Top 8 Essential Food for Snails | What Do Snails Eat?

Essential-food-for-snails

Snails are able to eat almost anything. They eat fungi, fruits, flowers, fresh vegetables, and even decaying plants. They are herbivorous, carnivorous, omnivorous, and detritivorous (being able to feed on decaying plants and animals). While your snails can eat almost all kinds of food, it is best to provide them with only the essential food for snails.

The good news about snail food is that they are very easy to get and they are cheap too.

In this article, you will find a list of the most essential food for snails that you cannot do without.

Feeding your snails with the list of snail foods in this article will ensure that your snails grow healthy and fast.

Before we get into the details, let’s examine how snails eat.

Helpful article: How to start a snail farming business.

How do snails eat?

Generally, Snails are nocturnal animals, which means that they are primarily active at night. Hence, they look for food during the night or very early in the morning using their powerful sense of smell. If you are placing the food for the snails in their pen, then you need to place the food in the evening so that when they creep out to eat at night, they will find the food.

When snails find their food, they scrape or cut through the food with their ‘radula’ before swallowing the food. The radula is a special tongue-like organ, covered with thousands of tiny tooth-like protrusions called denticles. It is found in the mouth of snails and other molluscs. Snails use the radula to chew food since they do not possess any set of teeth as other mammals do.

Feeding activities for snails depend on the weather, and snails may not necessarily eat every day. Wet season (or irrigation) encourages feeding since the moisture makes it easier for the snails to move about.

Young snails can eat about twice as much feed as mature snails, and they prefer soft leaves and shoots.

Watch this video below to see a snail eating a fruit and a leaf.

A close-up video of a snail eating.

What is the best snail food for the quick growth of snails?

Snails love fleshy fruits, soft vegetables, and a lot of calcium supplements (like eggshells and oyster shells) to help in their shell formation and growth.

Below, is a list of the best for snails.

1. Soft fleshy fruits:

The best fruits for snails include watermelon, pawpaw, orange, cucumbers, pear, apple, mango, aubergine, banana, and artichoke. Snails also love to eat eggplant, tomato, apricot, pear, fig, peach, pumpkins, ripe cherries, pineapple, and many other fruits.

Fruits are rich sources of minerals and vitamins but are low in protein.

2. Leaves and vegetables:

Snails will eat the leaves of the following plants: Apple, broccoli, cocoyam, spinach, kola, cassava, onion greens, okra, eggplant, celery, parsley, loofah, turnip, mushroom, carrot, barley, chamomile, beans, cabbage, and paw-paw.

Paw-paw leaves (as well as their fruit, flower, and fruit peels) stand out as essential food for snails.

3. Tuber crops:

Snails will eat tuber crops like cassava, yam, cocoyam, sweet potato, and Irish potato.

Tubers are a good source of carbohydrates, though low in protein. If you are feeding your snails cassava, ensure that you feed them a cassava variety with very low cyanide content.

4. Flowers:

Some flowers that snails will eat include; rose, cauliflower, hibiscus, paw-paw, and sunflower.

5. Calcium supplements:

Some examples of calcium supplements for snails include calcium powder, eggshells, oyster shells, cuttlebone, shells from dead snails, natural limestone, and bone meal.

Snails must have an abundantĀ supply of calcium to build and repair their shells. Hence, you must always keep a source of calcium in the snail housing at all times.

6. Non-chlorinated water:

Place a shallow dish filled with spring water for your snail to drink from, and bathe in. Replace the water every 1-2 days.

Ensure you do not supply chlorinated water because chlorine is harmful to snails.

7. Household wastes:

Some household wastes like peels of fruits and tubers, bananas, plantain, watermelon, damaged fruits, yams, and cooked foods like potatoes, rice, carrot, and beans.

You must, however, be careful to avoid household wastes that contain salt.

Note that raw food has a higher nutritional content for snails than cooked or processed foods.

8. Formulated food:

Besides vegetables and tubers, snails also feed on concentrated or formulated feed.

