All snails are members of the gastropod family of molluscs. Their diet includes mainly plant foods, but some species of snails are considered predators and usually eat live food.
Nutrition of snails in their natural environment
The main diet of most species of snails includes fruits and leaves of plants. Some of the most popular foods for shellfish include apples, cucumbers, onions, cabbage, and grapes. Quite often, snails also eat juicy berries - raspberries or strawberries.
Snails are one of the most common molluscs found in a wide variety of areas. Their diet may vary depending on the terrain. Residents of southern countries, for example, have a particular preference for citrus fruits, pineapples and bananas. Moreover, not only the fruits themselves, but also the foliage of plants are eaten. Snails living in summer cottages and vegetable gardens feed mainly on crops growing on their territory - corn, peas, carrots, tomatoes and cabbage.
Most domestic snails do not miss the opportunity to feast on newsprint. However, such food can be detrimental to the shellfish due to the special composition of the ink for printing.
Food of predatory snails
Many aquatic snails are predators, and their main diet is small insects and crustaceans. In the absence of live food, molluscs can eat algae, leaves of aquatic plants and some types of products that have got into the water. For example, if a water snail sees an apple or citrus peel, it will certainly decide to taste them.
Feeding aquarium snails
Aquarium snails spend most of their time underwater, so their main diet is special food and algae. Such molluscs should be regularly fed with additional food - lettuce, vegetables, fruits and fresh herbs. Most snails love parsley and dill.
Salt and flour products are deadly food for the snail. Under no circumstances should the mollusk be fed with smoked, salted, spicy or sweet foods.
It has been noticed that molluscs with shells are great individualists. Many indoor snails have their own eating habits. There are, for example, individuals who consider boiled eggs and cottage cheese the best type of delicacy.
Particular attention in the diet of domestic snails should be given to the sufficient content of vitamins and calcium in food. In no case should you overfeed mollusks. Snails are prone to rapid weight gain, which makes the shell small for them.
If the snail lives in a terrarium, then it must be provided with a constant supply of water for drinking and bathing. It is not recommended to feed raw and boiled meat of snails. Such food is poorly absorbed by shellfish.
