Snail noises

[slart]

Hey

I have giant african land snails, and often when they wake up, they make cracking noises. I think it comes from their shell. They make alot of noise when I pick them up while they are sleeping under ground.

I wish to know how and why they make this noise.

Thank you

[morningcoffee]

Nov 8, 2013 15:39:42 GMT slart said:

Hey

I have giant african land snails, and often when they wake up, they make cracking noises. I think it comes from their shell. They make alot of noise when I pick them up while they are sleeping under ground.

I wish to know how and why they make this noise.

Thank you

Hi slart

It could be that this noise comes from the snails retracting or moving quickly in their shells - it can make a kind of hissing or squishing noise, especially if they are large snails. If so, it's nothing to worry about, it's just that they often retract quickly if they are surprised or startled, as a natural reaction. I'm not sure what else this noise could be. Is there a chance that you could take a video that demonstrates the snails making the noise?

[malacophile]

When they open their breathing hole, it can also produce a popping sound. Mine make it all the time.

[slart]

Hey, thanks for the answers.
Yeah it may be the popping sound you describe. Allthough I find it strange that they open and close their breathing holes so many times in a short while. (7 times in 10 seconds)

I will try to make video. I tried today but they refused to do it while filmed.

[Cashell]

They also make a "TAP" or "THUD" sound when they drop from the ceiling!

[muddydragon]

mine make all sorts of noises especially the big old margies, they make squeaking noises, popping noises, a variety of farting impressions: high pitchd, low pitched, "wet and windy", short and very very long ones which can cease conversation and you have to explain it was the snails

most are to do either with trying to force themselves into gaps they can't fit into or various speeds of retraction into their shell, falling from the lid as Cashell pointed out or sudden closure of the breathing hole, and sometimes i think it's just to try and embarrass me

[latebloomer]

One of my Fulis makes a noise like a bicycle tire slowly deflating, the Margies sound like the dog farting and the one of the Tigers makes a sound like a duck quacking. It cracked me up the first time I heard it.

[prowljazz]

Mine POP at Me....

[malacophile]

Mine make farting noises at me sometimes when I pick them up, especially if they aren't fully awake yet. I'm not really sure how they do it, because they don't retract when it happens. But it sounds for all the world like they're expressing their displeasure at being bothered.

[crucify]

Snails make the best noises. I still have yet to film them doing it, they make a lot of squelching noises and people struggle to believe that snails of all things actually make sounds. Very, very squishy, kinda gross sounds.

[Zorst]

The Snails here make some entertaining noises to say the least. Seilide the Tiger snail swears at me regularly followed with loads of bubbles if I catch him out by surprise when I'm cleaning out his tank. Where as the Zorst the 2nd my daughters Alboptica definitely squeaks if he's disturbed, and the Immaculata sound like their farting.

As I share my room with the snail tanks I often get woken up at night with some very strange noises from the snail tanks which at least make me smile if not laugh.

Zorst

[SwiftSnail]

I can't believe what strange sounds your snails make! Felix has popped at me once or twice.

[slinky]

Bobby and Maisy make some funny sounds! They do makea squishy farting noise followed by a rather large display of bubbles when not impressed, its like they get a strop on lol. The babies are making baby farting sounds now too

[melissa1991]

I have to admit reading all the sounds our pets are making is somewhat amusing lol "farting" noise haha

[sparrow]

Nov 11, 2013 0:57:28 GMT Cashell said:

They also make a "TAP" or "THUD" sound when they drop from the ceiling!

I can hear that sound in my sleep!! I wake up in a state of shear panic, run to the tank and make sure my little guy is OK!

The fact that I can recognize that sound from two rooms away (and I only have a small garden snail - no hard items, except branches in his tank), proves the theory of a mother being able to hear the sound of her child, in even minor distress, above all other conflicting noises! I hate that sound!

The sound I love, is hearing this little tiny fellow rasping on his food!

[Cashell]

@ sparrow

I find falls past midnight to be creepy...

[lawra]

Being entirely new to snails having found one left in the park yesterday me and my husband were very amused at the noises he made whilst eating. We would never have thought a snail could make such loud noises 

[Zorst]

They can and do make a whole range of sounds Lawra, I share my room with the snails, its a large room come studio but I often go to sleep listening to snails rasping n making some weird noises. I'm so used to this strange lullaby now that I find it hard to fall asleep when I'm away from home. My rug rats call its snail music lol.

And that thud when one drops off the lid of the tank always wakes me like sparrow and has me running to check there ok, they have a soft bed n nothing hard in there tanks but I instinctively check all the same.

Zorst

[lawra]

Gosh! When I first read about them falling from the lid and sides and the loud thud it makes I was worried as just before going to bed he was all over the sides of the rescue tank, although it's not very big there were only some leaves and he would have landed on the hard plastic bottom and luckily I didn't hear any thuds! He is now in a much bigger container with compost and nothing hard. 

Calling it snail music ... that is so cute lol   
I'm sure I will end up keeping him, I know what I'm like. I will have all these funny sounds to look forward to haha!

[Zorst]

I thought it cute as well hence the term has stuck.

I'm glad your most likely going to keep him, snails make awesome pets and I have to say I find that even on a tough day they always make me smile or laugh with some of there antics, there great at getting you to relax.

An like I said in my earlier post there's nothing better or more relaxing than going to sleep at nite with the sounds of snails rasping n snail music.

Zorst

[etana]

Aw, the snail music from my little A. arbustorum and C. hortensis snails is so quiet, I get jealous here ...but yes, just like with their big cousins, their breathing holes pop, they sometimes move things around (they're surprisingly strong for being so small!!) and then there's the strange, wet sound when they lay eggs. Oh and of course the food & calcium rasping, if you listen very hard!

[kb.trekkie]

Snails make the most amazing noises! It is a rare thing for me to hear, but if i listen closely i can sometimes hear the snails rasping on their food. Munch makes quite a loud noise when he is eating cuttlebone.

[etana]

I must add a comment on the breathing hole snapping.

Today a funny little thing happened. A snail was trying to sneak past another, sleeping snail. The sleeping one woke up anyway and pushed his eye stalks out. The moving snail got a piece of soil stuck in his face, squirmed to get it off, squirmed and squirmed (sticky soil, huh!) and accidentally had his shell turn right into the sleepy snail's face. The sleepy snail snapped his breathing hole loud and fast, maybe six or seven times within one second, even though he didn't really retract.

So it definitely adds up to the "Hey, don't do that!" kind of reaction that others have observed in this thread!