Making formulated feeds for snails involves the combination of basic ingredients such as bone meal, maize, groundnut cake, soybean meal, fish meal, wheat offal, palm kernel cake, and oyster shell

These ingredients must be combined at different proportions to meet the standard for feeding snails.

Here are the reasons to feed snails formulated feed

It’s okay to feed snails feed formulation because of the following?

  • Formulated feed helps to improve the performance of snails
  • It is easy to store for a longer period unlike vegetables and fruits
  • Snail feed concentrate saves time and energy
  • With formulated snail feeds, you can meet the specific nutritional demands of snails.

Things to consider when formulating feed for snails

When formulating the snail feed concentrate, here are some of the things to consider;

  • You must know the state (health and reproductive state) of the snail.
  • It’s important to know the cost of each ingredient.
  • You must also know the nutrient requirements of the snail.
  • Finally, you must be certain that there is the availability of the feed ingredient.

Precaution for formulating snail feed

To get a well-formulated feed the following precautions need to be taken.

  • Ensure that the ingredients are not damp.
  • After formulating the feed, make sure that you keep the feed formulation in a dry place.
  • Also, note that the feed must be ground to powder.
Pumpkin: An essential food for snails

Harmful foods you should never feed snails

1.

Starchy foods

Starchy foods like rice, millet, and pasta are not easily digestible and they end up blocking the internal digestive system.

This internal blockage can cause swelling and hence, result in the death of snails.

Salt should be generally avoided as they are dangerous to snails.

2. Contaminated foods:

Any food that has been treated with pesticide is a potential snail killer.

Also, homegrown foods that have been contaminated by poisonous gases (like vehicle fumes) are not good for snails.

Snails will always avoid plants that have hairy leaves or those that produce defensive toxic chemicals. You should be careful not to provide your snails with such.

3. Salty Foods

Snails can only survive in an atmosphere that is cool with a substantial amount of moisture.

But salt can cause them to dehydrate quickly.

Therefore, you must avoid feeding your snails salty food since it is very harmful to them.

Salty foods will dehydrate your snails, thereby limiting their chances of survival.

In fact, many cooks use salt to wash off the slime from snails to show you how dangerous salt can be to them.

4. Chlorinated water:

Some water sources like tap water may contain chlorine that’s harmful to snails.

If you don’t have access to non-chlorinated water, you can leave tap water out in the sun for 48 hours to remove chemicals.

Ensure you use a very shallow dish to supply water to the snails to prevent them from drowning.

Image: A snail crawling over vegetables

Best practices for feeding snails

It is good practice to ensure you wash all food before you give them to the snails. This is important because some insect larvae may be hiding in the food without you knowing.

In addition, remove all leftover snail food from the pens daily as it will decay quickly. Decaying food will attract fleas, lice, mice, rats, and diseases.

To facilitate cleaning, place snail food on a flat dish or a concrete slab constructed within the pen. All dishes (both feed and water dishes) should be heavy enough as the snails will tend to tip them up as they move over them.

Conclusion

This post gives you a fair idea of some of the best foods for snails so you know what snails eat and drink to survive.Ā 

As a result of the omnivorous nature of snails, they feed on virtually all varieties of food.

Some of the best foods for snails include vegetables, fruits, tuber crops, concentrated feed, and many more. They eat almost all human consumables with few exceptions.

Generally, snails can eat up to 4-6% of their body weight within 24 hours. Therefore, it is very necessary to feed them properly because it aids reproduction capacity and increases their size.

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146 Comments

  1. Odi Oge Brian says:

    Thank you for the information. Sir you talked about feeding snail egg shell for healthy shell growth but, my question is this, those snail in the farm has no access to feeding on egg shell, how come their shell are so healthy and strong?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Eggshell is just on of many sources of calcium for snails. Snails in the wild can get calcium from dead animal bones, dead snail shells etc

  2. Lois Redne Madaki says:

    I found your lecture very educative and decided to start something so i went to the market, got 8 pieces of Achatina Achatina (tiger land snail) and since I brought them, they have refused to Eat, what do I do?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      The snails are most likely very stressed. Also, we usually advise new snail farmers to get their snails directly from a snail farmer. This kind of snail is already conditioned to stay in captivity. Hence, they will not have so many issues when you get them. As a recommendation, I suggest you soak the snails in a bucket of water for about a minute to draw them out of their shells. Do this in the evening just before dark and then place their food for them in their pen. The will feed all night.

