What and how to feed Achatina snails at home?

Achatina snails are exotic pets, distinguished not only by their unusual appearance, but also by their excellent appetite. In order for Achatina to feel good, develop fully and not experience health problems, her menu should be varied and balanced. Consider what foods can and cannot be fed to such pets, and how to properly develop their diet.

Achatina are considered omnivores with no special requirements for food. In the wild, they gladly absorb both fresh plant food and rotting plant debris. However, when compiling a diet for Achatina, one should not focus solely on plant foods. For the normal development of these large mollusks, in addition to fiber, additional useful and nutrients are needed: calcium and protein.

Snails need fiber to maintain energy and vitality. Under natural conditions, fiber sources are the basis of the Achatina diet. Calcium is required to build a strong and durable shell. With its deficiency, mollusks become vulnerable, and their shell will develop irregular, deformed, prone to damage.

Achatina needs protein for full growth. It has been noticed that regular feeding of snails with protein products activates the process of their physical development.

Thus, more than half of the total daily volume of food for feeding the snail should come from food of plant origin.

List of plant foods recommended for feeding Achatina:

• fresh vegetables and fruits: zucchini, bell peppers, broccoli and Peking cabbage, corn, peas, pumpkin, carrots, cucumbers, Jerusalem artichoke, tomatoes, squash, raw and boiled beets, apples, peaches, melons, pears, plums;
• fresh herbs: parsley, dill, celery, lettuce, spinach, arugula, dandelion leaves, common meadow grass, clover, plantain, beet and carrot tops;
• berries (occasionally): strawberries, cherries, cherries, raspberries, sweet gooseberries, sweet currants.

It is not recommended to feed pets with very acidic plant foods. For example, if you really want to treat a kiwi snail, you should choose the fruits of the sweetest varieties. They enjoy eating these shellfish and other tropical fruits - for example, ripe (but not overripe!) Avocados, mangoes.

Some plant foods need to be scalded before serving. White cabbage, nettle leaves are subject to compulsory scalding. You need to feed only clean fruits and vegetables, well-washed greens. Do not feed the Achatina with dirty or expired products.

Consider a list of recommended calcium sources for feeding Achatina:

• powdered chicken or quail eggshells;
• cuttlefish shell - ground or whole;
• shell rock;
• bone flour.

Some Achatins willingly consume cottage cheese, however, it should be given to shellfish occasionally, in small portions. Ground shells or sepia are added to the main food of snails as a top dressing. So that an exotic pet always has access to a source of calcium, you can put a piece of chalk next to the Achatina house. In addition, chalk can also be used as a top dressing by grinding it into powder.

Recommended protein sources for shellfish feeding:

• daphnia;
• crustaceans gammarus;
• various types of edible mushrooms (champignons, boletus mushrooms, honey mushrooms);
• beans.

Daphnia and Gammarus are the main types of dry food for aquarium fish, which can also be fed to Achatina snails. To replenish the needs of molluscs for animal protein, it is enough to add 1 teaspoon of dry ground daphnia or gammarus to their main food 2 times a week.

With great pleasure exotic shellfish consume products that are sources of vegetable protein. These include various cereals (oatmeal, pearl barley, rice), plant seeds (pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds). However, experienced owners of Achatina snails do not recommend giving their pets protein supplements too often. Excessive consumption of protein foods can cause swelling, increased mucus production, and even death of the shellfish.

Despite the fact that these amazing creatures are considered omnivores, not every product is suitable for feeding them. So, some types of food are poorly absorbed by the body of mollusks (or not absorbed at all), others cause indigestion, and others can even provoke the death of a snail.

Foods prohibited in the Achatina diet:

• bakery and confectionery products, any baked goods (bread, rolls, bagels, crackers);
• pasta, noodles;
• sweets;
• smoked meats;
• fruits and vegetables high in acid;
• pickled dishes;
• any dishes with sauces, ketchup, mayonnaise.

It is strictly forbidden to give any products containing salt to exotic shellfish. For these creatures, salinity is deadly. Salt eats away at the delicate body of the snail, causing it incredible suffering. Shellfish and spicy foods are not allowed in the diet. These include radishes, garlic, and onions.Also banned is raw unripe potatoes containing a large amount of solanine, a toxic compound that can cause severe poisoning and death of the mollusk. With great care, it is allowed to give Achatina only ripe boiled potatoes, and then in strictly limited quantities.

Such food can cause poisoning of African snails. When composing the diet of mollusks, one should focus on what they eat in their natural habitat. Naturally, in the wild, the African snail is not able to eat smoked, salted, spicy, pickled foods containing spices and seasonings.

