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Post by teessnails on Apr 16, 2015 23:41:07 GMT
I found a snail behind my computer screen today! I don't know how it got there, but it's not a place I ever look or really clean, so it appears he's been there for a while. I think he's sealed himself in due to a lack of food and water as it's summer here so I doubt he was trying to hibernate. Is there anything I can do to help him? I've rinsed him with water and put him on some dandelion leaves. I'll include a picture as well. I've never dealt with a sealed in snail. Is there a way to tell if he's even alive?
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Post by Liguus on Apr 17, 2015 0:55:15 GMT
Spray him down with water or even put him in a water dish with a half inch (1cm) or so of water. Don't panic, because in nature when the weather is dry snails can aestivate, which is just a term for hibernating due to dryness instead of cold. He will "pop" the seal of his shell in a few hours.
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Post by teessnails on Apr 17, 2015 1:18:53 GMT
Spray him down with water or even put him in a water dish with a half inch (1cm) or so of water. Don't panic, because in nature when the weather is dry snails can aestivate, which is just a term for hibernating due to dryness instead of cold. He will "pop" the seal of his shell in a few hours. Thanks! He seems free of mites, so after a warm rinse I put him in the tank in a shaded area atop some lettuce and dandelion. I misted the tank and now I'm letting him sit. I hope that's alright.
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Post by teessnails on Apr 17, 2015 2:58:55 GMT
Do you think this tank is big enough for three helix aspersas? I'd like to keep this little guy at least until he's strong again, but I'm worried it would be even worse if he was in an over crowded tank.
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Post by etana on Apr 17, 2015 5:25:49 GMT
If you have a very bright LED or other flashlight that doesn't get hot, put it against the snail's shell. If his shell is not too thick and dark, you should find his little heart beating slowly - look patiently, as with sealed in snails one beat may take many seconds! The heart should be located at the underside of the shell.
The very bright light sometimes wakes the snail up, too.
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Post by teessnails on Apr 17, 2015 16:25:53 GMT
He's doing alright! Last night before bed I tried running him under some warm water one more time, and he came out! He looked very weak though, and he couldn't stick to my hand, though he seemed to be trying. I put him in the tank on some food and woke to find him hanging out on lid of the tank! I don't know if he ate or not, but at least he's able to stick again. He's not sleeping like my other snails, but moving very, very slowly around the tank lid. Hopefully with time he'll continue to get better. Thanks everyone for your advice!
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Post by etana on Apr 17, 2015 17:17:43 GMT
Glad to hear he woke up! Maybe offer him something very soft and mushy, like very ripe fruit or something, in case he feels so weak that he can't use his radula properly. Also make sure that he's offered some protein. I hope he'll perk up!
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Zorst
Achatina tincta
Posts: 734
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Post by Zorst on Apr 17, 2015 17:57:27 GMT
Well done with your new snail, I would do as Etana suggests and give him some protein like some hard boiled egg mashed up or some fish flakes.
Zorst
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Post by teessnails on Apr 17, 2015 21:24:27 GMT
Thank you all so much for the advice! I wouldn't have remembered that he might need protein right away. I'll make sure to give him some. He has access to cuttle bone and some very shallow water. He sends to be doing well!
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Post by teessnails on Apr 18, 2015 1:55:16 GMT
He ate some mushed fish flakes and some watermelon. I know watermelon isn't nutritious, but at least it's hydrating. He didn't seem to want anything leafy, so hopefully the fish flakes and watermelon will give him some energy.
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Zorst
Achatina tincta
Posts: 734
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Post by Zorst on Apr 19, 2015 19:51:12 GMT
Great to hear he's eating n doing well.
Zorst
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Post by teessnails on Apr 20, 2015 4:53:33 GMT
He still hasn't eaten any calcium or and leafy greens. Left to his own devices he seemed to just sleep, so tonight I turned his log upside down (making him right side up) and put some shaved calcium, fish flakes and spinach in front of him. He immediately woke up and ate the fish flakes. Hopefully I can get him to eat without me putting it in front of his face. My other snails don't eat every night, but I can always tell they've moved around. He didn't move at all for two days, so I decided to disturb him so he would eat. Hopefully that was the right thing to do. Normally I'd let him do his own thing, but he's so small and weak looking I'm worried he'll just die if I don't make him eat
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Post by etana on Apr 20, 2015 8:05:44 GMT
That's good that he's having the fish flakes. Perhaps try offering a bit of sweet potato, sliced as thinly as possible (it's easy with a peeling knife or cheese cutter)? Usually no snail can resist super thin slices of sweet potato, and it's very good for them too. Some snails don't understand cuttlebone the first time they see it, as it may be very different to how they've found calcium in the wild. I've discovered that one way to get them to try rasping it is to rub a good taste on it. Since your snail likes fish flakes, you could use the water you soak them in to spice up a part of the cuttlebone, and then put it in front of his face. I've only needed to do it once with each snail, after that they've rasped it for calcium without me adding the taste.
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Zorst
Achatina tincta
Posts: 734
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Post by Zorst on Apr 20, 2015 9:01:17 GMT
Good idea Etana.
Zorst
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Post by teessnails on Apr 20, 2015 15:19:00 GMT
That's a great idea etana! I'll give it a shot
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Post by Liguus on Apr 20, 2015 18:13:19 GMT
I agree with that. What I do is leave fruit and dog food mash on the cuttlebone to teach hatchlings what the calcium source is. They seem to focus on rasping the food stain areas.
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Post by teessnails on Apr 25, 2015 5:08:56 GMT
Just an update, Fitzgerald is doing really well! He no longer hides when I mess around with the cage to put food in or spray the snails, and tonight when he got some food on his face he let me use my nail to hold it in place while he moved his head to rasp at it! It was really cute! The trick with the cuttlebone worked too. I put fish flakes on it and he loved it. When he ran out of flakes and got his first taste of cuttlebone, he retracted his eyes really fast and scrunched his face up, but then he took a few more bites and got used to it! He's still less active than the other snails, but all in all he's adorable and seems to be doing well!
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Zorst
Achatina tincta
Posts: 734
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Post by Zorst on Apr 25, 2015 8:09:18 GMT
So glad to hear that Fitzgerald's doing so well and eating cuttle bone.
Zorst
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mangoandlemon
Achatina tincta
Animals are not a choice for me. They are a lifestyle!
Posts: 671
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Post by mangoandlemon on Apr 25, 2015 13:50:20 GMT
Its great he's eating. I love that name!
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Post by teessnails on Apr 25, 2015 14:19:41 GMT
Its great he's eating. I love that name! Thanks! I just name my snails whatever pops into my head when I first see them. I've seen a lot of really interesting snail names on this forum!
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Post by drowningindemons on Sept 12, 2015 17:23:14 GMT
Glad to see he's okay! Is that a rock in the tank?
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