  3. Grace ngozi says:

    Thank you for this tutorial. Learnt a lot. Please can i rear two different species in the same pen?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      If your goal is to get them to mate and produce a hybrid, they won’t mate. Generally, we don’t advice snail farmers to keep more than one species of snail in a pen. The reason is that it may become difficult for you to sort them later. Also, separating your snails makes it easy for you to count them and keep accurate stock of the farm.

  4. Thank you very much for information you gave, is a comprehensive lecture and well explained. May merciful God bless you more and more.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thank you very much. Iā€™m glad you enjoyed reading this snail feed guide.

  5. Thanks for this stepping stone.
    I am trying to do something entirely different from the above. And I hope to do that for the next two years before I can reveal my conclusions. It involves different habitat, feeding, breeding, mixed species and general care. Hope it’ll all go well.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Wow!! That’s awesome.
      Would love to see your results. Good luck.

  6. Adeleye Ayodeji says:

    This explanation is informative enough.l give you thumb up and 5stars up

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thanks a lot. I’m glad that you find this snail feed guide helpful.

  7. Beautiful read.
    I learnt a lot really.
    I just started a mini snail farm recently and my biggest snail laid about 8 eggs. So happy! I will see to it that I abide by all the rules, dos and don’t in here.

    Thanks for the beautiful and educative write up!

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Hey Freda,
      I’m glad you found this article helpful.
      Do share your results with us after the snail eggs are hatched.

  8. MARVIS UMURIE says:

    I guess you can teach us about poultry farm and fishing farm too,I would like to establish on these too

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      There are articles about fish farming and poultry farming on this website. Please use the menu button at the top to navigate to the article you want to read.
      Cheers.

  9. El-Samisco says:

    Very informative. I am equipped with the kind of knowledge you are imparting. God bless you.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      I’m glad you found this snail feed guide helpful. Kudos to you.

  10. Thanks so much
    Am looking for way to survive in life since our governor have sack us from our work

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Awwwwā€¦ Thatā€™s sad. I pray agriculture gets you back on your feet really fast.

  11. Ngozi Veronica says:

    Thank you for this wonderful lesson.Very informative.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      You are welcome.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thanks for this wonderful feedback.

  12. National Adeoye says:

    I like the manuscript. Good work

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thank you.

    2. Very informative, Thanks

    3. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      You’re Awesome.

  13. Nnadi Cynthia says:

    Good work please I will like to be receiving mail about snail farming, I want to learn more so that I can use it as business if possible

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Please, join our WhatsApp group to join the conversation.

  14. Seun Foluso says:

    You are really doing a great job here. Well done. God bless you. Pls where are you based? If closer, I would have love your presence for service to start up small snail rearing for me in my compound. Looking forward to your response.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thanks for your Compliment.

    2. Phumzile Dumakude says:

      Thank you ever so much for sharing such information. I would also like to join the WhatsApp group please send me the link.

  15. Iyanda OLUWATOSIN joe says:

    Just want to start this rearing of snailā€¦.. really appreciate you for this table

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      You’re welcome.

  16. oshiomah mohammed says:

    Glad to have seen your page and used it as guide to start snail rearing.i followed all your steps and i am happy to say i am doing well and growing in numbers of snails in my pen.was able to pick from the forest and lucky for me…50% of the snails are laying eggs at the moment.thanks for learning from you SIR.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      I’m glad to learn about your success. Kudos to you.

  17. PLEASE DO NOT FEED YOUR SNAILS RICE, PASTS OR ANY OTHER GRAINS. Your article mentions rice as well as tomato and eggplant. These can be deadly to snails. The tomato and eggplant not as much, but they should be given with caution (it depends on the species). Also cucumber should be given as a treat. It has no nutritional value and be very addictive time snails to a point where they will starve themselves. The article overall is very helpful but please do a little more research. Again very helpful article.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thank you very much for the heads up. The article will be updated ASAP.

