Snails seem to be estivating a lot?

[Morel Solstice]

I have 9 garden snails (2 wild caught in October of last year and 7 of their babies born in December that I decided to keep) in a 10gal tank, and for the last few weeks it seems to me that most of them estivate quite a lot? I would say despite my research I'm still new to snail care since I only got these babies last year and I tend to get a little paranoid, so I'm unsure how much estivation is considered "normal." Whenever I (gently) pop them off the sides of the walls or they happen to fall off or something like that, they wake up just fine and snail around for a bit. They also seem to get active for a day or two whenever I do the monthly soil change + tank cleaning.

I spritz them once a day, usually in the morning. The tank has a metal mesh lid of sorts so I alternate between covering it with plastic wrap as has been recommended to me, leaving a thin strip for ventilation, and leaving the lid uncovered to stop any mold from growing. I would say my apartment might be a little on the chillier side, but most sources I've seen do not recommend a heat mat for garden snails. I've also heard they're pretty hardy in regards to temperature.

I'm wondering if this is normal or a sign of illness, or if there's any changes I could make to their habitat that can improve their activity and quality of life? Thanks!

[snaileyhammy]

it could be just really dry or cold. try and keep it slightly humid, helix aspersa don't need it very warm but sometimes drops in temperature can really affect them. I hope this helps.

[Morel Solstice]

Mar 18, 2021 22:06:01 GMT snaileyhammy said:

it could be just really dry or cold. try and keep it slightly humid, helix aspersa don't need it very warm but sometimes drops in temperature can really affect them. I hope this helps.

thank you for your response. i can't do much about the actual temperature of the house as I need to keep it on the chillier side for health-related reasons (though it can't be any colder than 65 degrees fahrenheit max), but i will try to spritz them a little more often and see if activity improves at all.

i discovered today not long after making this forum that one of my wild-caught snails passed away very suddenly and mysteriously, deeply retracted into his shell-- not even estivating. he was always a little off since i got him and i suspect he mightve been older. everyone else seems to be doing well though. i've been beside myself but i want to make sure i continue to give the best care to the rest of my babies.

[morningcoffee]

Mar 18, 2021 21:36:53 GMT Morel Solstice said:

I have 9 garden snails (2 wild caught in October of last year and 7 of their babies born in December that I decided to keep) in a 10gal tank, and for the last few weeks it seems to me that most of them estivate quite a lot? I would say despite my research I'm still new to snail care since I only got these babies last year and I tend to get a little paranoid, so I'm unsure how much estivation is considered "normal." Whenever I (gently) pop them off the sides of the walls or they happen to fall off or something like that, they wake up just fine and snail around for a bit. They also seem to get active for a day or two whenever I do the monthly soil change + tank cleaning.

This sounds like they may just be normally sleeping/resting a lot rather than repeatedly aestivating.

[snaileyhammy]

Mar 19, 2021 5:08:04 GMT Morel Solstice said:

Mar 18, 2021 22:06:01 GMT snaileyhammy said:

it could be just really dry or cold. try and keep it slightly humid, helix aspersa don't need it very warm but sometimes drops in temperature can really affect them. I hope this helps.

thank you for your response. i can't do much about the actual temperature of the house as I need to keep it on the chillier side for health-related reasons (though it can't be any colder than 65 degrees fahrenheit max), but i will try to spritz them a little more often and see if activity improves at all.

i discovered today not long after making this forum that one of my wild-caught snails passed away very suddenly and mysteriously, deeply retracted into his shell-- not even estivating. he was always a little off since i got him and i suspect he mightve been older. everyone else seems to be doing well though. i've been beside myself but i want to make sure i continue to give the best care to the rest of my babies.

Ok, no problem. I’m so sorry that one of them passed away.
I hope it gets better.

[Morel Solstice]

Mar 19, 2021 9:43:13 GMT morningcoffee said:

Mar 18, 2021 21:36:53 GMT Morel Solstice said:

I have 9 garden snails (2 wild caught in October of last year and 7 of their babies born in December that I decided to keep) in a 10gal tank, and for the last few weeks it seems to me that most of them estivate quite a lot? I would say despite my research I'm still new to snail care since I only got these babies last year and I tend to get a little paranoid, so I'm unsure how much estivation is considered "normal." Whenever I (gently) pop them off the sides of the walls or they happen to fall off or something like that, they wake up just fine and snail around for a bit. They also seem to get active for a day or two whenever I do the monthly soil change + tank cleaning.

This sounds like they may just be normally sleeping/resting a lot rather than repeatedly aestivating.

I thought this might be the case as well since they wake up fairly quickly when I pop them off the walls of the tank, but they do seem to have that papery film around the opening of their shells which I read is in relation to aestivating? Is it maybe caused by something else, as well?

[lla]

The papery film around their opening could either be new shell growth, or what I like to call the hibernation layer. I have two garden snails and like you I cannot regulate the temperature of their tank. I have experienced my snails going into hibernation several times and they always close of their shell with that papery layer. Usually they dig themselves into the substrate before going into hibernation, and usually only get out of hibernation when temperatures get better or when I do a deep humidification of their soil by basically flooding the soil (I take the snails out of the soil beforehand, without breaking the layer of mucus that closes their shell). Garden snails naturally dig and hide a lot because they are a pray item for many creatures. I'd consider adding some places for your snails to hide under(keep in mind if you want to put a flower pot it is better to get a plastic one, in case a snail falls onto it so it won't break its shell as much) as if they have nowhere to hide they will simply dig themselves into the ground. I hope this helped ! I wouldn't worry too much, just make sure to keep the soil humidified. I also personally don't chance the soil at all. I simply humidify it and once a month I mix it again, which helps prevent mold etc. I also have some moss in the tank, alongside grass seeds which help keep the soil nice and rich too! But it truly depends on what substrate you use. I use soil, while many use coconut fiber so all of those factors will impact how much you need to mix/change the substrate