Mystery snails are aquatic dwellers that reside in freshwater habitats and have evolved to adapt to the highs and lows of their environment. One major adaptation technique is their omnivorous nature, which allows them to consume food from various sources to maintain their health. Additionally, they are detritivores, meaning they scavenge decaying matter, making feeding relatively easy for them to achieve.
Mystery snails eat plants as part of their balanced diet. They provide the majority of the necessary nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, that snails need to survive. From algae to vegetables, each plant is packed with the right amount of nutrition for mystery snails, making them essential for their health and lifespan.
In this article, we will discuss the relationship between plants and mystery snails to understand the importance of greens in their diet. Let’s delve into it!
The Ultimate Plant-Based Foods For Your Mystery Snails
Mystery snails require essential nutrients to ensure their survival. By consuming plants, they obtain valuable nourishment, including vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, which promote the overall health and functionality of their mucus glands, thus keeping them robust and safeguarded against nasty diseases. Below are some nutritious plants that mystery snails commonly eat:
Aquatic Plants
In their natural freshwater habitat, mystery snails rely on aquatic plants for their source of nutrients. Though they don’t necessarily go after the live plants, you will find them scouting on decaying aquatic plants that are easier to consume. This allows them to eat comfortably and keeps them away from being accessible to predators. By doing this, they can keep their nutrient load in check at all times.
A few examples of aquatic plants that mystery snails find delicious are:
- Java Fern
- Anacharis
- Java Moss
- Water lettuce
- Vallisneria
- Water pennywort
- Water lily
- Hornwort
It’s important to know that mystery snails do have preferences, some of which may be influenced by their habitat and the species. Snails in the wild may prefer different plants based on which type is the most common to them. So, if your mystery snails prefer regular veggies to aquatic plants, don’t sweat it, they’re probably not used to the latter. The most important factor is that your snail is getting a nutritious diet through and through.
Algae
Algae is a protist which is mostly mistaken for a plant. They are multicellular organisms that can photosynthesize and reproduce and are quite delicious to mystery snails. However, contrary to common belief, algae isn’t the mystery snail’s favorite plant to eat. Still, they’re packed with nutrients that are essential for your snail buddies. Below are different types of algae with their specific benefits for your snails:
| Algae | Prominent Nutrients | Sub-Types | Benefits For Mystery Snails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Algae | Vitamin B2, Iron, Protein | Spirulina, Spirogyra, Sea Lettuce, Chlorella, Chara, Coralline Algae | Supports tissue growth Supports reproduction Supports nerve function and fluid circulation |
| Brown Algae | Iodine, Magnesium, Calcium | Kelp, Fucus, Sargassum | Promotes proper thyroid function Promotes good shell development |
| Red Algae | Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Protein | Nori, Dulse, Irish Moss, Carrageenan | Source of protein Aids in reproduction Improves immune system |
Note that algae grow freely in the tank, and your snail may or may not be interested in eating any. There’s no direct way to force mystery snails into eating algae; if you starve them, they’ll be too weak to move and graze and when you overfeed them, they’ll be too satisfied to eat.
Mystery snails are not good algae eaters and will only feed on them if they feel like doing so. If you insist on feeding your snails algae, consider getting algae wafers or incorporating the algae into their snello.
Vegetables: Land Plants
Pet mystery snails eat vegetable plant-based foods alongside other items like the protein sources that they need. They are not picky eaters and will enjoy a nice variety of veggies that you provide for them. Veggies are good sources of vitamins like vitamins C, A, K, and E that help to replace, rejuvenate, and regulate bodily function allowing a healthier system to thrive.
They also contain minerals like calcium and magnesium that assist in the production of antibodies and reinforcement of the shell. As your pet is an aquatic creature, it needs all the nutrients it can get to ensure that it can withstand the pressure of surviving underwater most of the time.
Vegetables easily replace the aquatic plants that they have in their natural habitat without disrupting their health and balance, and the snails even develop favorites among them! Here are examples of vegetables you can feed your snails:
- Celery
- Spinach
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Swiss Chard
- Zucchini
- Beetroot
- Cucumber
- Bell Pepper
- Broccoli
The listed above are the safest vegetables to feed snails, opposing the dangerous ones. Here are the plants you must avoid feeding your pets:
- Random weeds. weeds like burdock, nettle, or thistles contain toxins that are bad for your pets
- Onions and Garlic. the sulfuric toxins in these spices can kill your snail. Keep your pets away from them to ensure they don’t fall sick. For context, these spices are used in areas like the Philippines to deter Apple snails as they’re considered an invasive species.
- Raw potatoes. solanine in raw potatoes is harmful to snails, and cooked potatoes are not as nutritious for them either
- Tomatoes. Just like fruits, tomatoes are too acidic for snails
Supplemental Plant-Based Foods
Mystery snails also eat supplements like algae wafers, which are a combination of algae and veggies compressed into sizable discs you can feed to your snails in portions. They comprise all the nutrients your pet needs, and depending on the quality of the wafers, your snails can live healthy long lives. Regardless, they should not depend on the wafers alone as they’re omnivorous. It’s necessary to devise a balanced diet of protein, minerals, and vitamins to ensure that your pet stays healthy.