  18. Anyanwu Longinus Chijioke says:

    Thanks for the free knowledge.
    May God bless you forever.

    Please I just want to start snail farming and don’t understand most of the terms used like SNAIL PEN, SNAIL SIZES, 1mƗ1m etc.

    Needs some further knowledge assistance

  19. Parinitha Bhargav says:

    Not only for humans but for all the creatures of earth food is most important. Found this post to be very interesting as it gives such detailed information about food for other creatures on earth.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Very true, Bhargav. Food is very important. Thanks for your comment.

    2. Beatrice Ifeoluwa says:

      The Whatsapp group is full already

    3. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Please, try again. We update it from time to time.

  20. Thanks for this free tutorial and answers to some relevant questions on snail farming.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      I appreciate you, Chux.

  21. Rapu onyi says:

    Good day, thanks for all guides you’ve given here for free, it’s really helpful and am glad I found it.
    Pls am trying to setup a little pen for snails but don’t know if there is a particular type of sand to be used in filling the pens, please kindly help with the type I can use and secondly, I found some small snails in my compound and wanted to raise them but was told that it won’t grow to marketable sizes, how true is this? Thanks

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Hello Onyi,
      I’m glad you found this article helpful.
      As for the type of soil to use, loam soil is best. You can find the soil in a garden near you. It’s usually black in colour.
      To answer your final question, you need to know that the species of snail you are rearing. I always recommend you get your parent snails from a farmer near you.
      The best snails for rearing are the Achatina achatina and the Achatina marginata species.

  22. TITY EMEH says:

    Hello there, this your educative programme is very enlightened. God bless you. I used big tyres to try to rear the snails and it was doing very fine; bringing out young ones in numbers. Unfortunately, I discovered the next time I checked that soldier ants entered the cage and killed them in numbers. Pls how can I prevent this in future because my area is prone to soldier ants as it’s close to swamp? Pls you can send reply to my personal email. Thanks.

  23. Good evening pls the tubers for snails, should they be boiled or given to them raw?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Give to them raw

    2. Can scent leaf be given to snail pls?

  24. Dr. Pat Akumabor says:

    I have a snail farm of 500 snails. I have just harvested maize from my farm can I feed my snails with ground dry maize or should I boil them and pound them?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Ground to powder and mix with little water to form a paste. However, it’s best to feed them concentrate feed instead of just ground maize.

  25. Abiona Oluyemi says:

    Love all that I have read here, thanks so much for your patience in answering questions. God will continue to bless you and all yours. (Amen)

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Amen

    2. joshua ademola says:

      Please where can I get the commercial snail in south west of Nigeria

    3. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      I don’t know of anyone in South Western Nigeria who is into snail farming.

      However, you can check @Roovisionsnailfarm on Instagram.

      They deliver nationwide.

    4. Shu Rhoda says:

      I was so happy for the great knowledge of snails feeding

    5. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      You are welcome.

  26. Thank you so much sir…may God continue to enlarge you. Please can i give my snail dry leaves mix with calcium?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Sure, you can do that.

  27. Pls do wat do I feed my bby snails?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      They eat the same food as the adult snails.

  28. Eno Emmanuel says:

    Hi,
    learnt from a farming group called Green Farm but wanted to know more.l am just about to start my own small farm in my compound and hope the tips here will go a long way to ensure my success.
    thanks
    best wishes
    Eno

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      You’re welcome, Eno

  29. Agro4africa ,you are doing great. I wished I had this opportunity some years back. God bless you more. I am extremely motivated and energised to start doing something after being frustrated by people hired in different ventures.
    Kindly, let me know the best specie of snail and how much a hundred of will cost.
    Thanks in anticipation of your earliest response.
    Regards.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      The best species for a commercial purpose is the Achatina marginata.
      Please send a mail to [email protected] to get costings.

  30. don chucks uzochukwu says:

    Thank you for your educative and motivative articles and honest replies to comments and questions. May God strengthen you for empowering Nigerians. PLS sir, what is the name of the very big snail from BENIN area, also Achantina Achantina from Osun state? And how can one source breeding stock for it? PS I need a reply I want to stock my farm in Abuja with 120 0f each
    Don.Chucks

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Hello Don Chucks,
      Thanks for your compliments.

