Betta ate a baby snail

[Catie79]

I was trying to move a baby ramshorn snail out of my betta's 10 gallon when I accidentally squished the snail. Oops. I panicked and let go with the tongs and my male immediate swam over and gulped the whole thing down.

So now I get to wait and watch to see if it does him any harm. I'm hoping it's okay because the shell was so thin that lifting it with tweezers was too much force. Hopefully Lucky chewed before swallowing the snail down!

Anyone else had their betta eat a whole snail? If so, were they okay? If this is no big deal, I may have found a solution to my ramshorn population explosion. Lucky is currently surfing around the front of the tank, hoping I smoosh another one for him.

[Kanra Chan]

Uh oh!
I have read that they eat snails in the wild, but I have no idea if this is okay, as I have never had a betta do this.
Hopefully someone posts with a more helpful reply!
Regardless I hope he turns out okay! :)
And hopefully he doesn't stuff himself on them.

[Nicci Lu]

I've heard of bettas eating baby snails, shell and all. Their shells are pretty thin at that point, and you already crushed it up for him, so he should be okay. I would just watch for signs of bloat, and fast or give him daphnia if need be- the little piggy might've gotten a taste for snail meat. :)

I actually put a baby ramshorn hitchhiker in my tank thinking it would be a free betta treat, but it was a no go. I guess my guy doesn't like escargot.

[babybetta]

I had a betta be cut open from the inside by eating a small but grown one befor but it was hole as a result I do not keep small smalls with bettas any more but if its a baby and crushed I dont think it will hurt

[Myates]

lol my oldest female is a terror with anything alive.. including me >.< .. she will eat a baby snail whenever she sees one.. tries to eat adult ones too.

Since it was squished and the shell was broken up, I wouldn't worry about it too much.. eating the snail itself isn't going to harm a betta. The only thing that could happen is the shell causing trouble, but if the snail was small enough, the shell would still be soft.. but the risk isn't high overall.

[Catie79]

Thanks, guys. I'm really hoping the shell was just that thin. It was tiny, too tiny to move with my fingers which was why I was using tweezers. I was so surprised to hear it go crunch considering I was being careful that I just let go. But if he gets a taste for teeny snails, I sure won't discourage him. He's eaten enough ghost shrimp, hopefully he's got a cast iron stomach.

[SunnyBettaGirl]

Is that your fish in the avatar, Catie? He's beautiful!!

[Catie79]

Yup, that's him! He's still hale and hearty, so I don't think his snack did him any harm.