Flowers
Flowers are a good source of antioxidants and vitamin C which are great for mystery snails. However, it shouldn’t replace their staple diet since they are simply not as nutritious as vegetables. You can feed your snails flowers only as a treat to prevent malnutrition and indigestion from the lack of fiber. Here are a few examples of flowers your mystery snails can enjoy:
- Hibiscus
- Dandelions (leaves and flowers)
- Nasturtium
- Marigold
Keep in mind that mystery snails are individually different and may or may not enjoy any of the listed flowers above. If they do, don’t be tricked into feeding them too much of the flowers. The fewer, the better!
4 Easy Steps To Feed Plant-Based Food To Your Mystery Snails
Feeding mystery snails is pretty easy because you don’t need to hassle with food proportions like you would with your cat or dog. Snails eat only what they need, and will not overfeed or grow overweight. The only problem is that you must feed them nutritious meals so that they always get healthy rations of food. Here’s how to feed your snails their greens:
1. Prepare The Greens
Ensure that you wash the plants you want to feed your snails before feeding to ensure that there are no preservatives on them. Preservatives are harmful to snails and even deadly when they’re administered for prolonged periods. Especially for the vegetables; always wash the greens!
2. Sizes And Frequency
A baby carrot thrown into the tank for an adult snail is just the right size, or you can slice bigger carrots into strips the length of your finger instead. Since they don’t eat more than they need, the snails will crawl away when satisfied and you can follow up to remove the leftovers.
You should feed your snails their greens daily. Contrary to popular belief, snails in freshwater habitats eat everyday to remain as healthy as possible. Reducing the frequency of their mealtime does not add any benefit to your snails. It just means less work for you and even more for your pets since they have to scout for alternatives such as boring algae.
| Vegetables | Daily Quantity/Mystery Snail (Weight In Grams) |
|---|---|
| Celery | 10 |
| Spinach | 10 |
| Carrot | 5 |
| Lettuce | 10 |
| Swiss Chard | 10 |
| Zucchini | 5 |
| Beetroot | 5 |
| Cucumber | 10 |
| Bell pepper | 10 |
| Broccoli | 5 |
For clarity, 10 grams is equivalent to 2.5 cubes of sugar and 2 – 3 spinach leaves. This will help you eyeball the quantity of veggies better since the size of the plant is not relative to the fixed and recommended amount in grams.
3. Use Feeding Clips
To make feeding easier, you can employ feeding clips to keep the food in place. If you have a self-filtering tank, it’s possible for the food to move around and be less accessible to your snails. In addition, snails move around less when they’re starving. This means that they probably wouldn’t go to lengths to find their missing food.
4. Remove Leftover Portions
After your snails have had their feast, you should remove the leftover pieces in 24 hours to prevent them from decaying and contaminating the tank. It’s essential for your snails to live in a clean and healthy environment at all times. Actively decaying matter in an aquarium can spike up the nitrite and ammonia levels causing the water to be toxic to your snails.
Complete Diet Alternatives For Mystery Snails
A good daily snail diet consists of protein, vitamins, and minerals that will help your pet maintain good health. However, despite listing the food items your snails need, it’s tricky to balance them in daily rations. Here are ways you can give your mystery snail a balanced diet:
Snello Meals
Snello is a blend of vegetables, baby food, and other protein sources, with a gelatin base that is highly beneficial for snails. To save you the stress of arranging rations for your pets, you can save time by preparing snello and feeding them a cube of the meal twice daily.
Fish/Meat And Veggies
Throwing in small chunks of raw sardine, shrimp, or spice-free steamed chicken with your vegetables can provide your mystery snail with a well-rounded balanced diet. Just ensure you remove the leftovers!
Fish Pallets
Fish pallets are great alternatives to a balanced diet for your mystery snails. They’re nutritious and contain the proper amount of minerals, protein, and vitamins that your pets need. Throw in two pallets per snail into the tank with extra fresh veggies, and you’ve just given your pets a balanced diet.
What Happens If Mystery Snails Are Not Fed Plant-Based Food?
Several illnesses and malfunctions come into play when a mystery snail isn’t fed its plants. Placed on a protein-only diet, your snail will suffer from indigestion from the lack of fiber, stunted growth from the lack of minerals, and reduced immunity from the lack of vitamins that plants provide constantly. Since snails are so fragile, they could easily fall sick and die from this. It’s important to ensure that your pet is feeding well at all times.
Can Mystery Snails Eat Fruits?
It is not advisable to feed mystery snails fruits because of the high acidity the treats contain. They are highly sensitive to acidic environments or foods and could die from an excess amount. To be safe, stick to algae wafers, snello, and flowers if you want to treat your little slimy buddies!
