diff --git a/snapshots/btrfs/btrfs.go b/snapshots/btrfs/btrfs.go
index 540601d93..5abe9c064 100644
--- a/snapshots/btrfs/btrfs.go
+++ b/snapshots/btrfs/btrfs.go
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func NewSnapshotter(root string) (snapshots.Snapshotter, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	if mnt.FSType != "btrfs" {
-		return nil, errors.Wrapf(plugin.ErrSkipPlugin, "path %s must be a btrfs filesystem to be used with the btrfs snapshotter", root)
+		return nil, errors.Wrapf(plugin.ErrSkipPlugin, "path %s (%s) must be a btrfs filesystem to be used with the btrfs snapshotter", root, mnt.FSType)
 	}
 	var (
 		active    = filepath.Join(root, "active")
diff --git a/snapshots/btrfs/btrfs_test.go b/snapshots/btrfs/btrfs_test.go
index 5322f261f..8e457ec76 100644
--- a/snapshots/btrfs/btrfs_test.go
+++ b/snapshots/btrfs/btrfs_test.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/mount"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/testutil"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/plugin"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/snapshots"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/snapshots/testsuite"
 	"github.com/containerd/continuity/testutil/loopback"
@@ -66,27 +67,31 @@ func boltSnapshotter(t *testing.T) func(context.Context, string) (snapshots.Snap
 		// sync after a mkfs on the loopback before trying to mount the device
 		unix.Sync()
 
+		var snapshotter snapshots.Snapshotter
 		for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
 			if out, err := exec.Command("mount", loop.Device, root).CombinedOutput(); err != nil {
 				loop.Close()
 				return nil, nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to mount device %s (out: %q)", loop.Device, out)
 			}
-			var stat unix.Statfs_t
-			if err := unix.Statfs(root, &stat); err != nil {
-				unix.Unmount(root, 0)
-				return nil, nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "unable to statfs btrfs mount %s", root)
+
+			if i > 0 {
+				time.Sleep(10 * time.Duration(i) * time.Millisecond)
 			}
-			if stat.Type == unix.BTRFS_SUPER_MAGIC {
+
+			snapshotter, err = NewSnapshotter(root)
+			if err == nil {
 				break
+			} else if errors.Cause(err) != plugin.ErrSkipPlugin {
+				return nil, nil, err
 			}
+
+			t.Logf("Attempt %d to create btrfs snapshotter failed: %#v", i+1, err)
+
 			// unmount and try again
 			unix.Unmount(root, 0)
-			time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
 		}
-		snapshotter, err := NewSnapshotter(root)
-		if err != nil {
-			loop.Close()
-			return nil, nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to create new snapshotter")
+		if snapshotter == nil {
+			return nil, nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to successfully create snapshotter after 5 attempts")
 		}
 
 		return snapshotter, func() error {