i think my snail is ill :(

[sparxie]

about 4 weeks ago my snail layed eggs (most have hatched )

but since having these he (i refer to him as a male dunno why XD) snail has stopped eating, and i've been putting his favourites in, warmth is same as usual, i cleaned tank, taken extra care washing food, spraying tank as normal but he just seems to be getting worst


hes still sharing his tank with my other snail, been togther most there lives i believe. i only brought them 3 months ago tho.... (i call them custard and cream ) cream is the ill one



also as the days go on he's retracting deeper into his shell....


is there anything i can do, or do i have to prepare for the worst?



the other one tho is very healthy and in prefect condition :/

[parsleyandwoof]

Nov 22, 2010 19:54:44 GMT sparxie said:

about 4 weeks ago my snail layed eggs (most have hatched )

What food, calcium and subtrate is in your snails' tank? . Mabye your subtrate harbours mites or worms. Your food might not be suitible. I hope this helps. I love my snail and I would be sad if It died. One I once had another snail and released it .

[SnailsPace]

Hiya, what kind of snail is he? It seems to be fairly commonish for some to die after laying, peole seem to try and bulk them up with wet fish flakes or snail recovery food from ebay.

This might be a helpful link
petsnails.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=problems&action=display&thread=10206

Although the outcome was not good for Viking on this occasion but it tells you all what she tried to help her snail to recover.
Good luck

[coyote]

A snail retracting deeper into its shell is not a good sign, but it's hard to say what may happen with your particular snail. If it's actually deep retraction, there's not much that can be done.

Fingers crossed for him, and let us know how he does.

[inky]

Most snails die after they lay their eggs. I am so sorry =( But don't give up hope; you may just have a fatal infection. Doesn't sound too good, I know, but if you try enough, you can get rid of it. Even then, though, the chances are dull. Here, have a link of where I found this out.

www.petsnails.co.uk/problems/retracted.html#start

Your snail may have preamble. Or he is dying. I'm sorry I could not be much help, but I'm new to owning snails after my friend threw a snail onto my trampoline. Now I have to thank them, as it was a sinistral =P
On topic again. Try putting lukewarm water into its shell for ten seconds, then pouring it out. It usually comes out of its shell to try and breathe. Then you can put it on top of some cuttlefish, as it rasps it. Also, try bathing your snail in green tea. It's a myth, but it's desperate measures for this stuff.
A reason your snail may be ill is that you've cleaned his tank too much. Of course, it might not be sick.
If you try this and somehow drown your pet, OH DEAR GOD I AM SO SORRY. These have not been tested by me.


EDIT: Two years later, I feel like a complete idiot when reading what I've written. Damn. Sorry about past me, I was a bit of an idiot...

[axoloa]

inky, somehow I dont think the origional poster is going to read any of this since the thread is from Nov 2010 And I keep a wide range of snails and slugs of many species and non have died after laying yet... I think that information must have been refering to a specific species

[SnailsPace]

Most snails do NOT die after laying eggs, not sure who told you that.
I would advise against water boarding a snail for ten seconds, how would you like it, especially if you did not have the strength to come out of your shell?! Snails can breathe when retracted anyway as they don't breathe from their mouth

[axoloa]

inky, I agree with snailspace. and I seriously think it may be worth you revising some more on different species before you try giving people information. Im not trying to be mean, I just know how frustraiting it can be when your falsly informed (especialy if you decide to take the advice) :/

[graemepryce]

I have immersed snails in warm water mixed with a little beer a few times to tempt them out if I am worried something is wrong. Snails breath a lot slower and take far less breaths than us so you won't drown them unless you leave them for longer than a few minutes, but by then your water will be going cold anyway so you would hopefully only dip them for a few minutes at most.

I agree with axoloa though, it is very frustrating to see people giving advice that is entirely wrong and based on keeping a couple of H.Aspersa from the garden in an ice cream tub! I feel for the US snail-lovers who aren't allowed to keep more interesting species but I would advise caution on accepting advice from them as nobody in the US will have any experience of GALS, just local species. I would also say that if you are looking for any advice here, that you read more than one post on the subject and only follow advice that seems to be common in threads.

[goroh999]

Hi everyone!
Obviously I am revivng an old thread, but as a newcommer, apparently I am unable to create a new one...

I have registrated because I need help.
I have a 7 year old Achatina, Bator, who is in a very bad shape right now. Yesterday I have discovered that his skin became blackish on his foot, like part of his skin is dying. Also, this part is hard, not soft, like the other parts of his body. And he is very-very stinky.

I have immediately separated him from the others, and tried to disinfect the area, as I thought maybe he has pulled in his shell some food, and that started to rot on his skin (Bator sleeps very often for days).
Today the blackish part started to come off, but not in a reassuring way... It is like his skin is falling apart. Tears ans scars appeared on his foot.

There only 1-2 pets in Hungary who are dealing with exotical creatures, and I have visited them with my late snail, who suffered from gut extusion - it was the first time he examined a snail. So I obivously will not get any help from them. Also, Bator may not live long enough till the appointment.

