These are for those of us that think its perfectly normal to give our snails some good old-fashioned home cooking. These are recipes I have gathered from around the web including places like applesnail.net. Enjoy!
Snail Jello
1 can of baby food (4-6 oz)
1 tsp+ fish food (may be omitted)
Calcium/vitamin supplements (I use 1tsp Jurassi-reptical powder w/out phosphorus)
1 packet (= 1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
You can select any fish food and any flavor of baby food that you like. Try to find baby foods with at least 4% calcium (vegetable medley has a higher %), either fruit or vegetable types are find. This is a good way to feed fish foods that are good for snails but don't sink, like freeze-dried shrimp, or fish foods that have a strong smell when cooked in other recipes. You can mix in much more than a teaspoon of fish food, and including the ingredients of a "snail trail mix" instead of a single fish food would make this snail treat more nutritionally complete.
Instructions
Open the baby food and pour it into a small bowl. Heat the baby food in the microwave for 60 seconds (caution, it will be very hot).
Stir in the unflavored gelatin (add it slowly to avoid unsightly clumps of gelatin; don't use a blender or you risk creating air bubbles that will make it float) crushing any lumps with the back of a spoon.
Add calcium supplements and vitamins if you have/want them. Stir thoroughly.
Pour this mixture into a dish with a flat bottom (tupperware-type containers work well; if you are doubling or tripling this recipe, you might consider a pie pan).* Fold in your fish food(s) if you are adding any.
Refrigerate for several hours, then return and cut into cubes.
One jar of baby food yields a good handful of snail treats. Keep them refrigerated until serving. These sink and hold up pretty well in the tank, but as with any food, large uneaten portions should be removed after the snails have finished. These can be frozen for up to a month.
*You can use an ice cube tray to create big treats for a tank full of snails. No slicing is needed in this case.
Calcium Blocks for Picky Snails
Another gelatin/calcium recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
5-10 calcium pills, crushed
1 tbsp honey
(optional) other vitamins, low-sodium seaweed powder, etc
-Dump gelatin into a small bowl. Boil 1 cup of water, and use as little of it as possible to dissolve the gelatin ( I used 3 tablespoons or so).
-Let it cool for a few minutes, then mix in the honey, calcium and optional ingredients. This step is kind of tricky- you want a thick paste, but without any air bubbles in it. Try kneading it instead of stirring.
-Flatten into a circle about ¼ of an inch thick. Put it on a sheet of waxed paper, and put it in refrigerator for a few hours. Once it is set, slice into thin chunks and place the chunks (not touching one another) onto a piece of waxed paper.
-Put them into a warm, dry room. If you have a fan handy, you might as well point it at them (if not, don’t worry about it). Leave overnight. By the next morning, they should be completely dry. When these blocks are done, they’re hard as a rock, and sink like one too. You could probably use a dehydrator, if you have one, but I found that they dried very quickly without one.
Tips:
-Don’t make these when it’s humid out. They won’t dry.
-Cutting it into small chunks is vital. If you don’t, it either won’t dry at all, or it’ll dry into an unbreakable shell of calcium with a gooey center.
-I chose to use honey in this recipe because the snails seem to love anything sugary (thus attracting a picky, injured snail), and honey has been shown to have antibacterial properties, so I figured that might help to postpone the decomposition process while they’re drying out. Other sweeteners or fruit purees would probably work, though.
Biscuits:
In a food processor:
big handful of good quality dog bones that are not full of preservatives
handful of Science Diet Catfood (or any premium brand)
one ripe banana
cup of fresh spinach leaves
handful of chopped carrots
2-3 eggs with shells
2 scoops of powdered calcium
Grind up the bones and cat food until powdered, add other ingredients. Make a thick batter. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets, flatten as low as they will go with fork (spray fork first with Pam so batter doesn't stick)
Bake at 250 degrees until hardened. Remove from sheet and cool on racks, store in freezer.
You can add fish food, freeze dried shrimp or bloodworms, etc to this. (Warning, any fish foods will make your kitchen STINK while cooking.
another cookie recipe:
Blend in a food processor:
1 cup dried cat food
handful of brown rice
handful of oatmeal
1 clove garlic
6 calcium pills
3 eggshells
handful of assorted fish flakes, pellets and wafers
Boil for about 30 minutes or until soft:
2 carrots (and greens) chopped
5 leafs romaine
13 dandelion leafs
handful green beans
Drain and mash the veggies and mix with the dry foods. Then you can add:
1 banana mashed
1 peach mashed
1 pear mashed
1 small jar baby food
mixe this all together, and spread it out on a baking sheet, then roll it flat with a roller. the oven was set to just below 150 degrees - the lowest my oven could handle. It took pretty much the whole day to dry. This is another stinky recipe.
