Can Turtles Eat Snails? – Things You Want To Know
It’s important to know what a turtle likes to eat if you have one as a pet. Although processed foods might give them the nutrition they need, live prey is what they prefer to eat.
Can turtles eat snails? Absolutely. Snails are one of the main foods of turtles, to be honest. Furthermore, this is a fantastic source of the nutrition that turtles need. So there are no barriers to feeding the snails. But the owner should be careful about the quantity and quality of snails to avoid risks.
Malayan Snail-eating turtle frequently inhabits rice fields, canals, and other lowland habitats modified by human activity. This turtle feeds mostly on snails, thus the name!
That’s not the end. We talked about all the benefits of eating snails in our discussion below. You’ll also learn which turtle species are most likely to eat snails.
Can You Feed Snails to Your Pet Turtles?
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Yes, turtles can eat snails, and it is also very healthy for them. If you look at turtles’ food habits, you’ll notice that snails are one of their main sources of nutrition. They are very low in calories and high in protein.
A mere 4 or 5 ounces of snail can provide 80 to 100 calories, which is not bad for a daily calorie intake. There will be 15 to 20 grams of protein in that many calories. Ultimately, we can say that snails can easily meet turtles’ nutritional needs.
Other than that, turtles really enjoy eating snails. If you have a turtle tank, you can simply place the snails in it; they do not require any assistance in feeding.
Besides snails, turtles also like to eat spiders, worms, crickets, and crayfish. These foods have the same nutritional value as snails. The only advantage is that snails are widely available; they can be found almost anywhere and are inexpensive.
There is a small risk associated with feeding snails to your turtle. Some snails can be harmful to your pet’s health, and if fed to your turtle, they will become sick. Two poisonous snails are cone and conch.
In addition to that, overeating snails can cause different kinds of diseases to your turtle. Thus, you should be cautious.
Do Turtles Like Snails?
Yes, turtles do enjoy snails. This is because snails are delicious to them, and turtles can easily catch snails. Turtles are always big fans of snails, whether it’s an adult one or a baby. If you give them snails to eat, they will be happy.
The young turtles enjoy snails more than the old turtles because the old turtles lose interest in live prey after a while.
Health Benefits for Turtles Eating Snails?
A snail is an excellent source of protein, as we mentioned earlier. In addition, they contain fewer calories. So snail protein can easily make turtles energetic.
Snails also contain iron in addition to protein. Turtles’ health depends heavily on iron. Snails can provide 40 to 50 percent of the body’s iron requirements with just 3 milligrams. It helps to make the turtle bone stronger.
For better health, snails provide zinc, which helps create enzymes and proteins.
How Many Snails Should Turtles Eat?
Since snails are one of the main foods for wild turtles, they can eat them daily. However, you should give a snail to a pet turtle every two or three days. Feeding snails every day is unnecessary because pet turtles eat other things too.
Keep in mind that too much snail consumption can make turtles sick.
Which Snails Do Turtles Eat?
If you’re wondering which snails turtles eat, the answer is any kind of snail! Turtles are not fussy eaters when it comes to snails, and will consume both land and water-dwelling varieties. While some turtles may have a preference for one type of snail over another, all turtles will eat snails if given the chance.
- Ramshorn snail
- Apple snail
- Pond snail
- Mystery snail
- Rabbit snail
- Malaysian trumpet snails
- Nerite snails
- Trumpet snail
- Bladder snails,
- Garden snails
How Do You Prepare Snails For Turtles?
You don’t have to prepare snails for feeding turtles. Give them some raw snails; they enjoy eating them that way. When a turtle is sick, or if it has any mouth disease or infection, you can break the snail shell and feed them.
Instead of giving them old or dead snails, try giving them alive and fresh ones.
Can You Feed Snails to Baby Turtles? If So, How?
Snails are a favorite food of young turtles. When giving snails to baby turtles, make sure you choose small and medium size snails. If the baby turtle is too small, you can just break the snail’s shell. That’s it.
Video Of A Turtle Eating Snails.
Here’s a video of a turtle eating snails.
Can Malayan Snail-eating Turtles Eat Snails?
As you can see in the name, this specific species is named after snails. According to this study done in 2018 by IUCN/SSC, Males primarily feed upon aquatic snails, whereas large females will also eat freshwater mussels.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Box turtles can eat snails. Box turtles are mostly found on land rather than in the sea and make excellent pets. Although they do not eat snails like other turtles, since they live on land and mostly eat plants and fruits, if you offer snails, they will love it.
Yes, Red-eared slider turtles do like snails. These turtles are mostly found in the ocean, ponds, and rivers. So snails are one of their main foods, and they live on it. If you have a Red-eared slider pet turtle, you can feed them snails without thinking twice.
You should always remember two things: don’t give them uncommon snails because that would be dangerous. And it’s not necessary to feed them snails every day.
Painted turtles also like snails because they live in freshwater. So they have the habit of eating different types of snails daily. You can certainly give them snails if you have a pet-painted turtle at your home. However, be careful not to feed them snails every day.
Give them snails three to four times per week.
Final Words
Hope you got your answer regarding the question, “Can turtles eat snails or not.” Turtles mostly live in oceans and rivers, so snails are a very familiar food for them. There are some turtles whose main living food is snails. So snails are one of the common diets of turtles, without any doubt.
However, there is a difference between pet turtles and wild turtles. Wild turtles are allowed to eat as many snails as they want. But that’s not the same for pet turtles because they eat other stuff too. Consuming too many snails can be risky, so the owner should be careful.
Do you want to know if turtles eat watermelon or grasshoppers? Read our articles about it to learn more.
