Correne
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 208
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Post by Correne on Jun 12, 2005 11:01:21 GMT
More advice required. Sorry for all of my questions. Dent is sealed in now Please tell me if I should be using heat mats and what temperature is best what each snail species. Am getting into a right state panicking. I have the tubs of eggs with a heater in front and am switching it on/off trying to keep the temperature at a constant 26 degrees C. Correne
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Post by anjieburdett on Jun 12, 2005 12:23:18 GMT
Hiya Correne,
Dent is a Fulica isn't he? My fulicas didn't even need a heat mat during the winter, they seem to be more tolerant of lower temperatures than other species. Is the soil moist enough? They can seal in to preserve moisture, as you probably already know. Is he eating ok? Have you actually seen him eating?
If it was my snail i would let him seal up for a day or so and have a rest, then wake him up gently to have something to eat. Don't panic though...it doesn't mean he is ill. You could try a heat mat if it puts your mind at ease, maybe that will do the trick.
Oh my god Correne, how long can you keep that up?! Turning the heater on and off hehe, what do you do at night?? Some people put them in a container with a lid onto of the TV, not sure how this works though. What is the reasoning behind removing eggs from the parents tank? I just thought that it would be best to leave them undisturbed where they were laid.
Peoples, let me know your thoughts on this one, pleeeeease.
Good luck with Dent Correne.
Anjie,x.
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Correne
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 208
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Post by Correne on Jun 12, 2005 14:07:15 GMT
Anjie, Hi! Thanks for your reply. You got me thinking if I had actually seen Dent eat recently. She came our again after a bath this morning. After I read your reply I spent half an hour with different foods that I know she likes and not even one bite. She did drink some water, though. Then, after making porridge for Darra (yes I know, weird at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon) I thought about oats. I used some Jordan's organic oats, soaked in water for a few seconds, squeezed into a cake and she if wolfing it down!! Am so pleased! So, Anjie, yes she is eating. I will keep an eye on her and let you know. Meantime, regarding temperature, I am looking forward to hearing what everyone does with their snails. All of my snails seem to thrive at room temperature. However, I was wondering if temperature is something to consider if Dent has been sealing herself in. The seal seemed to start two days before she laid eggs. She goes in and comes out. Am very concerned. As for eggs in parents' tank or not I think we should raise this issue in the breeeding section. I know Fredrik leaves his in the tank. I read on someone's web site (I'll post the link when I find it) that the margie shells are very delicate. That is why I removed the eggs as I didn't want the parents to squash them. Meantime, Paul has said their shells are actually quite strong. The parents' tank is at room temp and I want to keep the eggs warmer. I would love for the babies to survive. Come on everyone, Anjie and me want to know what you guys do. Temperature here and eggs here: petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=breeding&action=display&n=1&thread=1170Thank you. Correne X
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Arno
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,493
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Post by Arno on Jun 12, 2005 20:17:25 GMT
Ok,the temperature bit:It all depends how warm the room is where you keep the tank.I think Pauls had his at 25 degrees but mine never gets warmer than 20 degrees.But in the late springmonths and summermonths you probably wouldn't need to have your heatmat on. Like Anjie said before fulica's are very tolerant of lower temps.Other species might need more warmth.I have the heatmat on in the Margie tank but thats mainly for the young snails.
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Val
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,498
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Post by Val on Jun 12, 2005 21:11:31 GMT
I have a heat mat on the back of my glass tank and I switch it on every evening about 9 O'clock until the morning, keeps the tank at 79F
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Post by Paul on Jun 13, 2005 3:52:43 GMT
My room temperature is 21-23c and that seems fine for most types of snail. I only have a hotter tank for my margies and tiger because they seem to enjoy that. But to be honest, I think humidity has more to do with activity than temperature once you're in the acceptable range. I'd certainly try snails at room temperature first before bothering with a heat mat.
paul
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Post by Paul on Jun 13, 2005 3:57:50 GMT
Also, it sounds like the snail is aestivating rather than hibernating, it probably has nothing to do with heat at all. Have you tried keeping a wetter tank? I keep mine wetter than is generally recommended, with less ventilation than perhaps it should have because my snails seem happier and much more active like that.
I know some snails can aestivate even if conditions are perfect so perhaps they are driven to do so, by millions of years of adaptation to wild conditions and the usual, 3 months wet, 3 months not so wet etc. If your tank has loads of ventilation why not put a damp towel over the lid to see if it helps.
paul
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