Substitutions can be made for veggies or fruits.
Another Jello Recipe
I got the Gerber 2nd stage Garden Vegetables and another of Pears. It came in little plastic boxes vs bottles.
I used one plus the box filled with water. I stir them together then nuke for one minute on high. I add one packet of Knox gelatin. (add slowly to prevent clumping). Once that is in, you can add additional fish food like flakes, spirulina, freeze dried bloodworms, etc. Then do the same as with the other jello recipes...spread thin and allow to set in the fridge, cut into pieces and freeze.
Long-Lasting Fruit Snacks
Ingredients:
1 jar baby food
1/2 packet unflavored gelatin (use slightly more for a super chewy, jerky-like texture, or slightly less for a mushier texture)
Dried fruit and vegetable pieces
(optional) calcium, vitamins, low-sodium seaweed powder, etc
-Heat baby food in small bowl in microwave for 30-60 seconds (until it’s boiling or almost boiling).
-Stir in gelatin and vitamins. Do this slowly, to avoid creating air bubbles, which will make the snacks float.
-Mix in fruit/veggie pieces (again, do this slowly).
-Bake for 10 minutes at 350*F. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting (on my oven, that’s 150*F) and bake for another couple of hours. They should be “done” after 10 minutes, but the longer you bake them, the harder they get. If you have a dehydrator, you can probably use that instead of the oven.
-Freeze until ready to use.
Tips:
-These will not gel without being baked or dehydrated. If you don’t want to bake them, try using more gelatin.
-Adding 2 tbsp flour, baby cereal or other dry ingredients will make these more crunchy than chewy.
- I try to include a mix of soft fruits/veggies (like cucumbers, which soften quickly in the water) and hard ones (like carrots, which take days to decompose). That way, by the time the snails are done with the gel portion, the softest stuff is ready to eat. And when they’re done with that, the harder stuff is ready.
Snail Jello
1 can of baby food (4-6 oz)
1 tsp+ fish food (may be omitted)
Calcium/vitamin supplements (I use 1tsp Jurassi-reptical powder w/out phosphorus)
1 packet (= 1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
You can select any fish food and any flavor of baby food that you like. Try to find baby foods with at least 4% calcium (vegetable medley has a higher %), either fruit or vegetable types are find. This is a good way to feed fish foods that are good for snails but don't sink, like freeze-dried shrimp, or fish foods that have a strong smell when cooked in other recipes. You can mix in much more than a teaspoon of fish food, and including the ingredients of a "snail trail mix" instead of a single fish food would make this snail treat more nutritionally complete.
Instructions
Open the baby food and pour it into a small bowl. Heat the baby food in the microwave for 60 seconds (caution, it will be very hot).
Stir in the unflavored gelatin (add it slowly to avoid unsightly clumps of gelatin; don't use a blender or you risk creating air bubbles that will make it float) crushing any lumps with the back of a spoon.
Add calcium supplements and vitamins if you have/want them. Stir thoroughly.
Pour this mixture into a dish with a flat bottom (tupperware-type containers work well; if you are doubling or tripling this recipe, you might consider a pie pan).* Fold in your fish food(s) if you are adding any.
Refrigerate for several hours, then return and cut into cubes.
One jar of baby food yields a good handful of snail treats. Keep them refrigerated until serving. These sink and hold up pretty well in the tank, but as with any food, large uneaten portions should be removed after the snails have finished. These can be frozen for up to a month.
*You can use an ice cube tray to create big treats for a tank full of snails. No slicing is needed in this case.
Calcium Blocks for Picky Snails
Another gelatin/calcium recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
5-10 calcium pills, crushed
1 tbsp honey
(optional) other vitamins, low-sodium seaweed powder, etc
-Dump gelatin into a small bowl. Boil 1 cup of water, and use as little of it as possible to dissolve the gelatin ( I used 3 tablespoons or so).
-Let it cool for a few minutes, then mix in the honey, calcium and optional ingredients. This step is kind of tricky- you want a thick paste, but without any air bubbles in it. Try kneading it instead of stirring.
