inky
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 260
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Post by inky on Dec 14, 2011 5:46:38 GMT
Please help me! I was looking at Baffbot today, and I turned him over. (he was in his shell at the time) What I saw scared me. A little tiny white creature crawling on him! I blew it off, but I fear for him, and I don't like the sound of those predatory mites to kill the other mites off. OMG I looked at the tank today, and I was upset to see that Penelope, my newest snail, is missing! I don't know how she could have, the tank is very hard to get out of! I'm so upset! Where should I look for her? She has a beautiful shell, I don't want to lose her for good! I've gently looked under the substrate and she wasn't there. I've slowly taken EVERYTHING out of my tank, and she was still not there! I'm really upset!  I don't know what to do  EDIT: I FOUND HER! =D exactly the same thing happened to me as doris! |
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Post by doris2010 on Dec 14, 2011 10:39:16 GMT
One of my cepaea did this and disappeared, My OH, my son and myself went through the tank several times but couldnt find it so my husband and I turned the whole lounge upside down, still nothing. We couldnt figure out how it could have got out as the tank is very secure but the little devil was nowhere to be found! We eventually found it, it was in the tank the whole time just extremely well hidden in the substrate!
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foghog
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 235
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Post by foghog on Dec 14, 2011 16:34:52 GMT
ditto doris2010. look for areas it 'could' of escaped, but chances are if it gets out you'll be lucky to find it again. your best best is maybe to put some food outside by the tank and see if it comes to eat. he's not trying to escape probably, he's just out stretching his foot and exploring the world or a scent he's picked up on and wants to check out. so giving him a yummier or better scent, may bring him back.
but chances are he's still in the tank and just hiding. this is why it's often hard to find them when you go out in a forest to look for them. they are good hiders....or rather we as humans are really poor at hunting these days, we only see things mostly when they move and draw our attention...and we all know snails don't move so fast to draw it.
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Post by brunni on Dec 14, 2011 18:28:33 GMT
Generally same problems here. "One loss, one spoil". i.e. one is lost and the other one is broken. Got used to it now.  |
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Dec 14, 2011 20:42:13 GMT
First of all, the critter you saw on the snail might not be a parasitic mite. And even if it was, the predatory mites used to control them are nothing to be alarmed about. They are a threat only to the parasitic mites and cannot hurt your snails.
Secondly, I did have a snail escape the tank. I had the lid off to change the food, and one of my Otalas was asleep on the side of the tank in the same place he was the previous evening when I went to bed. I took the lid into the kitchen to rinse it off then I put it back on the tank and went on to other matters.
That evening I couldn't find Hercules. I tore the tank apart, substrate included, and he was simply nowhere to be found. I looked in the area all around the tank, and no Hercules. I was aghast. How was I going to find him, not knowing where he went or how far he got? I didn't want to find him the hard way, by hearing a crunch as I took a step!
Finally I did find him -- he was on a leaf of a spider plant right next to the tank. Somehow in that brief minute I had the lid off to rinse it out, he woke up, crawled up and out of the tank, down the outside of it, across the shelf and up the spider plant pot. I was so relieved when I found him the next day. I've always wondered what he thought of his little adventure.
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Post by vallery on Dec 14, 2011 21:13:26 GMT
Two of my large cepaeas espcaped once and I have no Idea how. I just happened to find them beside there terrarium. And I did have one horrifying incendent with a very small cepaea, found him the hard way as coyote put it. Try leaving the food out like fog hog said. Hope you find penelope please let me know.
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foghog
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 235
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Post by foghog on Dec 15, 2011 3:23:23 GMT
hmm...curious...I meant to actually say exactly what you did about the mites when I started that responce, yet failed to say anything....duh....heh but ditto what coyote said anyways...they really are the next best since sliced bread at dealing with mite problems.
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leila
Achatina achatina
Posts: 85
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Post by leila on Dec 15, 2011 4:01:48 GMT
I know this probably doesnt happen very often, but i once had a banana slug that got out (i forgot to latch the lid on the tank and i could see a slime trail on the outside of the tank) and since i keep them outside i was sure he was gone for good, but amazingly a day later guess who was crawling back up the side of the tank?  i was completely amazed and quickly grabbed him and put him back in his home |
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Post by axoloa on Dec 15, 2011 5:47:55 GMT
I know this probably doesnt happen very often, but i once had a banana slug that got out (i forgot to latch the lid on the tank and i could see a slime trail on the outside of the tank) and since i keep them outside i was sure he was gone for good, but amazingly a day later guess who was crawling back up the side of the tank? i was completely amazed and quickly grabbed him and put him back in his home haha thats so cool  |
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inky
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 260
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Post by inky on Dec 15, 2011 5:57:50 GMT
That's good leila! I've found penelope, the little devil was hiding behind a huge tuft of grass, under the substrate, the whole time! Let's just hope that the banana slug was the same one! =O XD
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foghog
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 235
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Post by foghog on Dec 15, 2011 6:01:04 GMT
yay....all safe and snug at home this whole time. good. now give her a treat and apologize for thinking she was a bad snail, for escaping. :-P
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Post by pinkunicorn on Dec 15, 2011 11:25:07 GMT
Glad you found Penelope.
And that banana slug probably thought the tank was a good place to live in, since he came back... endless supply of easy food, not being harassed by predators all the time (although humans do harass every now and then to socialise of course).
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Post by doris2010 on Dec 15, 2011 13:41:47 GMT
Glad you found her x
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Dec 15, 2011 23:54:36 GMT
Glad she turned up! And glad the banana slug came back too.
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leila
Achatina achatina
Posts: 85
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Post by leila on Dec 16, 2011 1:47:02 GMT
That's good leila! I've found penelope, the little devil was hiding behind a huge tuft of grass, under the substrate, the whole time! Let's just hope that the banana slug was the same one! =O XD yea, he had some pretty unique markings so i was pretty sure it was him, but i was just amazed that they came back... and glad to see she never got out in the first place... i've had plenty of those scares and i always just shake my head a little and take it as a lesson |
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i was completely amazed and quickly grabbed him and put him back in his home
