Apathetic Cepaeas & How I Fixed It

[etana]

So for a while, my Cepaea hortensis & nemoralis snails just aestivated all the time. I'd gently wake them up, they'd feed, and then dig into the soil/moss again and seal their shells back up. This happened many times and I was left scrathing my head in confusion, because the snails weren't cold or dry at all, I had protein snacks available and they'd eat them, etc. 

However, I've fixed the situation! It might seem obvious now, but here's the story anyway.

While I was moving apartments and they also moved terrariums, for a while they didn't have any living plants in there, only remains of food vegs. They had an artificial climbing tree, moss and hides, but apparently it wasn't enough. It looked boring even to me anyway, so I decided to do something.

After asking about safe plants here, I gave them a leafy spider plant and woke them up again.

The result? Success I didn't even expect!

Now they spend their time climbing up and down the leaves of the plant (looking funny because they always fall over when they get to the top, lol), sleeping under its leaves with their heads showing, and generally they're not sealing up at all anymore. They also wander around other parts of the terrarium, eat a lot, etc, so they're totally back to being very active snails. They nibble at the plant so little that so far it hasn't turned ugly at all.

I guess they thought that autumn & hibernation time was coming, since they didn't see plants even though it was warm and wet. Or perhaps they were just damn bored because they couldn't do their natural thing of climbing up plants, and decided to rather sleep their time away. 

I don't know whether a plastic plant would have the same effect, I haven't tested it. 

[cliath]

Wow that's really interesting! I'm waiting for my spider plant to have a baby for the slimers.

[Cashell]

Interesting. I should probably try something like this my cepaeas and others.

[Zorst]

Yeah, mine also like eating the spider plants lol! I found that if I bring some plants in from outside which I wash well and put in the tanks I have no idea what the plants name is as it grows wild around here its harmless to snails n they love to hang about on it. So I tried it out in my tanks and yeah they love climbing up n down everything.

Zorst

[etana]

Yes Zorst, in my first smaller tank I had a small live plant from the wild that I knew to be harmless. The snails climbed up and down of it some, and more often than that were found sleeping under it. I didn't put it in the new tank though, because it'd grown all wonky due to lack of height in the first tank, and because I'd bought the super fancy artificial climbing tree (which they do sometimes use as well, btw).

Cliath, let us know if the snail behaviour changes once you plant the spider plant.

And yes Cashell I recommend you try it out too.

I'm a little surprised that most snail keeping instructions say that plants are for making the terrarium look nicer to the owner and to provide hides for the snails, and they don't really mention that snails might enjoy the activity of climbing up and down it and appear happier altogether as a result. Though that might be because I suppose an adult GALS for example can't really climb up a plant due to his weight, and most snail keepers have GALS. Any thoughts on that?

[muddydragon]

I suspect you are right etana. My smaller snails and babies all love climbing their plants. The big GALs though obviously can't manage it but do try and bulldoze everything nocking the fake plants over so they can camp under them. they do love their plastic pots and cork bark though and do climb and sleep under those.

[snailed]

Wondering if I should try a spider plant! Just kind of nervous that I will get the wrong plant and kill my snails. A spider plant is ok tho?

[etana]

Snailed, yes spider plants are safe as long as there are no human-added pesticides on them. The best way to do this is to get them a plant that's been home-grown, so you can truly know. My snails have still only tasted them a little bit, but the climbing they don't seem to tire of.

My Cepaeas aren't getting along anymore though. Or to be more precise, Lemon the C hortensis with a very special eye doesn't get along with C. nemoralis. I swear I saw her antennae-fencing quite fiercely with another snail last night, and she's been known to rasp at other snails till they retract. Hmmm. And yes it's funny that a snail can be fierce, but I wonder what to do...

[cliath]

Perhaps you could separate her, although then she'd be lonely. You could find a snail that she does get along with (if any) and put them together.

[etana]

Thanks for responding Cliath. She does get along with Steve who is a C. hortensis as well, I've seen them climb all over each other playfully not so long ago. I'd have to get one more new mini tank though. Sigh.

I started a thread of its own about this before I saw your reply. We'll see where the discussion goes there.