9am. Snails are nocturnal animals i.e they are more active at night. The feed items should be distributed evenly within the snailery to enhance equal feeding opportunity for all the snails. Avoid salt and salty foods since snails do not survive high salt intake.