The Most Unusual Drink Choice for a Snail

Continue reading...

Snail Behaviors and Diet

As previously mentioned, snails are usually herbivores or omnivores. Different types of snails prefer different foods, be it Grove snails (Cepaea nemoralis) and dead plant material or Rosy wolfsnails (Euglandina rosea) and their penchant for meat, especially in the form of other snails.

Since their movement relies on a steady stream of mucus, snails are most active at night when the weather cools and the soil dampens. These conditions also provide plenty of bugs, grubs, and dead plant material to feast upon. Most snails have thousands of microscopic tooth-like shapes on their ribbon-shaped, tongue-like appendage called the radula. Once food gets in their mouth, the snail’s radula rips it up like a file in countless small pieces that are easier to digest.

Considering the varieties of snails and their corresponding diets, snails aren’t that picky when it comes to food sources. They’ll feed on bark, stems, and even fruits like strawberries. The younger snails are typically the hungriest, doing considerably more feeding than their older counterparts. In the video above, a snail comes upon an unexpected treat. While its eyes seem to grow wide with excitement, milk is not a typical snail food. But is it dangerous?

Snails and Milk

No matter how excited or bewildered the snail looks drinking milk in the video above, this is not a normal food for snails. Since snails subsist mostly on plant material or small insects, milk is not something they would find in a wild habitat. While milk isn’t necessarily dangerous to snails, it’s not good for them either. Furthermore, most animals are lactose intolerant. This means that a drop of milk could spell digestive or mucus production trouble.

That said, snails are attracted to liquids with lots of sugar or yeast like beer, soda, and even milk. Many gardeners construct traps for snails using beer or milk bait. With enough sweet-smelling liquid, snails will approach for a drink but drown in the process.

Some snail species, like the giant West African Snail (Archachatina marginata) have enzymes that can digest lactose even if they don’t use it for nutrition. Other snail types, however, like the ones found in your garden, do not contain the right digestive enzymes to break down lactose from milk. It may be a sweet treat for them, but it’s probably best to err on the side of caution if you’re thinking about giving your yard snails milk or cream. Water is the safer option.