Shell problems with my reticulata snails. (GALS)

[snilersomsmiler]

I have 8 juvenile L. reticulata snails. They are kept at 26-28C / 80-85%. They are given a varied diet of fruits and vegetables, cuttlefish is ALWAYS available. They get protein at least 2x a week. 

3 of my snails have moderate to serious shell growth issues. Here are pictures of all 3 of them. 


Snail 1

snail 2

Snail 3

Any ideas what this could be from? 

[diegothesnailkeeper]

snails are mostly solitary animals and sometimes get territorial when together have you seen them rasping at each other lately?

[etana]

That's not from them rasping at each other, it is a growth issue that giant snails get a lot, it seems to origin in the mantle edge that creates the new shell. I don't know why, their friends in the same tank may have perfect shells. Maybe someone else knows better.

[etana]

Jan 15, 2017 15:11:11 GMT diegothesnailkeeper said:

snails are mostly solitary animals and sometimes get territorial when together have you seen them rasping at each other lately?

Where did you hear that snails are territorial, I'd like to see the source?
Wild caught ones will sometimes fight over resources, hierarchy and partners (I have seen some furious ones with my own eyes, full blown eye stalk fencing!), and some grumpy individuals just seem to get bored of everyone, but generally it seems that if you find one snail outside, you will find a few more nearby. They like to follow each others' trails and sleep in piles. So I wouldn't call them solitary myself but if there's evidence to the contrary, I want to see it!

[diegothesnailkeeper]

Jan 16, 2017 21:47:41 GMT etana said:

Jan 15, 2017 15:11:11 GMT diegothesnailkeeper said:

snails are mostly solitary animals and sometimes get territorial when together have you seen them rasping at each other lately?

Where did you hear that snails are territorial, I'd like to see the source?
Wild caught ones will sometimes fight over resources, hierarchy and partners (I have seen some furious ones with my own eyes, full blown eye stalk fencing!), and some grumpy individuals just seem to get bored of everyone, but generally it seems that if you find one snail outside, you will find a few more nearby. They like to follow each others' trails and sleep in piles. So I wouldn't call them solitary myself but if there's evidence to the contrary, I want to see it!

sorry for the wrong information i just see my snails try to stay separate from each other sometimes like one snail has this area and another has this so i thought they were territorial

[picklepies]

My retics had the same problem, no idea why though just seemed like they couldn't be bothered to grow properly for a period then grew fine around territory I have noticed one of my tigers will stay separate from the others, always wants his own space lol xx

[snilersomsmiler]

Hey, sorry for not replying earlier. I totally forgot I posted this. My other retics started to develop this problem too, so this made me think it was something to do with how they were kept. The only recent changed I had made was to add more protein to their diet since they were going through a huge growth spurt.

I cut out their protein. I stopped feeding snail mix, sweet potato and broccoli for 7-10 days. I saw improvement and knew I was on the right track. Then I slowly started to add snail mix with no added fish flakes for 2 weeks, and just recently started giving them sweet potato again.

To recap: Cut out protein sources. Improvement within 10 days. Almost back to "normal" by week 4. 

Here is how they looked a few days ago:

i.imgur.com/hNDxrsX.jpg

i.imgur.com/i2gROUa.jpg

imgur.com/G27di9I.jpg

[Liguus]

The protein should be used sparingly. An incorrect ratio of calcium to protein can lead to growth issues. I add in a protein source once every 2 weeks, sometimes every 3 weeks.

[michel]

My Ovum has the same problem.

I took a picture of her just now. It looked the same as the topic starter's snail approx. 2 weeks earlier.
Now it has some white on it (which cannot be washed of). I am guessing it's repairing itself??

Picture here (front snail obviously): shell picture (front) snail
Or copy paste this in your browser: imgur.com/a/Tzqj1

Sidenote; I doubt it's a calcium issue, she eats enough cuttlebone. Though I will receive Oyster powder later this week. Maybe add some to her food??

Thank you for taking an interest.

[witchpig]

Never add calcium directly to their food, they can get stones in their innards and die if they have too much.

[diegothesnailkeeper]

Feb 25, 2017 16:53:40 GMT witchpig said:

Never add calcium directly to their food, they can get stones in their innards and die if they have too much.

Thats true only do it if they don't eat their calcium and they really need it if not put it in a separate dish for them to find.

[antgoblin]

I recommend protein more than 2 times a week. I personally would go for four.

[snilersomsmiler]

Feb 25, 2017 16:53:40 GMT witchpig said:

Never add calcium directly to their food, they can get stones in their innards and die if they have too much.

I've never heard of this before. I don't believe this. Anything that is not used by the body, will pass through it. I've seen small pieces of egg shell from crushed snail eggs in their poop.

[snilersomsmiler]

Feb 20, 2017 20:05:43 GMT michel said:

My Ovum has the same problem.

I took a picture of her just now. It looked the same as the topic starter's snail approx. 2 weeks earlier.
Now it has some white on it (which cannot be washed of). I am guessing it's repairing itself??

Picture here (front snail obviously): shell picture (front) snail
Or copy paste this in your browser: imgur.com/a/Tzqj1

Sidenote; I doubt it's a calcium issue, she eats enough cuttlebone. Though I will receive Oyster powder later this week. Maybe add some to her food??

Thank you for taking an interest.

This looks more like a genetic defect.