Post by lashandra on Apr 28, 2014 14:11:01 GMT
Hi, snail experts,
I am from Latvia and find out about your page via Google. I am looking for an advice on my snail Cantareus apertus of Italian origin. I would be very grateful if somebody could help me.
I found a little exotic (in my country) snail on an inner leaf of cauliflower I brought from supermarket. It was in February so I decided to put it in a small plastic container until later. I knew nothing about keeping snails indoors, but soon I realized to put some 1 cm of sandy gravel of silica and dolomite pieces in a container, and at first I was surprised to find snail tried to bury in it. I fed it mainly with cauliflower leaves and lettuce, it was active and grew fast. I deduced this little fellow was an Italian so I understood cold winters are not suitable for it, therefore I would not be able to free it in local environment come warmer weather.
Then last week there were series of incidents that led to my current worries.
I cleaned its container (I did it at least once every 1,5 weeks) and needed to remove snail. But this time I couldn’t do it no other way than with fingers. It become extremely anxious and pumped out a large amount of foam (I saw it doing this before) but this time “the cloud” was huge and snail remained in it and stayed at place for long time. When it finally came back to normal, it ate with appetite. Considering its fragile shell and general affinity of local garden snails towards food of organic matter, I put a tiny amount (maybe half a bean size) of white cheese. It ate the lettuce and cheese and that was the last time I saw his poo (previously I could not imagine complaining about that).
The next couple of days snail usually spent on the lid or walls of the container and was almost motionless, his eyestalks retracted or sometimes somewhat downward pointed and not eating. Some time after I twice discovered a tiny piece of white matter (I later assumed it was from his "lip") and it seemed his mantle around the hole became thicker. I decided it is probably that snail has became an adult, but I also started to worry about not eating and the cheese I gave. Then I started to search info on Google. I so regret now I gave him cheese, but the piece was so little, I could not believe it could harm snail.
Partly it coincided with a warmer weather and more sunshine in the place I kept it, so I tried to move him in cooler place, make more aeration holes in the tank and spray water more often. Though nothing changed, except for I noticed it became from greyish-white to somewhat sandy in colour. He passed by lettuce and piece of pear as if it was nothing edible. When I watered walls of container it lighted up and moved rather normally, but seemed like it just sucked water and also tried to suck/kiss surface of lettuce, but not bite it. After unsuccesful attempts of sucking lettuce, snail just winced and turned away from it. I watered it with green tea (I read on some forum it could be good) but as soon as I stopped pouring water on it, it crawled toward ground and tried to bury. Then afterwards I decided he probably needed more calcium and I made puree of pear and cucumber, and added a bit of chalk. To my amusement it sucked in some amount of pulp but that was all. Later it was no more interested in puree as well, and buried into gravel full length. After I translated via Google one of articles in Italian forum about Cantareus apertus living in calcium poor environment I thought that maybe excessive calcium could cause the problem for this species. So now I have made it even worse ;(.
On Saturday I placed it in larger container with a layer of wet clayey-sandy soil about 2 cm thick, put in a new cauliflower from Italy (it’s favourite) but as soon as snail hit the ground it buried so that only top of shell was seen (and his leg was on the the bottom). I watered it a bit but it just turned and I left it alone for the next day.
Now I am desperate for I don’t know what to do. Should I stimulate snail or leave him buried? I have read it is normally for these snails to spend summer and winter buried in nature but tank is a different case. Of course I will keep his tank moist but without eating I am afraid my snail Gliermo can become weaker.
Sorry for the long post but I hope more information will give better insight.
Please help what should I do?
I am from Latvia and find out about your page via Google. I am looking for an advice on my snail Cantareus apertus of Italian origin. I would be very grateful if somebody could help me.
I found a little exotic (in my country) snail on an inner leaf of cauliflower I brought from supermarket. It was in February so I decided to put it in a small plastic container until later. I knew nothing about keeping snails indoors, but soon I realized to put some 1 cm of sandy gravel of silica and dolomite pieces in a container, and at first I was surprised to find snail tried to bury in it. I fed it mainly with cauliflower leaves and lettuce, it was active and grew fast. I deduced this little fellow was an Italian so I understood cold winters are not suitable for it, therefore I would not be able to free it in local environment come warmer weather.
Then last week there were series of incidents that led to my current worries.
I cleaned its container (I did it at least once every 1,5 weeks) and needed to remove snail. But this time I couldn’t do it no other way than with fingers. It become extremely anxious and pumped out a large amount of foam (I saw it doing this before) but this time “the cloud” was huge and snail remained in it and stayed at place for long time. When it finally came back to normal, it ate with appetite. Considering its fragile shell and general affinity of local garden snails towards food of organic matter, I put a tiny amount (maybe half a bean size) of white cheese. It ate the lettuce and cheese and that was the last time I saw his poo (previously I could not imagine complaining about that).
The next couple of days snail usually spent on the lid or walls of the container and was almost motionless, his eyestalks retracted or sometimes somewhat downward pointed and not eating. Some time after I twice discovered a tiny piece of white matter (I later assumed it was from his "lip") and it seemed his mantle around the hole became thicker. I decided it is probably that snail has became an adult, but I also started to worry about not eating and the cheese I gave. Then I started to search info on Google. I so regret now I gave him cheese, but the piece was so little, I could not believe it could harm snail.
Partly it coincided with a warmer weather and more sunshine in the place I kept it, so I tried to move him in cooler place, make more aeration holes in the tank and spray water more often. Though nothing changed, except for I noticed it became from greyish-white to somewhat sandy in colour. He passed by lettuce and piece of pear as if it was nothing edible. When I watered walls of container it lighted up and moved rather normally, but seemed like it just sucked water and also tried to suck/kiss surface of lettuce, but not bite it. After unsuccesful attempts of sucking lettuce, snail just winced and turned away from it. I watered it with green tea (I read on some forum it could be good) but as soon as I stopped pouring water on it, it crawled toward ground and tried to bury. Then afterwards I decided he probably needed more calcium and I made puree of pear and cucumber, and added a bit of chalk. To my amusement it sucked in some amount of pulp but that was all. Later it was no more interested in puree as well, and buried into gravel full length. After I translated via Google one of articles in Italian forum about Cantareus apertus living in calcium poor environment I thought that maybe excessive calcium could cause the problem for this species. So now I have made it even worse ;(.
On Saturday I placed it in larger container with a layer of wet clayey-sandy soil about 2 cm thick, put in a new cauliflower from Italy (it’s favourite) but as soon as snail hit the ground it buried so that only top of shell was seen (and his leg was on the the bottom). I watered it a bit but it just turned and I left it alone for the next day.
Now I am desperate for I don’t know what to do. Should I stimulate snail or leave him buried? I have read it is normally for these snails to spend summer and winter buried in nature but tank is a different case. Of course I will keep his tank moist but without eating I am afraid my snail Gliermo can become weaker.
Sorry for the long post but I hope more information will give better insight.
Please help what should I do?