      The Big snail from Benin and Osun area are definitely the Achatina marginata var. ovum or western species of Achatina marginata.

      The Achatina achatina species does not do well in Nigeria.

      It’s best you go for either the Achatina marginata var. suturalis (my best recommendation for a quick recoup) or you go for the Achatina marginata var. ovum.

      If you want to stock your farm, I can supply to you in Abuja within 3-4 days after receipt of payment.

      Please send an email to [email protected] with details of your request and your preferred pick up point.

      Thanks.

    2. Udoka nwankwo says:

      Very helpful and educative. Thanks

  31. Okafor Francis says:

    Thanks for the enlightenment I truly appreciate
    I picked some up from the back of my compound I have been trying to nucture them I built a small place for them but I allowed them to still be on the natural Earth surface I don’t know if it’s right and pls does earth warms attack them?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      It’s okay to leave the snails on ordinary soil, however, you must make sure you drill a barrier into the soil around the snails.

      This is important because the snail are able to dig the soil and escape if the barrier you placed around them is just on the surface of the floor.

      I hope this helps.

      Cheers.

  32. Tajudeen yemisi sadiat says:

    Thank you so much for the needful information on snail ,my question is ,I just start snail farming in my house using plastic rubber to keep them ,is it good like that and also if found out that they lay eggs almost everyday can I put it in the same pen

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      You are welcome Tajudeen.
      About your snail farm, If you are keeping the snails for personal use, then the plastic rubber is okay since you are going to eat them sooner or later.
      As for the eggs, you must pick them out using a plastic spoon and plate and incubate them separately.
      learn more about hatching eggs in this article; http://agro4africa.com/hatching-snail-eggs/

  33. Austin Chuks Amadi says:

    Hi Admin,
    Please can I start a commercial snail farm, using an empty two bedroom flat.
    I Intend to use a ground floor two bedroom apartment in my compound.
    Please advise if the idea is worth, since the apartment is fetching 500k annually is rented to a tenant. Using a hutch box type of snail pen in all the available spaces in the flat. Am I likely going to turnover more than 500k annually from what the snail proceed from the two bedroom flat. Trying to use what I have to archive what I enjoy & love doing most. ….SNAIL FARMING.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      It all depends on the size of the space you have and your marketing ability.

  34. Austin Chuks Amadi says:

    Admin, your lectures on Snail Farming has been wonderful. I stay in the urban city of PHC. I have plans to start snail farming this year. I want to start with my flower beds, by increasing the height with blocks and construct the cover with angle iron frame and wire mesh. Will use green color cotton net to cover the top as to create darkness inside the pen.
    But my concern is how can I be able to clean the snail fasces on daily baises. Is it possible to locate all the fasces of the snails or should I bring out all the snails for pen cleaning on daily baises.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Hello Austin,
      Iā€™m glad you enjoyed reading all my articles on snail farming.šŸ˜Š

      And Iā€™m happy you have decided to start snail farming immediately.

      So, from your narration of the steps you want to follow to start your own snail farming business, I see you already have a clear cut strategy.

      The only input I will make is this, you donā€™t need to clean out your snail pen every day like you would do to a chicken coop or other livestock.

      This is because snail droppings are very small and over time they tend to mix up with the soil.

      Usually, the cleaning of the snail pen can be as easy as turning the soil with a hole so that the whole thing mix up with the soil to form manure.

      For an intensive system, you may need to treat the soil every 4 months and change it entirely after 18 months

      In your case, you have a growing plant in your set up that will make use of the manure.

      Thatā€™s a very brilliant idea.

      If you are ever going to do a cleaning in such setting, it would be to till the soil to incorporate the dropping into it.

      Otherwise, the plant will do the cleaning biologically as it tries to absorb nutrients from the manure.

      I hope this makes sense? šŸ˜Š

  35. Odinaka humorouslife says:

    Love to start the farm it like now I have a little one am learning so wish to know more about it the food s that I will not be able to lose it

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Good to hear that youā€™d like to start your own snail farming business.