Despite their excellent appetite, healthy Achatina do not need frequent meals. The optimal feeding schedule for adult shellfish is 3-4 meals per week. Considering that during the daytime Achatins are mostly dormant, they should be fed in the late afternoon. With the onset of dusk, the activity of these creatures increases, in the evening they wake up and start looking for food.

When preparing food for pets, you should make sure that the dish is at room temperature and is not cold or hot.

Experienced owners of Achatina strongly discourage feeding their pets with stale, expired, spoiled, rotting, moldy products. Despite the fact that in their natural habitat these snails often eat rotting and decaying plant debris, they should not be provided with such products at home. This is due to the fact that the digestive system of domestic molluscs is poorly adapted to such a diet.

These exotic creatures feel the need not only for quality food, but also for clean drinking water. Without access to a water source, the snail will quickly die. The body of mollusks needs water for normal thermoregulation, mucus production, and optimal functioning of vital systems. To maintain a comfortable level of air humidity, it is necessary to install a flat and wide container with water in the terrarium and regularly spray the soil and the walls of the tank. As they move within the enclosure, snails will consume water as needed.

It is important to note that only filtered, bottled or boiled water should be used. It is not allowed to give the snails tap, dirty and mineral water. The container with the liquid should be wide enough, but in no case high. In a container with high sides, the mollusk can choke.

Some Achatins, in addition to water, drink milk with pleasure. If the snail is interested in this drink, you should periodically treat it to them in small quantities. However, it should be borne in mind that milk is not able to compensate for the mollusk's need for clean drinking water.

Newborn Achatina in the first days after birth do not require any food or complementary foods. At the very beginning of life, to build up strength and develop, they have enough food in the form of shell fragments from their eggs. After a few days, the grown-up babies can already be fed with the same food that adults eat. However, for better assimilation, food products for little Achatina must be carefully chopped with a knife.

At the beginning of accustoming little Achatina to an adult diet, plant foods should be used. So, at first, it is allowed to feed the kids finely chopped lettuce leaves, previously rolled in ground eggshell or chalk powder. When small snails get used to this diet a little, other types of food can be introduced into their diet - for example, grated apples, carrots, cucumbers, pumpkin.

In order for babies to form a beautiful shell of the correct shape, it is necessary to add useful calcium supplements to their food. With a calcium deficiency, the Achatina shell develops very fragile, prone to damage. Little Achatina also need vitamin supplements. This need is partially compensated by fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits. However, for the best development of babies, it is advisable to add special vitamin complexes to their diet.

The protein requirement of growing molluscs can be compensated for by feeding in the form of dried daphnia or gammarus. Over time, other sources of proteins should appear in the diet of babies: mushrooms, legumes. By about three weeks of age, growing molluscs are already able to consume the same food as adults. At this stage of life, it is already possible to fearlessly compose their diet from permitted fruits, vegetables, cereals, mushrooms, herbs and herbs.

Gradually accustoming little Achatina to an adult diet, it is necessary to monitor its diversity. Experienced owners of these exotic creatures claim that a monotonous menu can seriously affect the food preferences of Achatina in the future. For this reason, it is important to prevent snails from getting used to certain types of foods. Special attention should be paid to the diet of little Achatina, born in winter. At this time of the year, the choice of vegetables, fruits and herbs is extremely limited. At the same time, store-bought vegetables and fruits are not always able to fill the need for growing snails for fiber and vitamins.

Experts recommend basing the diet of small snails on protein sources and cereals. Fresh greens, which are easy to grow on the windowsill, will also be an excellent food option.

Before feeding the Akhatin babies with store-bought vegetables and fruits, it is necessary to thoroughly peel the fruits from the skin. It is known to contain the highest amount of harmful nitrates and pesticides that can negatively affect the well-being of small shellfish.

Frozen vegetable mixes are suitable for feeding babies. Such mixtures usually include legumes (peas, green beans), corn, cauliflower, broccoli. Before serving, make sure that the temperature of the feed is at room level. It is impossible to give cold or unfrozen foods to Achatina. It is necessary to feed the growing individuals every day. In the first weeks of life, exotic snails grow very quickly and consume a large amount of energy for their development. Compensating the energy costs of small Achatina will allow a competently composed, balanced and varied diet.

It is recommended to change food in the dwelling of growing Achatina every 4-5 hours. With high humidity in the terrarium, food debris begins to decompose quickly, which can cause an outbreak of bacterial infection among young animals. You should also take care that the little Achatina always have free access to clean water. Also, do not forget about regular spraying of the soil and walls of the dwelling, where the growing generation of exotic pets is kept.

Taking care of the quality and variety of the diet of both small and adult Achatina, their owner can be sure that his pets will fully develop and grow without experiencing health problems.

How to quickly and easily prepare food for Achatina, you will learn from the video.