bookmarks (click) veggies , fruits , calcium , protein , snail mix , plans

so, this is a guide for a healthy diet for most snails.
keep in mind this depends on the species. some snails, like the rosy wolf snails, are corniviours. yes i dont know how to spell
and some are i wont even try but eat plants and plants only!
so checking if your snail needs a special diet is highly recommended :))
this page consits of food safe for GALS, but it is also safe and healthy for most other garden and land snail species!!
do NOT feed your snails bread and pasta, celery, citrus fruits, leek, rice, salt, onion and garlic.

veggies
most people think you can just give your snail some lettuce and call that a day. that is not the case with most species.
veggies and fruits take up for about 70 precent of a recommended, healthy diet for a regular garden or land snail.
around 60% of said snail's diet should be made of veggies, and the other 10% of fruits.
little nutriental value, protein high, sugar high, calcium high, nutrients high, human safe mushrooms, safe
some recommended veggies are:
*from the kitchen
Artichoke (Globe / Cardoon)
Asparagus
Aubergine (Eggplant) - only vegetable, avoid tops
Basil
Bean (Runner / French / Green / String)
Beets (Root & Leaves)
Bell Pepper (Sweet / Capsicum)
Bell Pepper Seeds
Broad Beans
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts (Brussel Sprouts)
Cabbage (Red/ Savoy / White / Sweetheart)
Carrot & Peelings (Not Tops)
Cauliflower & Leaves
Chia
Chinese Cabbage (Pak /Bok Choy/ Napa)
Coriander
Courgette (Zucchini / Baby Marrow)
Cranberry
Cress (Curled / Garden / Pepper)
Cucumber - recommended as a snack every now and then, dont give them a lot since some snails can get addicted to them.
Dill
Dried Oats
Endive
Frisée Lettuce (Frisee/ Escarole)
Hemp Seeds
Jerusalem Artichoke (Sunroot)
Kale
Lamb's Lettuce
Lambs Quarters Leaves
Lettuce (Iceberg / Lamb's)
Marrow
Mint
Mushrooms
Parsley (Alexanders, Horse Parsley) - others types not safe
Parsnip - Underground Roots & Foliage
Peas
Plantains
Potato & Peelings
Pumpkin & Seeds PH
Rocket */rucola *
Romaine Lettuce (Garden/ Cos)
Squash-all Kinds
Sun Flower Seeds
Sweet Corn & Baby Corn
Sweet Potato
Tomato (Fruit Only)
Turnip (Turnip Greens, White Turnip, Swede)

little nutriental value, protein high, sugar high, calcium high, nutrients high, human safe mushrooms, safe

*from the garden
Alfalfa Hay
Burdock
Clover Leaves, Stems
Dandelion Leaves, Flowerhead
Ficus (F. Benjamina) Leaves
Geraniums Flowers, Leaves
Hibiscus Flowers, Leaves
Jute Mallow (Jute/ Jew's/ Bush Okra/ Egyptian/ Saluyot)
Mallow Young Leaves
Marigolds (Only Flowers)
Nasturtium Flowers, Leaves
Nettle (Dried)
Niger
Pak Choi
Pansy
Peavine (Not Sweetpea) Leaves
Pollen
Pothos Leaves
Radish leaves (not root)
Roses Petals
Shepherd's Purse
Sorrel
Spider Plant Leaves
Split-leaf Philodendron (Monstera) Leaves
Sticky Weed (Galium Aparine)
Violets (Not African Violets) Flowers, Leaves
Wandering Jew (Zebrina Spp) Leaves
Watercress

little nutriental value, protein high, sugar high, calcium high, nutrients high, human safe mushrooms, safe

fruits
only 10% of a healthy diet for snails is made of fruits. if you feed your snail(s) too much sugar, it could lead to diseases and deformities. please limit yourself to only feeding fruit as a treat and not more than a small portion once a week. some tend to like more sweet fruits than the others, so make sure to portion size for them. some recommended fruits (make sure to only feed the fruit, not the plant or leaves unless stated otherwise.) are:
Apple (not seeds)
Apricot (not seed)
Banana
Bilberry
Black Berries
Black Currant
Blueberries
Cherry
Coconut
Cranberry
Dragon Fruit
Grapes (Not Grape Ivys) Leaves, Fruit
Kiwi
Mango
Melon / Cantaloupe
Nectarine (not seed)
Passion Fruit
Peach (not seed)
Pears (not seeds)
Plantains
Plum (not seeds)
Pomegranate
Quince
Raisins
Raspberry
Sharon Fruit
Strawberry
Water Melon

calcium
around 15 to 30 precent of a healthy diet for snails is made of calcium. calcium is extremely important, as they need it to grow and keep their shell healthy. snails should be given a constant supply of calcium in their enclousre.
there are a few different methods to supply your snail(s) with calcium, but this is my favorite:
cuttlefish bone

cuttlefish bone or cuttlebone is a hard, white shell. its not really a bone nor does it come from a fish, actually. its just a shell found in all members of cuttlefish which is a creature similar to a squid or an octopus.

