One of the fun parts of having mystery snails is watching them quench their voracious appetite. Sometimes, you’ll find your snails holding onto their food with their foot, munching and taking teeny tiny bites until the morsel is gone. It’s also interesting that mystery snails can develop favorite meals individually, and will apply this preference every time they’re fed. This is why it’s necessary to feed them the healthiest foods most of the time so that despite their preferences, you can ensure they are eating healthy through and through.
Mystery snails can eat cucumbers, and some of them tend to enjoy them. However, they shouldn’t eat it regularly since cucumbers hold little nutritional value and can get addictive. Your mystery snails can snack on cucumbers now and then, but it should never replace their main nutritious meals.
Why Are Cucumbers Addictive To Mystery Snails?
Cucumbers are addictive to mystery snails because they’re watery and easy to eat. They love to feed on soft plants and decaying matter simply because it’s effortless to consume. Mystery snails rank the best foods by how stressless it is to eat. The easier it is to eat, the better it is for them. In addition, since cucumbers are watery, they tend to enjoy the juiciness of the cuisine. Throw in a slice of cucumber with the skin on and your mystery snails will most likely eat the center leaving you a ring of cucumber skin.
The Safest Way To Feed Mystery Snails Cucumber
If you’re wondering how to feed your pet cucumbers, I assure you that it’s pretty easy. All you have to do is prepare it properly to make it easy for your mystery snails to feed on. Here’s how to go about it:
1. Wash The Cucumber Properly
It’s important to wash the vegetables to prevent your snails from ingesting preservatives. Snails are highly delicate to what they consume, and food chemicals are not safe for them. This is why you must wash the veggies with clean water before preparation.
Also, avoid using salt! Salt may be hygienic and safe for you when washing your veggies, but it’s highly dangerous for mystery snails and they will simply refuse to eat the salt-tendered cucumber.
2. Simmer The Cucumber
To make it easier for your snails to consume, especially if they’re juveniles, consider boiling the cucumber for a few minutes until it’s softer. This allows your mystery to easily eat and digest it. Remember, they prefer soft veggies to fresh hard foods.
3. Cut into slices
Now you may either peel the cucumber or leave the skin on, and it wouldn’t matter. Your mystery snails will still enjoy their snack. The only benefit to preparing it either way is that the peeled cucumbers make it easier to consume, while the unpeeled ones make it easier for you to find and remove from the tank if they are leftover. Either way, you must cut it into thin slices for your pets to eat.
Remember to remove the leftovers within 12 hours to prevent them from decaying and messing up the tank’s nitrite cycle. Food decays faster in water especially when slimy little beings are moving all over it. If the food decays, it secretes ammonia into the environment making your pet’s living conditions toxic.
How Often Should Mystery Snails Eat Cucumber?
Mystery snails are notorious for being picky eaters and tend to grow addicted to some foods. This wouldn’t be a problem if they didn’t have a recommended diet plan to follow consisting of all the nutrients they need to stay healthy.
Due to this situation, I recommend feeding your snails cucumbers after they have had their main and nutritious veggies for the day. Cucumbers should also be fed every other day or twice a week to prevent them from getting addicted or growing a preference for it. It’s crucial to ensure your mystery friends are getting their necessary nutrition to prevent them from falling sick from malnourishment or growing stunted.
The Dangers Of Overfeeding Your Mystery Snails Cucumber
Too much cucumber can lead to your mystery snail addiction, which in this case, is dangerous for their health. Cucumbers will not provide your pets with the nutrients they need, just like a kid with candy. In the long run, your snails will lose the vitamins and minerals they require to grow healthy and end up looking feeble and stunted. It’s the same thing as some owners letting their mystery snails survive on algae and later wondering why the poor things didn’t survive past 6 months. The longer your snails frequently eat cucumber, the shorter their life span becomes.
7 Healthy Veggie Alternatives To Feed Your Mystery Snails
Mystery snails need both plant-based and protein-based foods to stay healthy. But if you’re considering beneficial veggies, there are far healthier options than cucumbers for your mystery snails.
