Snails sleeping outside their shells

[snailboat]

My snails sleep outside their shells a lot.  Not all the time, but pretty often!  Usually they pull in both eyestalks and zZzZ, but sometimes I've seen them pull in just one or the other.



Why do you suppose they sleep outside their shells?  Because they feel safe?  Because it's humid? :-)  Right now, Moon's mantle is puffy, so she might lay eggs.  Maybe it's more comfortable sleeping outside your shell when you're puffy!

[Zorst]

All the varieties of the snails that I have here do this even the Elegans (Trapdoor snails)sleep at times with there doors open n there eye stalks out but half retracted.

They don't seem distressed and aren't sick so I feel its normal relaxed snail behavior. Also when they are on the sides or roof of the tanks the weight of the shell often exposes there body more, but they sure don't seem upset about it.

I'd just say you snails are normal and healthy.

Zorst

[muddydragon]

i agree with Zorst. I've also seen them do it on the ground which i think is just plain lazyness they're not at risk of drying out and i think they're pretty secure in the lack of predators so there's no harm.

This is my favourite picture of a snail "pretending" to be asleep. This is Wally Westin the Elusive (the first snail i ever purchased from online, from the great feebix aka ryan). sadly Wally is now long deceased (from old age):

[etana]

Lovely pictures Snailboat and Muddydragon! I'm trying to figure out just how exactly Wally is doing that, lol, it's so great when they put their soft faces to this kind of uses.

[cliath]

Yep. Mine do that too, especially my GALS. The pretend sleeping is super cute.