Amazing shell repair in a wild Arianta

[etana]

I was out collecting Ariantas, and my boyfriend spotted this individual with a massive shell. He calls the snail Rudolf.


It looks like he's been partially stepped on, with his at the time biggest shell whorl broken into small pieces, and he's repaired it and grown a supersized last whorl. The shell's diameter is much larger than that of any Arianta shells I've seen before. The entire shell is also flatter than normal, and the suction at his rear end is a bit poor (there's a massive white scar at his underside, near the end, might be related), but he can still hang upside down and do other normal snaily things very well - if quite slowly.

He could be pretty old as well, though, and slowing down for that reason too.

Just thought I'd share this with you guys.  

[etana]

I tried to take a photo shoot that shows Rudolf's size compared to a normal-sized Arianta, but they just started being silly.   

And my phone wasn't behaving anyway, so I only got blurry pictures of silly snails. Hmm, I'll have to try and take a much better photoshoot later today. 

[cliath]

He's a nice little snailie. Good luck with him.

[etana]

Thanks Cliath. He's perfectly healthy in every other way, adventurous and playful, but it appears he's also quite a character, and not always friendly. New pictures in just a moment!

[etana]

Here we go!

I got a new tank with new decorations, complete with a fancy climbing tree and big hides that I can wash easily (here's hoping they'll be pooping mainly in them), and all is good. The only nuisance is that pics from above must be taken through glass, as the tank opens from the side. But here's Rudolf!


Keijo (on the right) is fast asleep, and Rudolf sneaks up on him!



This one is here just to show HOW flat Rudof's shell is compared to the well-formed, beautiful Keijo! Also note the tricks of the camera - Rudolf really is much bigger than Keijo, but in the first photo you hardly can tell because of Rudolf's shell position, whereas in this one the size difference shows well.

Next to come: Pictures of Rudolf's scar, once I get a good one of his underside. 

[etana]

Rudolf's scars. Damn it's out of focus again, I didn't notice it on my phone's small screen, and I left him to be snail-sitted again so I can't take better ones now.

Anyway, at his tail, he has a massive, star-shaped scar, and near the middle of his body, more scars that show as white lines, which you hopefully can see. 


I do wonder what he's been through. But this morning when I last saw him, he was exploring the new tank all around! It's good to see him so active.  

[simplement]

Before you've posted the second picture were Rudolph is with Keijo I had not realized the importance of the deformation of the shell.
Its scars also show the extent of damage it has suffered.

It's amazing that he survived, he was very lucky, and he must have exceptional vitality !

[blackmill]

cool hes awesome!

[etana]

Thanks for the comments simplement and blackmill. Yes, the little snail's strong will to live is so inspiring. He must have been very lucky to not lose vital organs when stepped on, only the shell! But the missing pieces and all - I do wonder what went through the snaily mind.

He really enjoys bathing in the water dish. Some say that Ariantas don't need that, well, Rudolf sits there for a while about once every evening.  

[Zorst]

Thats one HUGE Arianta for sure, he;s done real well and sure seems to be a happy Snail. Quite a few of my Arianta's love to have a bath in the pond in there tank , its an old scallop shell but works well. Its not surprising to have the cat wake me up halfway through the nite and turn on the light and catch them having a pool party.

There tanks beside my bed so I get to see them when I wake up. At the moment a few are eating some sweet potato or cuttle fish and the rest are just snailing around to find there sleeping places for the day.

Zorst

[etana]

Yeah, I hope I'll have him for a long long time.

I'd love to see a photo of a snail pool party!

I too am going to have my tank in the bedroom, should be nice and quiet during day time so they get their rest, and something calming for me to watch if I can't sleep.

[etana]

LOL, re snail pool parties, last night I woke up several times for other reasons and decided to check on my snails as they were good nightly snail activity hours. Well, the most adult snails I saw in the water dish was one at a time, but there were rows of baby snails (Big Eyes Juniors) sitting in exact same positions as the adult snails. The snails, big and small alike, like to have their back end in the water and peek over the edge of the dish (it has a rounded bottom). I laughed, could be an example of the babies learning from the big ones, and looked hilarious anyway.   Too bad I couldn't get a photo!

As for the main subject of this thread, Rudolf is also still doing well, he's so big and fat, hahah. Right now he sleeps in a tunnel or in a hiding place during the days, and is found awake & active only very late at night, but he eats LOTS and I think he's to blame for all the soil that appears in the water dish during the next night every single time I change the water. A few days ago I found him in deep retraction after not having seen anything of him for two days, but he did come out and then start his nocturnal lifestyle (before this he'd wander around during the days too). I wonder what happened there, it DID happen after I moved the terrarium from one room to another, but at least he appears happy enough again now.

