Yes, some lizards can eat snails, but it’s important to keep in mind that not all lizards have the same dietary preferences. It’s best to offer small snails as their shells are easier for the lizard to crush or navigate to reach the snail’s body.
It’s also important to note that not all lizards like eating snails, and it’s best to test your lizard’s preference.
Snails are commonly found in most gardens, depending on the season, and can also be sourced from breeders.
They are not harmful, but can be considered a delicacy by some. In this article, we will explore the nutritional benefits of snails for lizards, where to source them, and much more.
Are Snails Good for Lizards?
One key advantage of snails is that they are low in fats. Lizards can become overweight if they consume too much fat. Luckily, snails’ low-fat content makes them an excellent addition to the lizard’s diet. In addition, most lizard insects are rich in fats, so snails help provide an ideal balance.
On the downside, mature snails are usually big and have hardened shells. A hardened shell is quite dangerous for your lizard as it may injure its mouth.
It could also injure their digestive tract when swallowing, not to mention causing your lizard to choke. Furthermore, ineffective digestion of the shell can lead to impaction, the blockage of the lizard’s digestive tract.
If you wish to feed your pet lizard snails, consider the hatchlings because their shells are soft.
Where Can I Get Snails for My Lizard?
While snails benefit a lizard, not all are safe for consumption. Garden snails, for instance, could have diseases, bacteria, fungi, and parasites that can infect your lizard if they eat them.
It is also possible that these wild snails may have fed on plants sprayed with chemicals which they will, in turn, pass to your pet lizards when they eat them.
Such chemicals from herbicides and pesticides are often toxic to a lizard and can cause death quickly.
The best source of snails is from reputable breeders and pet stores. You may also get them from online shops with good ratings and reviews or ones you have had a good experience working with.
Alternatively, you may breed the snails to save costs and ensure they are safe for your lizard’s consumption.
Unlike most other lizard insects and mollusks, breeding snails will require skills and is not easy at first. If you are still determined to breed them, consult an expert or research online to ensure that you do so correctly.
How Many Snails Should I Feed My Lizard?
The number of snails to give your lizard depends on many factors, including the type of lizard, age, health status, size of the snail, etc.
In general, a lizard will need to feed at least twice every three days. Anything between 5 to 10 snail hatchlings is sufficient per feed. You will have to keep switching the diet every so often to ensure they are supplied with all the necessary nutrients.
Lizards at different stages of development will have different nutritional needs. For instance, young and juvenile lizards will require many proteins since their bodies are still developing. As they mature, their bodies’ protein demand will fall.
Providing nutritional supplements of nutrients that may not be optimal in your lizard’s snail diet is also essential. Such include calcium, a mineral crucial throughout your lizard’s life and in significantly high amounts for babies and juvenile lizards.
It aids skeletal and bone development while protecting your lizard from metabolic bone disease.
Metabolic bone disease is a severe illness that weakens your lizard’s bone structure and occurs when a lizard suffers from prolonged calcium deficiency.
Given that snails do not have optimal amounts of calcium, it is best to dust them with calcium powder 5 minutes before feeding providing them to your pet lizard. You may also gut-load them with calcium-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables. Both effectively ensure optimal calcium intake by the lizard and help avoid the disease.
While snails have some benefits for lizards, such as leopard geckos, crested geckos, skink, chameleons, iguanas, and others, not all lizards love eating snails, so if your lizard does not like them, that is still okay. Do not force it; there are still other nutritious foods you can offer the pet.
Frequently Asked Questions?
What Can I Feed My Lizards?
Variety is vital for any pet animal’s diet. It helps ensure a balanced diet while alleviating food monotony. Besides snails, other options to consider include; crickets, fruit flies, roaches, mealworms, wax worms, and earthworms. You may also consider fruits and vegetables if your lizard is omnivorous.
Do Lizards Take Water?
Like most animals, lizards take water and need it in their diet. While they get most of the moisture from food, providing fresh, clean water daily is still ideal, although it is very unlikely to find the lizard drinking water.
Ensure the water bowl is shallow and stable to prevent drowning the lizard from tipping it over, which can mess up the habitat.
Conclusion
Lizards can eat snails, and the amount they feed on will depend on their age. When looking for snails for your lizard, ensure that you get them from reputable sources.
Wild snails usually carry pesticides and diseases that are harmful to your pet. It is also vital to enhance calcium intake for the lizard by dusting the snails with calcium supplements and gut-loading them with calcium-rich foods.