I would appreciate any help, if you have encountered anything like that. Right now all we can do is to disinfect the diseased skin every day and try to feed him.

I will just link the pictures, and not insert them, as they are really nice...

i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj258/goroh999/DSC02307_zpsc8f5f9d8.jpg

i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj258/goroh999/DSC02306_zpsb3f9f7a7.jpg

i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj258/goroh999/DSC02305_zps6a3fd68a.jpg

[muddydragon]

I've not seen this before but i would keep trying to disinfect the wound and doing as you are currently. Offer mashed foods as they seem to prefer these when ill and i would keep him in a substrate free environment so you can clean it frequently.

one question:
What are you using to disinfect the area as some disinfectants which are safe for humans will not be safe for snails and will make it worse for him. Others may be able to advise better but i've heard good things about greenleaf tea as a mild safe antiseptic for snails

[tsrebel]

That does not look good! I experienced something similar with my first fulica. I ended up eutanizing him, as I couldn't bear to look at his suffering. I'm not sure what caused it, but it looked like he got burned. Do you keep a heat mat under the tank? What specie is he?

[goroh999]

Oct 20, 2013 20:39:06 GMT muddydragon said:

one question:
What are you using to disinfect the area as some disinfectants which are safe for humans will not be safe for snails and will make it worse for him.

Right now some alcoholic stuff (deluted with water), as there is nothing else at home and everything is closed. Also, this helped my young snail with his battle scars. Tomorrow I will visit a pharmacy for advice, but frankly, I do not know what would be the best. The meshed food is good idea, thanks!

tsrebel: we have a very nice environment in the flat, they do not need a heat mat during the autumn. But yes, it exactly seems like a burnt damage. And he is an Achatina fulica, as far as I know.

[goroh999]

Update: when I arrived home with a recommended disinfectant, a part of the blackened skin started to fall off. He vas very stinky, and I was unable to decide whether this is a good thing or not.
I took him to a vet (this was his first snail in his praxis), who removed the dead, rotten part (came off quite easily after a few strong moves). Underneath the skin was new and unharmed. I should keep him separated and use the disinfection liquid twice a day, and he should be healthy again in a week.

The problem was an infection. Bator is very old, and he often sleeps for days. Probably he pulled in piece of salad or something from the soil, which caused an infection in a few days. Fortunately snails regenerate quite well, and hopefully Bator will be able to cover up from this.

I will keep you updated, hopefully this will help others, who may encounter this problem.

[lescargot]

I am very sorry to see what happened to Bator but also happy that he will be fine again hopefully with such a good treatment.

Thank you for sharing this sad story which we can all learn from.

[lescargot]

I hope, Bator is eating and doing better

[goroh999]

Unfortunately he is not eating. Maybe his mouth was damaged as well. He is trying to eat, looking the food very closely, but he does not eat a thing. I try halved grapes now, from which he can suck the juice if he wants, but he is still not very self-confident.

[lescargot]

Thank you for information. It is a good sign he shows interest in food. As you said, maybe his mouth hurts. I hope he drinks at least. I am sure he will pick up his confidence very soon with care and attention you are giving. My thoughts are with Bator.!

[lescargot]

How is Bator doing today? Was he able to eat anything?

[goroh999]

It seems like the lower part of his mouth has damaged, but he figured out that by turning upside down he is able to eat something. Not much tough, but this is still an improvement. He managed to eat some lettuce and a piece of dog food (his favourite). Also, he is looking far better now, but he is very grumpy because of the daily disinfection.

Question: there are vitamin liquids for turtles and for amphibians that should be dropped into their water. Do you think it is a good idea to make a bath for the snail? I am sure that he misses basic vitamins and minerals.

[lescargot]

Thanks for the update. These creators are amazing.! They are real survivors. He figures out how to get some food in positioning himself

Also, a big bravo to you that you are caring so much for your little friend.

To answer your question; it sounds very logical to give him a vitamin bath. But, before doing so check with more experienced members on here. If they don't see your question here and you need a quick answer not to loose time, you can send them a private message, maybe the moderators as well.

Good luck

[lescargot]

How is Bator doing? Any progress?

[goroh999]

Bator enjoys the vitamin bath very much, today he was very confident. He wants to eat, but he is still unable to eat solid food, like lettuce or cucumber. He managed to nom some mashed dogfood (luckily, it is mainly made out of vegetables...) from my girlfriend's finger - which is way far from his normal behaviour.

He really hates the disinfectant liquid, and the treatment made him distrusful. Also, there are nos scars, so we finished treating him with that. But without the bath he would not wake up by himself.

Tomorrow I will try to make him a special cocktail.

[lescargot]

I am very happy to read the good news He will do better with time. You are doing a super job.!

Who would like the disinfectant liquid If he only knew this was for his well being.. The vitamin baths must have done good to him..

Keep it up

P.S. As soon as you are up to it, please share Bator's photos again

[Zorst]

Hows Bator today? it sounds like he's starting to recover well. Let us know how he is.

Zorst