What do snails eat?

Snails are voracious little animals. But what do snails prefer to eat? And do Roman snails actually like the same thing as slugs?

If the garden is well stocked, every snail will find happiness. Most of the time, however, it is only the nudibranchs who feast on fresh vegetables. House snails, on the other hand, can be welcome beneficial insects. You can find out which snail eats what here.

What do snails eat?

There are wide differences depending on the genus and species, but if necessary, snails ignore their preferences. Most of the snails found in our gardens attack plants, but also eat carrion and sometimes even other snails. There is seldom a preference for certain plant species. In general, it can be said: snails crawl a wide arc around leaves with a high proportion of tannins and bitter substances as well as essential oils.

Gardens with clay soil are more likely to be affected by snails than those with more dry, sandy soil. The reason for this is that snails absolutely have to protect themselves from drying out and clay better stores the water that is important for this. If the garden is generally sandy, it is less frequented by snails.

The gardener can breathe a sigh of relief in winter. Because here the animals fall into a frozen state and no longer eat any food.

What do Roman snails eat?

The protected Roman snail (Helix pomatia) is one of the most welcome guests in our gardens. With its rasping tongue (radula) with around 40,000 teeth, it prefers to shred wilting leaves. In doing so, it produces important humus. Young plants and juicy vegetables, on the other hand, are mostly ignored. When the hunger is great, fresh greens are also consumed. It is of great benefit that young Roman snails in the breeding caves devour the egg clutches of the dreaded nudibranchs. Tobacco plants are even on the snail menu.

Overview: What do Roman snails eat?

• Wilted leaves of most vegetables
• More rarely vital parts of plants
• Egg clutches from nudibranchs
• Tobacco plants

What do nudibranchs eat?

On the one hand there are phytophagous - i.e. herbivorous - nudibranchs, but also those that live cannibalistically. Phytophage nudibranchs, especially the Spanish slug for some time (Arion vulgaris), have a high damage potential. They indulge in young plants and crisp leaves and seem to have an almost insatiable appetite. The wedged field snail (Deroceras reticulatum) is particularly targeting seedlings and is active even below 10 ° C. The great slug has a lower damage potential (Arion ater), which usually prefers wilted plant material.

The list of endangered plants is long:

These crops eat phytophagous slugs:

• Strawberries, apples, persimmons
• Salad, peppers, zucchini
• Types of cabbage, swede, beetroot, radishes
• Broccoli, mustard, turnip greens
• Leeks, celery, asparagus, beans
• Basil, dill, marjoram, parsley
• And many more

In addition, the following ornamental plants:

• Aster family: marigolds, dahlias, sunflowers, asters
• Larkspur, hostas, levebacks, petunias, poppies
• To name just a few

Fortunately there is too snail-resistant plants. They are avoided by the greedy mollusks or even act as a protective shield for endangered plants.

There is reason to breathe a sigh of relief when you see a nudibranch in leopard look. This is probably the tiger snail, which, as a cannibal, eats other nudibranchs.

What do snails eat with a house?

House snails are not considered to be pests of plants. Basically, snails with a house prefer to eat decomposed plant residues and withered leaves, rotten grass or sludge, a mixture of plant residues, bacteria and minerals. Mushroom threads and occasionally carrion are also on their menu. They are therefore, just like Roman snails, to be welcomed with joy in the garden.

Overview: What do snails eat?

• Decompose plant debris
• Wilted leaves
• Rotten grass
• Muck
• Mushroom threads
• Carrion

What do baby snails eat?

After hatching, baby snails stay in their brood cavity. There they eat the remains of their eggs. A sufficient intake of lime, which is required for a stable snail shell, is of particular importance here. It is not uncommon for the young snails to attack other egg remains and siblings that are unable to live. The snails emerge stronger from this and increase their chances of survival.

After a few days, it's time to greet the sun. On the way to the surface of the ground, the earth cover is eaten up, under which the breeding cave is located. Once at the top, they go in search of species-specific food.

Overview: What do baby snails eat?

• Egg shells
• Deceased siblings
• Earth cover of the breeding cave
• Species-specific food

What do snails drink?

Snails drink water. They consist of almost 90% of them, compared to a human being only about 70%. Obviously, snails need to ingest a lot of fluids to maintain their water balance. They absorb a significant amount of water through food and a smaller amount through the skin. In particular, to keep their blood fluid, they need to drink regularly. Once a snail has dried up, it can no longer move. In this case, water intake through the mouth is particularly important, primarily to keep the water content of the blood high and then to rehydrate the skin. You can recognize a dehydrated snail by the fact that its body is completely stretched out, but much thinner. She is also unable to move. You can help a dehydrated snail by moving it to a shady, moist place and giving it access to a body of water. A bowl with some water in it is a good option for this.

Would you like to protect your plants from snails in the garden? In addition to snail barriers and slug pellets, beneficial insects can also be used. You can read more about this in our article on Fighting voracious nudibranchs.