1. Leafy Greens
Spinach, kale, collard greens, and mustard greens are all healthy options for plant-based foods for mystery snails. They are high in calcium which is great for your snails’ shells. It’s good to feed your pets high-calcium greens to prevent their shells from suffering from erosion or fatal collapse.
2. Blanched Carrots
Blanched carrots are highly nutritious for your mystery snails. They have good vitamins such as vitamins C and A that help your pets produce slime and fight diseases.
3. Green Beans
Some mystery snail owners have testified to their pets loving green beans, and there’s every chance yours will too. Green beans are rich in fiber that will help your mystery snails digest food and poop better.
4. Broccoli
The texture of broccoli may be confusing for some mystery snails, but they’re ultimately nutritious. Similarly to leafy greens, broccoli is high in calcium and will help your young snails grow strong shells.
5. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is rich in antioxidants and fiber that will help your mystery snail grow strong and healthy. However, your mystery snails may not enjoy this vegetable and will opt for other alternatives.
6. Zucchini
Zucchini is rich in minerals and vitamins that will nourish your mystery snails when they feed on it. Preferably blanched, they will swarm over it when you drop some for them to eat.
7. Peas
Peas contain a noticeable amount of protein and calcium that your mystery snails need to grow strong and healthy. You’d need to boil and crack the peas before putting them in your snail’s tank to make it easier for them to feed. In the end, I find that a lot of snails enjoy peas.
What Is The Ultimate Mystery Snail Diet?
Mystery snails need both protein and plant-based nutrients to survive. So, the ultimate mystery diet must contain some animal-based protein sources such as bloodworms, minced shrimp, fish protein wafers, and thin strips of raw fish alongside plant-based foods such as leafy greens, carrots, broccoli, and zucchini.
To make it easier, you may opt for snello as it contains both plant and animal-based items in one meal. Snello is a snail dish made of a gelatinous base infused with all the necessary nutrients your pets need—protein, minerals, vitamins, and calcium! It’s easy to make, easier to ration, and ultimately the more nutritious option if you prepare it properly with the right ingredients. I’ll show you how to make your perfectly nutritious snail snello below:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of blanched vegetables (such as spinach, carrots, or zucchini).
- 1/4 cup of gelatin powder.
- 1/4 cup of baby food (optional, for added nutrition).
- 1/4 cup of calcium supplement (crushed cuttlebone or calcium powder).
Procedure:
- Puree the blanched vegetables in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, mix the gelatin powder with water according to the package instructions.
- Combine the pureed vegetables, gelatin mixture, baby food, and calcium supplement in a saucepan.
- Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring continuously until the gelatin is fully dissolved.
- Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
- Pour the mixture into ice cube trays or molds and refrigerate until set.
- Once set, you can cut the Snello into small portions or leave it as individual cubes.
Servings:
Your mystery snail should eat one cube of snello a day. Always remember to take out the leftovers to avoid funking up the tank with ammonia from the decay!
How Often Should Mystery Snails Be Fed? Rations And Frequency
How often you should feed your mystery snails depends on how long you want them to live. If you love your snails to pieces, you should feed them daily. They’re active eaters and equivalent poopers, so they will eat as much as they can, which is every day.
Daily feeding contributes to their lifespan and overall well-being. If otherwise you passively care about your pets, you can opt for feeding them every other day. Mystery snails can use algae to fill in the gaps, even if they’re not heavy algae eaters. However, your pet may not live that long or grow as big as they should on this frequency.
As for rationing, mystery snails should be fed until they’re satisfied. Depending on the number of snails you have, you can cut the veggies into thin slices, assign two strips to a snail, and give more if they eat it up. Mystery snails will stop eating when they’re satisfied, so it is pretty easy to gauge how much food your snails need in a day. As long as you provide your pets with their required meals in the proper way, they will live happy and healthy lives under your care.
