Can Snails BOND with there owner?

[xxxxxxx]

Ive herd different things form different people and want to know can they actually bond with there owner or not?

thanks x

[xxxxxxx]

Just give me your oppinion lol

[snailysnail]

i think they can, as they don't come out of their shells when someone apart from me holds them...or if they do it takes a long time

[coyote]

That's a difficult question to answer. Bonding is usually something that happens when babies are born helpless and dependent upon its parents (or a parent) for its health and well-being. Bonding assures that the mother (and often the father) will care for the baby until it grows up to adulthood.

Since snails are born independent and self-sufficient right from hatching, there is no biological need for bonding to take place.

Having said that, I'm sure that some kind of relationship can develop between a snail and its person that isn't based on bonding per se. I'm sure snails can tell the difference between people, and I'll bet they can form positive and negative associations with certain individuals.

[lucyjames]

My snails will bond with whoever is holding the sweet potato and cucumber salad ;D

[muddydragon]

I agree with Coyote. They probably recognise 'safe' scents/tastes etc and recognise your scent/taste as a 'safe' organism and possibly associate you with food whereas another person has to be assessed as to weather they are 'safe' .
I think they may be able to recognise other members of the same family if they have similar scents etc (a bit like humans prefering mates with a scent/taste which results from a different MHC), biological relatives are likely to have many scents/tastes which are similar/ the same due to genetics (we reveal a lot about our genetics that we dont realise this way!)
for example with my aunties tortoises, one is nervous of new people but when i met her she was letting me stroke her neck and everything, i suspect that (due to me being directly related to my uncle who they recognise as 'safe - food etc provider' ) that i pocess some similar scents to him and i am probably recognised as 'safe'.
obviously this could happen by co-incidence i guess! i once had a dog (ok this is a whole different thing here but anyway) that i didnt know run across to the road to me to be fussed, the owner was very confused and managed to say 'thats so odd, she hates strangers' and there she was being a complete soft lump! maybe i reminded her of someone, or maybe i just strike animals as a nice person lol

[goonius]

ralph uses snail slime to bond onto my hand?



alex

[lucyjames]

lol, alex.... I never thought of that one ;D

[kikiandhersnails]

I believe snails do bond with their owners, I have two snails Angus and Katy-did, (Katy for short) and I have had them for five days, and I let them get used to my scent, and I would feed them a carrot every time I held them. Now when I pick them up I can pet them on their sides, and they don't retract into their shells. And they climb all over me, and to think 5 days ago they were wild! But I think they really love their predator free home!

[rosiesnail2]

Well my snails are still tiny and as soon as my hand is in they come crawling and they know there's something good.
And my Fulcia are the same, venture up your arm and let you stroke them and stretch and dance.

[parsleyandwoof]

Jun 11, 2009 19:31:10 GMT xxxxxxx said:

Ive herd different things form different people and want to know can they actually bond with there owner or not?

thanks x

They can totally bond with their owners!

My snail, before she died ;_;, used to come to me when I called!
She also refused to sliver onto anyones hand but mine .

Hope it helped .

[latebloomer]

I know my snails now accept me as a familiar non threatening part of their life and no longer bother to retract when they are picked up. They are looking out of their hide as soon the lid is lifted, as they they know this means food. I find it quite touching, I did not really expect it somehow,it is a real added bonus to the pleasure of observing them.

[saki114]

I think so... it will be quite a heartbreak when I will have to let them go....