You see that tingle you feel as you wonder if introducing bananas to your snail’s diet is a good idea? It has stayed with me for years into owning my pet snail. Sometimes, I think it’s nature’s way of reminding me that some meals can also affect snails. Take for instance bananas; they are a common treat you enjoy in your diet . But, do you know that many snail keepers have never thought of introducing bananas to their snails? So, are bananas that good for snails? Can your snails eat bananas?
Snails can eat bananas and banana peels too. They are a valuable source of carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, and minerals like calcium that will strengthen your snail’s shell. However, you should only feed bananas as a treat or as a little snack to your snails and not the main meal because bananas contain excess sugar that can deform or harm your snail.
In this article, I will tell you what various parts of a banana you can feed your snails and their nutritional value. You will also learn how to prepare bananas for your snail, how often you can feed bananas to your snails and the downside of bananas for snails.
Recommended Posts
- Can Snails Eat Apples?
- Can Snails Eat Chocolate?
- How Long Should You Acclimate Your Snails?
- Do Snails Have Feelings or Emotions
Reasons Why Snails Eat Bananas
Harvard School of Public Health embarked on deep research to adequately exhaust the nutritional value of bananas. From the research, they found out that each serving of bananas contains about;
- 30 grams of starch
- 1 gram of proteins
- 16 grams of sugar
- 450 milligrams of calcium, potassium, manganese, and vitamin B6.
Indeed, these components are vital for the development of the snails, so snails do actually need bananas in their diet. Here’s are other reasons why snails eat bananas;
1) Bananas Provide Snails With the Energy they Require to Move Around
You see snails feel pain too and they for the most part carry their shells everywhere. Usually, these shells hold their internal organs together and act as their safety haven when faced with threat; it is where they retract to hide from predators that would normally hurt them.
Those shells can be pretty heavy to move around with, so the snails need a lot of energy to transport them as they move.
Do you see the trails that snails leave behind as they move around? They are mucus tracks that snails slime on as they move to reduce friction so they don’t get hurt.
These trails also helps them move on vertical ground. Snails use about ⅓ of the energy they consume to create mucus, and the carbohydrates in bananas are an excellent sources energy.
This is a good reason why you should feed your snails with fruits such as bananas and apples.
Fun fact: do you know that snails use slime trails to communicate with each other? So, next time you come across a slime track, try not to disrupt it. It could be a snail trying to find its loved one.
Recommended Product: Premium Land Snail Substrate , Perfect Bedding for Your Pet Snail.
2) Bananas Are a Source Of Proteins that Help Snails Grow Faster
Proteins have always been linked with the rapid growth of muscles. You must have seen people take loads of protein shakes that contain bananas to help them add muscles, right? Snails are no different.
If you need your snails to grow faster, a diet with adequate protein will do the trick and increase their sizes.
Also, as your snails age, they must reproduce and make their young ones. Now, that is another area where the proteins come in. Proteins are vital in helping your snails lay eggs that later hatch and become baby snails. And, if you need them to sleep better, add proteins to their diet.
This article explains the sleep circle of snails, I recommend it.
Pro – Advice: Please note that bananas are not the primary source of proteins. With between 30-400 eggs to lay at a time , your snail’s diet needs more protein levels. Hence, you will need to supplement the bananas with mealworms or dog food for sufficient levels of protein.
2) Bananas Have Calcium that Aids in Shell Formation
The shell makes up ⅓ of the snail’s body and is actually a very vital part of the snail. This is because the shell protects the internal organs of your snail and protects the snail from water loss, cold, and predators.
Back when my sister and I were playful children, my mother would force a glass of milk and bone soup down our throats daily to strengthen our bones. “I don’t have the money to keep repairing broken bones,” she would say.
Like in the human body, calcium is very critical in strengthening your snail’s shells. If the shells aren’t strong enough, they are usually susceptible to damage or even stop the entire growth of the snail, which eventually leads to its death.
Your snails need enough calcium to remain strong, and bananas contain some of the required calcium.
Note: Although bananas have calcium, they are not primary sources of calcium. So, you must supplement your snail’s diet to reach their required amount of proteins.
4) Snails Just Love Bananas
Just like humans, snails enjoy taking soft, mushy, and sweet foods, of which bananas perfectly describe such a delicacy. In another world, snails would actually kill for a banana bite.
Yup! Your snail has a sweet tooth, too! Surprised? So yes, it is not really that bad for your snail to take a banana bite.
Expert Advice: Bananas have a high amount of sugar that could harm your snail if taken in high amounts. So, as much as snails enjoy eating bananas, a slice or two twice a week is enough for them to acquire the full benefits of bananas.
Is Banana Peel Good for Snails?
Image Source: Gardening Know How
Banana peels are also healthy options to feed your snails. Actually, RSPB UK says that snails would rather eat the banana peels than the rest of your plants. I agree. So, here is what feeding your snails banana peels will do for their health;
- Banana peels are excellent vitamin B6, potassium, fibre, and L-ascorbic acid sources. These nutrients will go a long way in improving snails’ general well-being especially after acclimating them into anew environment.
What Is the Best Food for Snail?
As I have mentioned earlier, bananas should only make up for 10% of your snails’ meals. This is what should make up for the remaining 90%.
- Fruits: Besides bananas, you can throw in fruits like grapes to cover for the vitamins and natural sugars.
- Greens: Spinach, lettuce, and kale are great options for minerals and vitamins. These leafy greens go a long way toward preserving the health of the snails.
- Calcium supplements: Bananas have relatively low calcium. You should, therefore, supplement the bananas with eggshells or crushed bones to top up for the required calcium.
- Vegetables: High-fibre vegetables like broccoli are also very healthy options for snails.
If you keep land snails, I recommend 3 Pcs Hermit Crab Ceramic Food Dish. This food dish is non-toxic and perfect for small pets.
Pro- Tip : Although snails can eat a wide range of foods, you should never feed them anything with high fat, salt, or sugar. Salt will dry out your snails, taking them to an early grave. Also, keep your snails from acidic fruits that can harm their digestive systems.
Recommended For Snails
1)First Light’s Original Fresh Green Organic Premium Grade A Matooke Banana, Guineo verde.
2) Fresh Banana Leaves 2 Lbs. Hoja de Platano
3) Fresh Whole Plantains (5lb) Tropical Importers
Conclusion
Bananas are a nutritious source of potassium, calcium, proteins, vitamins, and carbohydrates. But, you should feed your snails in moderation, as bananas contain too much sugar that can potentially harm your snail.
If you have successfully fed your snail pet some bananas, let me know in the comments how it went. Did your snails like it ? Thank you for reading