Asphyxiation?

[Kevin]

Well my Iredalei arrived, not in the best of shape

At this moment im not sure if all three are dead, and they were only sent out yesterday...maybe they're just being unresponsive? But two have they're bodies out of theyre shell as if they're moving around, but are not moving...There wasnt any/much ventilation, so maybe its that?

Ive quickly sprayed them with water, but is there anything else I can do if they're just dormant?

[Kevin]

One is now alive and moving, the one that was in his shell, the other two are out of theyre shells and completly unresponsive, when I pick them up they dont move.

[natrat84]

Sit them in a little puddle of warm water, its never failed to wake one of my snails up. I find with my iredalei that they never sleep completely in their shells like alot of my others do, so maybe they are just resting

[Kevin]

Sit them in a little puddle of warm water, its never failed to wake one of my snails up. I find with my iredalei that they never sleep completely in their shells like alot of my others do, so maybe they are just resting

Thats good to know, Thanks

Will do, with the warm water now

[natrat84]

Also, I find my iredalei aren't the slightest bit shy, they often don't even flinch when I pick them up. Let us know how you get on.

[Kevin]

natrat84 said:

Also, I find my iredalei aren't the slightest bit shy, they often don't even flinch when I pick them up. Let us know how you get on.

The one thats definitly alive isnt shy, within 10 minutes he was out of his shell, moving around, and still is...The other two still havent moved

[sezzy5889]

How are they???

[Kevin]

sezzy5889 said:

How are they???

One has just "revived" so now two are ok and moving around...The other, smallest, one still has no movement, in over an hour, and is partially out of his shell, I really hope he isnt dead

[sezzy5889]

I hope the small one makes it i'm rooting for him :-)
though usually if they are dead they are either all the way in or flopping around out of the shell

have you checked to see if the air hole is open, or closing when you pick him up? to see if hes breathing

[Kevin]

have you checked to see if the air hole is open, or closing when you pick him up? to see if hes breathing

No i havent? I'll go check now

[Kevin]

sezzy5889 said:

have you checked to see if the air hole is open, or closing when you pick him up? to see if hes breathing

I cant see? he's too small

[sezzy5889]

only time will tell then :-(

[Paul]

Remember me telling you about asphyxiation, well after I had one die (even with air holes grrr) I spoke to Christabel about it and she said:

"The signs of them being asphyxiated are that they are protruded right out from the shell but not responsive, usually with the eyes retracted. They're not attached to the sides of the container and the body is limp when you pick up the snail. If they are going to recover they should start to respond slightly within a few minutes of being given fresh air, and really perk up within a few hours. "

[Kevin]

admin said:

Remember me telling you about asphyxiation, well after I had one die (even with air holes grrr) I spoke to Christabel about it and she said:

"The signs of them being asphyxiated are that they are protruded right out from the shell but not responsive, usually with the eyes retracted. They're not attached to the sides of the container and the body is limp when you pick up the snail. If they are going to recover they should start to respond slightly within a few minutes of being given fresh air, and really perk up within a few hours. "

You have just described all the symptoms of my Iredalei, they are out of they're shell but not responsive, one was ok to start, I thought two was definitly dead, one of the ones that was right out of his shell, but unresponsive has come around and is moving, the other still is unresponsive, I have placed all three in they're housing now in the hope the third one will eventually come around...

[Kevin]

Fredrik's idea on writing up his experience of sending snails seems a vital idea I think

[Paul]

I won't go into all the details here, as Fredrik is writing a guide but I'd like to point something out.

I have sent and received a lot, and I had 2 problems in 200+ snails. One was because the airholes got blocked by the packaging and the other was the holes were big enough for one to get its head through and it died somehow.

Other than that, what I have learned is that moss is better than soil, coz it hold moisture well but importantly plenty of air. I also think it makes them feel safer.

And here is the point, you should try and put the container in a box with packaging around. There is very little difference in cost between a large and small parcel, because the packaging is so light. So my advice is not to try and make them small to keep costs down, it is a false economy and you leave your package to the mercy of the posties. Better to use more lightweight packaging so it can survive being kicked around. And make sure the air holes aren't blocked by over-packing (which I did once ).

[Paul]

Oh yeah, and if anyone is struggling for boxes let me know. I get them from work and in fact I put an advert on here. I'm willing to post you the boxes. I think it costs about £8-9 for 80 boxes flat packed.

Obviously the costs go up with less because of Royal Mail's price structure. Having said that, even getting 10 wouldn't be too bad.

If you have had snails from me you know the ones I am talking about. See the ad in classfieds.

I'm sure most of you won't need them, but if you need a lot or you are struggling to find good, sturdy boxes at a useful size, let me know.