-Flatten into a circle about ¼ of an inch thick. Put it on a sheet of waxed paper, and put it in refrigerator for a few hours. Once it is set, slice into thin chunks and place the chunks (not touching one another) onto a piece of waxed paper.
-Put them into a warm, dry room. If you have a fan handy, you might as well point it at them (if not, don’t worry about it). Leave overnight. By the next morning, they should be completely dry. When these blocks are done, they’re hard as a rock, and sink like one too. You could probably use a dehydrator, if you have one, but I found that they dried very quickly without one.
Tips:
-Don’t make these when it’s humid out. They won’t dry.
-Cutting it into small chunks is vital. If you don’t, it either won’t dry at all, or it’ll dry into an unbreakable shell of calcium with a gooey center.
-I chose to use honey in this recipe because the snails seem to love anything sugary (thus attracting a picky, injured snail), and honey has been shown to have antibacterial properties, so I figured that might help to postpone the decomposition process while they’re drying out. Other sweeteners or fruit purees would probably work, though.
Biscuits:
In a food processor:
big handful of good quality dog bones that are not full of preservatives
handful of Science Diet Catfood (or any premium brand)
one ripe banana
cup of fresh spinach leaves
handful of chopped carrots
2-3 eggs with shells
2 scoops of powdered calcium
Grind up the bones and cat food until powdered, add other ingredients. Make a thick batter. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets, flatten as low as they will go with fork (spray fork first with Pam so batter doesn't stick)
Bake at 250 degrees until hardened. Remove from sheet and cool on racks, store in freezer.
You can add fish food, freeze dried shrimp or bloodworms, etc to this. (Warning, any fish foods will make your kitchen STINK while cooking.
another cookie recipe:
Blend in a food processor:
1 cup dried cat food
handful of brown rice
handful of oatmeal
1 clove garlic
6 calcium pills
3 eggshells
handful of assorted fish flakes, pellets and wafers
Boil for about 30 minutes or until soft:
2 carrots (and greens) chopped
5 leafs romaine
13 dandelion leafs
handful green beans
Drain and mash the veggies and mix with the dry foods. Then you can add:
1 banana mashed
1 peach mashed
1 pear mashed
1 small jar baby food
mixe this all together, and spread it out on a baking sheet, then roll it flat with a roller. the oven was set to just below 150 degrees - the lowest my oven could handle. It took pretty much the whole day to dry. This is another stinky recipe.
Substitutions can be made for veggies or fruits.
Another Jello Recipe
I got the Gerber 2nd stage Garden Vegetables and another of Pears. It came in little plastic boxes vs bottles.
I used one plus the box filled with water. I stir them together then nuke for one minute on high. I add one packet of Knox gelatin. (add slowly to prevent clumping). Once that is in, you can add additional fish food like flakes, spirulina, freeze dried bloodworms, etc. Then do the same as with the other jello recipes...spread thin and allow to set in the fridge, cut into pieces and freeze.
Long-Lasting Fruit Snacks
Ingredients:
1 jar baby food
1/2 packet unflavored gelatin (use slightly more for a super chewy, jerky-like texture, or slightly less for a mushier texture)
Dried fruit and vegetable pieces
(optional) calcium, vitamins, low-sodium seaweed powder, etc
-Heat baby food in small bowl in microwave for 30-60 seconds (until it’s boiling or almost boiling).
-Stir in gelatin and vitamins. Do this slowly, to avoid creating air bubbles, which will make the snacks float.
-Mix in fruit/veggie pieces (again, do this slowly).
-Bake for 10 minutes at 350*F. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting (on my oven, that’s 150*F) and bake for another couple of hours. They should be “done” after 10 minutes, but the longer you bake them, the harder they get. If you have a dehydrator, you can probably use that instead of the oven.
-Freeze until ready to use.
Tips:
-These will not gel without being baked or dehydrated. If you don’t want to bake them, try using more gelatin.
-Adding 2 tbsp flour, baby cereal or other dry ingredients will make these more crunchy than chewy.
- I try to include a mix of soft fruits/veggies (like cucumbers, which soften quickly in the water) and hard ones (like carrots, which take days to decompose). That way, by the time the snails are done with the gel portion, the softest stuff is ready to eat. And when they’re done with that, the harder stuff is ready.