it is the most popular provided calcium source by snail keepers and you can easily get one from the pet store (specifically the bird section) and online. make sure it is natural and real cuttlebone, without any additives! put it in the enclousre by laying it facing upwards. the upper side is the softer side! try to put your nail into both sides, the side where it sinks the most will be the softer and upper one.


for small snails and hatchlings it is recommended to split the cuttlebone and place it in different areas of the encolusre. if it gets too dirty, wash it in water.

although this method is the majority's favorite, if you do not like it, that is okay. i decided to not list any other methods simply because i do not know enough about them to confidently mark it as correct, true and recommended information. sorry!! you can research about it though :( p.s. it is recommended not to sprinkle calcium on food. snails know when to eat calcium, if they need to. kinda like how you drink water when you are thirsty, so usually there is no need to worry about it. forcing them into eating calcium may cause their shell harm.

protein (you may also want to read https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KjFkCvmMqisi8aumYcLFbHM3UL0JpjAJUxorFbJbtCk/edit. credits to #blue8603! i still recommend reading what is written below, though!)

20% of a healthy diet for snails is made of foods with high protein levels. too much or too little can hurt the snail and cause diseases. here is a list of protein-high safe foods you can feed your snail(s), and how much you should be giving them. (the colours are just the amounts of time you should be giving the foods in a week or a month or whatever time it is) im also pretty sure you should be picking and sticking to one method only.
bloodworms - once a week. doesnt matter if frozen or dried. if frozen make sure the worms are left to thaw before serving. if dried the worms should be mixed with a bit of water and left for a few minutes till they are fully moist and mushy. around 20% protein, and low in fats.
beans - twice a week. all kinds are safe. make sure the beans are fully soaked & have no additives added to them. around 15% protein, and low in fats.
dried bugs - twice a week. usually crickets or mealworms.. you can find them at most pet shops or online. make sure they are pure and natrual, and have no additives added to them. around 15% protein, and low in fats.
peas - twice a week. frozen or fresh. if frozen make sure the peas are left to thaw before serving. canned peas are not recommended. around 15% protein, and low in fats.
seeds - twice a week. hemp seeds, lentils, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and most bird seed. dry seeds should be crushed and grated as much as possible. the seeds should be then mixed with water till they form a thick paste. around 15% protein, and low in fats.
snail mix - more information below. its just a bit more complicated ahaha
spirulina - spirulina is a type of algae. it can be brought as either powder, or a tablet. the powder is more recommended. it is adviced to mix it with other foods when feeding and only feeding very small quantities. spirulina should be soaked in water and left till fully moist and mushy. it has around 65% protein and it is high in fats & nutrients.
snail eggs - if you have crushed snail eggs that were laid by your own snails, it is recommended to feed them as they are also high in protein and nutrients.

snail mix
snail mix can be either homemade or bought. its created by mixing and finely crushing many snail-safe (and healthy) ingredients, forming a powder mix. it can contain any of the following:
Blood Worms
Calcium Powder
Cat Biscuits (with no added salts)
Dog Biscuits (with no added salts)
Dried Bugs (meal worms, crickets)
Flowers/petals
Dried Fruit
Dried Herbs
Dried Leaves
​ Dried Oats
Dried Vegetables
Fish Flakes
Meal Worms
Oyster Grit
Pollen
Pond Sticks
Seeds (Sunflower, Pumpkin, Hemp, Chia, Niger)
Spirulina

it then should be mixed with water and left for a few minutes until it is fully moist and mushy. it can then be placed on plastic saucer and put in the snail’s enclosure.
there are a few online sellers of Snail mix. remember to always look at ingredients listed and reviews before buying. the snail mix found in SnailPets is highly recommended.

^{credits goes to www.giantafricanlandsnails.com}
even though this is for GALS, this is still relevant to most garden snails. yes, you finally have reached the bottom of the page ahaha. good job!! im proud of you :D
click the image to see the full size.

source the r/snails discord server https://discord.gg/y5CTnykG
source www.giantafricanlandsnails.com