Help! Shell color fading

[vallery]

I have noticed some of my cepaea hortensis have faded parts on their shells. Almost looks bleached out. I checked on the web site and tried to find out on the Internet but couldn't find anything like this. I tried to take the best pictures I could to show whats happening. This one is the worst case. The others have faded spots in different areas. I bathed them to see if it was some kind of stuff on the shell but it is the actual shell. Can anyone help out here this is not good. I am worried. It is only happening to my hortensis and they are in their own tank. I haven't changed anything in their tank. Or given them anything different to eat.
vallery

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[vallery]

2nd picture same snail.
vallery

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[tsrebel]

It looks like either the water you spray them with is too acidic (PH below 7) or that youngsters use the older ones as a calcium source. My cepaeas seems to eat very little of their cuttlefish bone, so I plan on exploring other sources. I haven't seen it look exactly like this, so not sure if it is any help.

[vallery]

Thanks tsrebel,

There are youngsters in the tank. That picture was the wost case. The others have spots like that in other areas and then some are completely fine. Here is a picture comparing the one I showed with the color fading and another that is fine form the same tank. Maybe I will separate the youngsters from the adults to see what happens.
vallery

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[vallery]

I have moved the youngsters to a separate tank to see if the adults that are loosing the color of there shells will continue to fade or not.
I am not sure if the areas of their shells already damaged will repair.
I am going to give the adults extra calcium, I also read you could add powdered egg shell to some water and give them a spray. I am not sure how that would help but I believe I will try.
vallery

[red608]

I've had fading color on my snails as well but whenever they are wet you can't really tell that much so I always chalked it up to it being how the shell looks when it is dryer. I will have to test the water theory but I've always used bottled water or filtered water up until recently.

Out of curiosity is ita mixture of ages that are affected or only older ones? In my case I've only noticed coloring issues with the older snails so perhaps it is a sign of aging? I honestly haven't paid it much mind since the shells were not thin aka in good condition otherwise.

[vallery]

Hi Red ,
Thank You. I have always used tap water but it hasn't effected my other snails.

As well smaller hortensis have been affected, but oddly enough it isn't all of them. It is confusing.

I recently lost one he was in terrible shape and fell and it totally crushed the entire side of his shell it was awful.

They don't seem to be getting worse since I took out the youngsters as tsrebel suggested but the ones affected are not getting any better.

Perhaps I should use spring water maybe it has something to do only with hortensis shells.

Have you noticed this at all on nemoralis before. As my nemoralis are fine. And my woodland nems and hortensis in another terrarium are fine as well

I have also just recently thoroughly cleaned and sterilized all my tanks.

vallery

[red608]

Yes, on the Nemoralis (to my knowledge I do not have any hortensis, sadly) though the color fading I've had was only along the whorls not just random splotches. Hence, why I never paid it much mind since it didn't stand out all too much as possibly unusual. When I first brought the Nemoralis home, within a week or two I noticed the smallest brown(full grown) one developed the white along the whorls which is why the theory of water didn't seem too out of place. Though it was only the one for quite sometime which could indicate age. The whole thing hurts my head tbh! Lol.

Ill get a pic of the brown one and post it when I get a chance so you can see what I mean.

[vallery]

Hi Red ,

That would be great if you could post that picture of your brown one. Thanks
vallery