      Do make sure to visit a snail farmer near you to see what he is doing.

      Cheers to your success šŸ„‚

  36. Priye chery says:

    U r such a darling for freely giving us such helpful info…
    I’ve sourced d net for so long yet those i found won’t divulge any info without asking for consultation fees.

    I’m really gratful that u hv come up to encourage us.

    Meanwhile i want to start up a farm in benin..

    I sent u a mail already..

    So pls do well to reply me.

    Tnx a lot

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thank you for your kind words. I have replied your mail.šŸ˜Ž

    2. Tomori Asiat says:

      Thanks alot for this article Sir. I saw few 23 young snails at my back yard and am planning to keep them. Can bitter leaf or scent leaf serve as food for them. Cos I have both of them in my backyard too. Thanks.

    3. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      The bitter leaf will do, but I can’t say about scent leaves

  37. Thank you for your educative and motivative articles and honest replies to comments and questions. May God strengthen our as you empower Nigerians .PS what is the name of the very big snail. From BENIN area? And how can one source breeding stock for it? PS I need a reply.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thanks for your comment @Aram

      The big snail from Benin is the Western species called Achatina marginata Ovum.

      I can supply you with the breeding stock.

      Our minimum order quantity is 100 pieces of snails.

      Please send an email to [email protected] with details of the number of snails you wish to buy, your address and your phone number.

      We will process your order immediately

  38. I just started snail farming with 65 snails I picked from my compound. How do I get calcium supplements to feed them to achieve a very rapid growth?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      You can serve then ground egg shells. That will be very easy to find.

  39. onyeaghala okwudu says:

    Thank you for your motivating post. How do l keep my pen slime free. How many young snails will be kept in 1m x 1m pen. Is it good to remove all sand in the pen then replace with a new one.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thanks for the compliment, Onyeaghala.

      To keep you pen slim free, you have to really depopulate the pen.

      A 1 x 1 pen can hold between 30 – 40 large snails.

      The size of young snails varies with months.

      Just used you instinct to estimate the number of young snails that should be in a pen.

      It can be up to 100 for really small snails

  40. Nwoke-dike osinachi says:

    Sir can I have your WhatsApp number I have some species I don’t know about …

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Hello Nwoke-dike, please send images to my email [email protected]

      PS:
      I apologize for the late reply. Iā€™ve been away.

  41. thank you very much for this valuable information,may God bless u . Pls how can i find market for my fully grown snail. Thanks in anticipation.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Hello DPO, thanks for asking this very important question about snail marketing.

      If you read through all my introductory articles, I always mention that your market is the first thing to find.

      For instance, there maybe a lot of snail consumption in Lagos or in the south south region of Nigeria.

      However, you leave in an area where snail meat is a taboo to the indigenes.

      So, you see! You will produce so much snails without an idea of who will buy from you.

      Thatā€™s why a market review is core when starting snail farming.

      You can check then local markets to see how people patronize snail sellers.

      That is if there are any snail sellers at all.

      I hope this helpsāœŒļø

  42. Mrs Abies Okhuahesogie says:

    Pls help on which insecticides I can use if there ants in my snails farm cause my snails are dying day by day

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      I will advice you take out all your snails and treat the soil very well before replacing them.

      You may also want to change the soil if need be.

    2. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      I will advice you take out all your snails and treat the soil very well before replacing them.

      You may also want to change the soil if need be.

      I will publish an article on how to prevent pests and insects from entering your snail farm.

    3. onyeaghala okwudu says:

      Sir, your post l read last night as it concerns how to care for snail and feeding was educating, motivating and wonderful. How will l remove snail slim in my pen. How many young snails will 1mx1m pen contain.

    4. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Youā€™re welcome.. seems like so I replied this message before

  43. Israel Ayoola Ojelade says:

    Thank You, Am New To The Snail Farming, Just Starting Nd I Have 81 Medum Snails Nd 7 Big Snails = 88 Achatina Achatina, I Would Like To Know More. Thank You

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      I’m happy to hear from you Israel.