[etana]

Goodness! I didn't expect to get to making this update: Rudolf is mating right now!

I thought he didn't really get along with anyone, but with the others starting to slowly fall into hibernation, he and another snail had been wandering around appearing slightly bothered. Now there was the reason!

I don't have a picture, because they're doing it on a food plate that needs cleaning up...

[cliath]

Congrats! Im glad Rudolf has found a friend.

[Zorst]

YAY that's Brilliant , I'm real glad for Rudolf, ah the food plate must be the perfect place for them, what we consider needs cleaning food plate wise seem's to be a perfect snaily dinner date and Rudolf n his friend seem to think it very romantic.

Hopefully you'll soon hear the clang of new shells n have lots of little Rudolf's slimeing around the place.

Zorst

[etana]

Thanks Cliath and Zorst! I'm very glad as well. Rudolf too deserves nice snaily friendship & loving even though he's quite a character and can be a bully. The poor fellow had been so alone before. 
The other snail (an unnamed one) was about 2/3 of his size but it was so nice seeing him "kiss" Rudolf all over. <3 

I was in a public place reading Zorst's comment with my phone, and I LOLed right there.   
Just like how you sometimes prepare a nice meal for your snails, and they end up eating the soil next to the food! Such different ideas of niceness than ours, hahah.
 
Regarding the little Rudolfs that soon will be sliming around I hope, I wonder if severe, healed physical trauma like his affects how his babies will look like? I mostly mean the things that have happened to his shell, and how he's grown a very big body too while repairing the shell. Hmmmm. Very, very interesting.

The other day I found a scar even in the center of Rudolf's face, I don't know if I didn't notice it before or if it's actually recent since there has been some anger in the air lately. I must try and get new pictures of him before he hibernates.

[etana]

I bathed Rudolf (he does love water, I'll have the tap running and he puts his little face right into the stream, backs away, and then does it again!) and then took pictures as he slimed around my hand.


See the scars on his back and on his face? He's had quite a life, I think. I wish I knew his age.


He looks so artistic here! I wish my phone's camera always behaved this well. 


My last one for today.
Rudolf is a very careful climber, he always grips to my hand (and I think anything he ever climbs) very tightly. I understand that after whatever he's been through, he'll do anything to not fall on that repaired shell. He doesn't avoid heights though, he only goes very slowly and carefully.

Now I'll let him sleep if he wants to, and really hope he makes it through the winter. <3

[muddydragon]

fantastic news, if he's mating he must be happy

[etana]

I think so too, Muddy

After the initial mating, a kind of funny snaily relationship followed. His mate would drop eating/whatever he was doing if Rudolf was sliming by, pat on him with his tentacles, try to reach him with his mouth, and Rudolf wouldn't pay attention, other than the touch of tentacles to say hello - he'd just continue sliming. His mate would go into a hiding place and spin his tentacles at Rudolf, as if to say "come hither! Now!!" and Rudolf would just dig a hole in front of the hide. Like a famous, socially a bit strange snail and his very excited fan!

And still, at the end of the day, they'd sleep shell against shell so sweetly. <3<3

This went on every day till they got too sleepy. Now I think all my Ariantas are resting under the soil, except for some tiny babies (Keijo's last batch?) and young ones.

[etana]

Rudolf woke up yesterday, after nearly a month of sleep! He just suddenly emerged in my plastic strawberry-shaped hiding place, looking otherwisely all right but kind of thin. I bathed him (which he liked very much) and hand-fed him sweet potato, which he ate a huge piece of, and then he snailed around happily, climbed all around, and all the normal snaily business. Now he's sleeping again, but in open view, so he might wake up to eat and snail around some more.

He might have laid eggs, and that's why he looked thinner than before. I'm looking forward to those mini Rudolfs.

[etana]

I think I see mini Rudolfs sliming around, they have Rudolf's colours.

His adventures in snaily relationship world are so much fun to watch. He sleeps in a burrow most of the time, may emerge to eat every couple weeks, and if his partner (now named Adolf) is awake, they have an encounter. Sometimes Adolf follows Rudolf around till they sleep together, that kind of thing, a lot like what I described earlier. Usually it seems that Rudolf plays hard to get and eventually gives in.
Yesterday was completely different though, they started hugging and kissing near their food from Adolf's initiative, and just after 10 mins or so Rudolf's love organs popped out completely and he was like "meh the dance moves and darts and stuff, I want you NOW", rubbing it all against Adolf's cheek.
I had a bathroom break but when I went back, Rudolf was alone and very very turned off, and Adolf was snailing up a spider plant leaf ultra fast. Awwwwwww lol.