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Post by johnbutterfield on Jun 21, 2019 15:18:20 GMT
Two nights ago while photographing a beautiful 2 inch long snail on my sidewalk I dropped my camera on the creature and remarkably destroyed its ENTIRE shell.
It's in a plastic box now inside with vegetable scraps and I'm searching for some answers...
Please post any suggestions as I cannot find ANY advice on the web.
John in Charleston, South Carolina
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gluckuk
Achatina achatina
Posts: 54
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Post by gluckuk on Jun 21, 2019 23:09:52 GMT
Two nights ago while photographing a beautiful 2 inch long snail on my sidewalk I dropped my camera on the creature and remarkably destroyed its ENTIRE shell. It's in a plastic box now inside with vegetable scraps and I'm searching for some answers... Please post any suggestions as I cannot find ANY advice on the web. John in Charleston, South Carolina What kind of snail is it? Do you have any pictures? I'm not gonna give you false hope. It's not likely for a snail to survive with a totally destroyed shell. The biggest dangers to it right now are dehydration and infection. Make sure it has a source of shallow water to drink from and feed it calcium rich foods. I've heard stories of snails recovering from totally destroyed shells by eating pumpkin seeds, but I think that was related to losing their shells from nematodes, not from injury. Water and Calcium, that's what he needs more than anything else. |
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Kari
Achatina fulica
Posts: 7
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Post by Kari on Jul 15, 2019 4:07:42 GMT
Depending on how bad it's damaged some people cover holes with plaster. Helps protect the snail while it rebuilds the shell.
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simple
Achatina achatina
Posts: 97 
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Post by simple on Jul 16, 2019 11:47:11 GMT
Depending on how bad it's damaged some people cover holes with plaster. Helps protect the snail while it rebuilds the shell. Fixing the shell by yourself should be a last resort, though. From my experience it always ended up badly. |
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Post by shysnail on Jul 16, 2019 11:53:55 GMT
It's good that you're trying to help the critter. I think it's unlikely that it's going to survive if its whole shell is broken. Small cracks they can bounce back from, but anything more, it's much less likely. Give it good access to food, hydration (spray where it's currently living with water every so often), calcium (cuttlefish bone is a common source. You can find this in the reptile section of pet stores. Or egg shells I believe some people feed). It's unlikely to survive, but it's a kindness to make whatever time it has comfortable.
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