      I have written extensively on snail farming, please do well to visit the snail farming category and get answers to many questions you may want to ask.

  44. Ebolor Onome says:

    can i place dry plantain leaves on the soil for the snail to hide

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Sure, it is highly recommended to place plantain leaves on one side of your pen so that the snails can crawl underneath it in the day time.

      Snails are a nocturnal animal, meaning that they are more active at night or in the dark.

  45. thanks so much for the enlightenment on snail farming. God bless u. can I have ur no for further discussion on feed purchase?.

  46. Thanks, your articles are all helpful. I followed your instruction on how to hatch my snail eggs and I have seen the result, thanks for this. Now please what can I feed my baby snails to facilitate rapid growth.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Excellent, Taiwo.

      Good to know that you followed the hatching instructions for snail eggs provided here on Agro4africa.

      Baby snails need to form strong shells, therefore, you need to feed them with more calcium supplements whilst providing vegetables, fruits and other food for them.

  47. How can I get calcium supplements apart from snail shell.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Hello Olumide,

      You can buy calcium stones from the market or ground eggshells.
      Dry bonemeals can also supply calcium too.

  48. Thanks so much for explaining things to us. Please what are the things that can cause snails to die? Secondly, is earthworm good for snails?

    1. Thanks so much for the information provided. My questions:
      1. Can I begin my snail farming with snails picked from around my house
      2. Can snails be few with orange peels after sucking out the juice and removing the outer cover?
      3. What other local leaves do snails feed on…..Moringa leaves and strm, ewedu leaves and stem, spinach and other green vegetable leaves and stem??

    2. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thank you very much for your comment @Olayinka,

      To reply to your questions.

      1. You can begin your snail farming with snails picked around the house. However, you must ensure that the snails you have picked are viable snails as recommended in our article on How to Start Snail Farming business.

      2. You can feed your snails with the leftovers of orange after sucking the juice.

      3. All the leaves you have mentioned can be fed to snails, but you must ensure that they are soft and succulent for the snails to feed on. Also, you must ensure that they are free of any form of insect larvae which may harm the snails.

    3. Chuka Kenneth says:

      Hello Admin, please i have about 300 snails i picked from my compound last two week and i constructed a small peg for them and put all of them together both the big ones and the smaller ones,and right now i am feeding them with the necessary food which i read from here in internet,please what next do i do to let them grow well and multiple for a commercial purposes. thanks and look forward to urgent response. Chuka Ken

    4. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Great start @Chuka,

      The next thing to do is to separate the snails according to their sizes so that they do not predate on themselves.
      I don’t know the size of your pen nor the sizes of the snails, so I can’t recommend the number of snails you should set aside in each pen according to their sizes. Just use your instinct to provide enough space for the snails to move around.

      PS:
      There is one tiny problem… What species of snails have you harvested from your compound? If you don’t know the species, I will recommend you take some to a nearby farmer to help you identify them or you could send some clear pictures to [email protected] for identification.

    5. Thank you, sir, for ur teaching, I really appreciate,
      PS: I want to know if I can train my snails inside a sack bag and if I can give them gari, thank u

    6. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      You are welcome Ogechi.
      PS:
      It’s not advisable for you to rear snails in a sack. Sacks tend to wear and tear with constant exposure to sunlight, water and the soil.
      As for feeding the snails with garri, that too is not advisable. Even though garri is made from cassava and contains carbohydrate, snails prefer to eat fresh food that is moist too. Garri is too dry for snails to feed on.

  49. Ayoola Gbenga says:

    I really commend all your efforts and gestures in taking your time over every questions asked. I also find your article well informed in helping and encouraging some of us in putting more interest in snail farming.
    May you continue growing in wisdom and fulfilled destiny by His Grace.
    Thanks.

    Pst Ayoola Gbenga.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thank you very much Pst Ayoola Gbenga.

      A comment like yours is the motivation that keeps us going.

      I really appreciate sir.

      Thank you.

    2. God bless you abundantly as you share your knowledge freely. I highly appreciate. I recently went into snail farming and following you has helped me a lot in the right direction. Thank you.

