|
Post by Ells on Jul 9, 2017 21:40:41 GMT
Hi everyone, a while ago my partner accidentally stepped on a snail. Since only the shell was broken I decided to take him home and nurture him until his shell would grow back. It's been a few weeks now and there seems to be some improvement but since it was quite a big crack I don't see it heal for at least another couple of months. I just want to know if a pet snail (which he now is I guess ) could actually still survive in the wild? He now has everything he needs: calcium, some water, fresh food, etc. and seems to enjoy it. I just don't want to release him back into nature within a few months knowing that he got used to living like this and would have a hard time adjusting again. I have no issue keeping him, but just want what's best for him. Any opinions on this? Thank you all! Els
|
|
|
Post by Liguus on Jul 9, 2017 23:47:18 GMT
No worries, once it's fully recovered it should not have any issues living in the wild again.
|
|
|
Post by jroberts on Jul 9, 2017 23:51:28 GMT
Hi everyone, a while ago my partner accidentally stepped on a snail. Since only the shell was broken I decided to take him home and nurture him until his shell would grow back. It's been a few weeks now and there seems to be some improvement but since it was quite a big crack I don't see it heal for at least another couple of months. I just want to know if a pet snail (which he now is I guess ) could actually still survive in the wild? He now has everything he needs: calcium, some water, fresh food, etc. and seems to enjoy it. I just don't want to release him back into nature within a few months knowing that he got used to living like this and would have a hard time adjusting again. I have no issue keeping him, but just want what's best for him. Any opinions on this? Thank you all! Els Hi there. In answer to your main concern, yes it is very possible to safely reintroduce your snail into the wild once healed. What I will say however is this; whatever the species, while he's in captivity, try to give him as similar diet as possible to what he would be eating if he was still outside (preferably altogether avoiding cucumber and lettuce as these are "the junk foods" of captive vegetation). Also try to provide him with a similar temperature to what he would get in the wild. If you wish to release him this year, it would be advisable to do it before winter if you live in a country that does not remain mild-hot all year round, as releasing him into wintery conditions without him being naturally weaned into the cold could kill him rather than send him into hibernation/aestivation. Otherwise, a release any time when snails start emerging again in the wild should be fine. Please note that the snails shell will never perfectly reform unless the snail is still growing and the break was near the lip. Any braking before the lip will likely repair a white/gray/brown colour, crusty in appearance. If your snail is like this now, as lo g as the repaired shell is hard, you probably will not see much further improvement from this point. If you were to decide you would like to keep him, there is certainly no harm in it as its a known fact that snails last longer in captivity (when they are given the correct care for their species). If you do decide to keep him, Id recommend posting pictures of him so we can help you with the snails identification and care requirements. Sometimes snails appear happy even if they are not, then without any signs they just die, so for this reason its better to find out as much as you can about the particular species you have. If I was new to snail keeping and found myself in your situation, id probably do this regardless of how long I intended on keeping the snail.
|
|