    3. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      You are welcome, Nulis. šŸ˜Š

      I wish you success in your snail farming business.

  50. Shalom Michael says:

    Please I really need need about 200pieces of Achachatina maginata, how much can it cost
    Please I really need the reply urgently

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Hello Michael,

      You can get 200 pieces of Archachatina marginata at point of lay (POL) from Agro4africa ASAP.

      Please send us a mail to [email protected]

      Thanks

  51. I love your patience and eagerness to answer questions. please why would earth worm be introduced in the snail pen.

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Hello Barnas, Thanks for your compliment.

      To your question…

      Earthworms will only be necessary if you are operating a free-range snail farming business.

      The essence of the earthworm in a snail farm is to loosen the soil and to enhance the growth of vegetation.

      Cheers.

  52. Shulammite says:

    Thank u admin for your Useful Information,pray God increases your knowledgešŸ‘šŸ‘ please the feed supplement u talked about for example the B.M, Oyster shell and all that, do i have to grind them b4 giving to the snail. Will appreciate your answer

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thanks for the compliment.šŸ™Œ

      As for the shells, you have to grind the for easy consumption.

      Ground Oyster shells, ground snail shells, bone meal and ground poultry shells can be fed to the snails.

      Hop you find this helpful?

  53. may the good lord bless u sir and enlarge u the more ijn. there are small long animal that looks like snail,white and long. that you see in their pens. what is it and are they harmful?

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      That’s another species of snail.

      Even though it does not harm your snails in anyway, you don’t need them in your farm.

      It’s even shocking… How did they get into your pen in the first place? Lol.

      Please check your snail pen to ensure that they are not entering your farm from the wild.

      Many other stuff can creep into your farm just like they did.

      Take out everything that’s not like the specie of snails you have in your farm.

      Also, keep records of the number of snails in each pen you have on your farm. By doing this, you can track what’s happening to your snails.

      I believe this answers your question.

      If you have more questions, please ask, and I’ll see how I can be of help to you.

  54. Akintayo Akinlolu.O says:

    I need Achatina Achatina 1000 pics

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Thanks for your comment, Mr. Akintayo.

      We can supply 1000 pieces of Achatina Achatina to you.

      Please send your name, location, phone number and order quantity to [email protected] and you will hear from us immediately.

  55. Please do they eat appple

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Yeah, sure. Snails eat apples too.

  56. Please is there anything wrong in feeding my snails with only fruits

    1. Mbazu Chibuzor says:

      Your snails will not have all the nutrients it requires for proper development and growth.

      Please find a good mix and give the varieties.

  57. Thank u admin for taking time to answer the questions. Pls i want to know if there is anything i should do other than feeding to enhance my snails to lay more eggs.

    1. Ensure your snail house is always clean and slime free.

      Ensure the snail farm is always moist so that they don’t aestivate.

      Feed them calcium. Good for shells.šŸ˜‰

  58. Sadiq Adebayo Saka says:

    I have a serious challenge. I notice some white ants/insects in my pen. They used to be few but they have multiplied and it seems the mortality rate of my baby snails is high. Do you know the insects? Can I use sniper to kill them?

    1. Please don’t use SNIPER.

      Evacuate the snails and change the soil asap.

      Change the soil in your pen, thereafter always clean the snail’s faeces on daily basis or introduce plenty earthworm into your pen because those white small ant-like insect do reproduce rapidly in snail faeces.

  59. Please my snail eggs dnt seem to hatch, they dry up on the inside after a while.

    1. Cover them with enough soil and minimize moisture where the eggs are.

      Hope you don’t expect 100% hatching? Only 20-40% of the eggs may hatch. If you’re lucky, it may be more than that.

  60. Isharufe dafe says:

    I found your article useful n helpful to build my snail pen and also get actively involved in snail farming. I hope you will continue to encourage people like us for future involvement. Thank you again

    1. Thanks for your honest reply Isharufe.

      It is our duty here @ Agro4Africa to encourage farmers. We won’t stop doing that.

      Thanks again.

  61. ALDER OLUSOLA says:

    AM HAVING ISSUES ON HOW TO HATCH MY EGGS.

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