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Post by oceanlover on Apr 27, 2006 18:00:33 GMT
Now I'm confused... I had some problems with low temperatures 18º-22ºC that make my snails very sleepy... Now I can keep the temperatures to 28º-32ºC at day and 25ºC at night, good humidity and one of my snails (the less active at the beginning), is very active, he heats all days, walk all night in the Tank and so times at the day too and the other (the more active at the beginning) sleeps all the time! I woke up him every weeks for see if he eats, all tips of food, fruit like mango, apple, courgette, vegetables, carrots, potatoes, etc and he just stay some mins on the food and go sleep in the same place, he even don't move to other place... Now he is becoming skinny and now I stop waking him up for don't waste the backups... I think that both are Archachatina marginata, so they should like the same temperature... Could I have different species of snails and they prefer different temperatures? Here is some pics of the sleepy snail:   Is he an Archachatina marginata? He looks skinny to me, or is normal snails be like that?(2nd pic) |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2006 18:05:20 GMT
I think the bottom one is Archachatina degneri. that could explain it.
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Post by sezzy5889 on Apr 27, 2006 19:38:06 GMT
and 32°C is way too high a temp, they need to be kept between about 26 - 30°C
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Arno
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,493
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Post by Arno on Apr 27, 2006 19:55:48 GMT
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Post by sezzy5889 on Apr 27, 2006 20:54:49 GMT
yes but in Africa they can escape to cooler areas in foliage etc, in a tank they can't...
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Post by Paul on Apr 27, 2006 23:05:28 GMT
I'd agree that they are probably degneri, but definitely not marginata. Both from similar areas so environment should be very similar, if not identical.
But, that problem sounds like that retraction problem to me, rather than environmental. It's possible the heat is causing some sort of dormancy, but unlikely and you'd expect them to burrow a little. If this illness is caused by bacteria or anything like that, overly wet and warm would make it worse, cause we don't have the airflow they get in the wild. I realise the dense jungles are probably not fresh at all, but there is still air movement. If it is the retraction illness, I'm not sure what advice to give, I've never found a definite solution. All you can do is try different conditions, but don't chop and change too quickly, allow them chance to adjust. Try giving the ill one a bath/shower (gentle) with luke warm water, and then feed him. And keep trying, I have one now that has been ill for months, sometimes he refuses to eat, other times he will when encouraged. I just keep hoping he'll start putting more weight on a getting back to health.
With regard to your question about other snails, at that temperature I'd say you need to be looking for West African snails only because it may be too hot for East or South African snails. So Achatina achatina, Archachatina marginata/ventricosa. i'm not saying others couldn't do well, provided there is ample humidity but it isn't a safe bet. I'd bring your tanks down in heat to something like 26 degrees during the day, 22-23 at night. Whilst snails can be active during the day, West African snails like degneri tend to be much more nocturnal indicating that they do appreciate a night time drop.
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Post by oceanlover on Apr 28, 2006 9:26:08 GMT
Hum... so need to reduce the temperature to 25ºC at day and 22ºC at night, ok I will change it.. About the baths, there is no problem in wake him up and he don't eat? I mean no problem in waste the backups? About he being an Archachatina degneri, these snails had mated and one or both had eggs, when were in the petshop.. the petshop had hybrids?? Hum interesting, new specie  |
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Post by oceanlover on May 5, 2006 14:52:14 GMT
My ill snail is 2 times more retracted..  I give him a bath and he didn't came out...a few mins later he start comming out and I give him a bath again, this time he came out, ufff However his body is much smaller than a month ago... So when a snail retract, means that he is ill, so I nead to keed him in a sterile environment. About the food, what I should give him??? I can't make him eat  I give him fresh greens, friuts catlefish bones... the temerature and humidity is fine now, what can I do for he eat something?? |
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Post by sezzy5889 on May 5, 2006 14:55:03 GMT
sorry to hear hes still bad sometimes there isn't anything you can do apart from try, you may just be battling old age in which hes going to die anyway, but if he is ill all you can do is keep up what you have already been doing |
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Post by oceanlover on May 5, 2006 15:02:59 GMT
No ideas for make him eat for I try?? I will try every thing for don't let him go!!! I think that is impossible replace him with another snail and I don't want let the other snail alone  |
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Post by sezzy5889 on May 5, 2006 15:10:22 GMT
try mashed up food and cuttle, sometimes when they are poorly they find it hard to eat solids
try things like banana, sweet potato, kiwi but mashed up.
and for cuttle, powder it then mix with water, thats all i can suggest, well you could always try corn on a cob too...
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Post by oceanlover on May 5, 2006 15:54:42 GMT
Thanks! Seems a good, idea I will try! Happened a strange thing... the snail poop... he don't eat for 2 months!!  Can this tell something??? Intestinal problems, that didn't let him eat?? He has the head into the mashed fruits and vegetables.. hope that he is eating it! |
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Post by oceanlover on Jun 18, 2006 21:38:28 GMT
Rinhozo is gone , I found him today super retracted (180º) and allready stinking... I wasn't prepared for this... he was allready eating Banana... and starting to wake up at the same time of the others... I don't know what could be wrong... Hope that some one find the cause of these illness that make them stop eat, make them retracted and in the end kill them... Tomorrow I will clean the terrarium for don't cause problems to the others snails and take care of his shell Someone can tell me how I can clean the shell? |
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Post by sezzy5889 on Jun 19, 2006 9:16:39 GMT
sorry to hear that, most of the time with these adults, if theres nothing phsyically wrong with them then its most likely old age You can put the shell out in the garden, preferebly on a compots heap and leave the flies and ants to do the dirty job of cleaning it, may take a month or two... |
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Post by oceanlover on Jun 20, 2006 9:18:49 GMT
I took the snail from the shell and bury him in a plant vase where I will sow a litle tree, I washed the shell and let it at the sun, but smells a litle yet...
About the shell it will not degrade with the time? Lose color or some thing like that?
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Post by sezzy5889 on Jun 20, 2006 10:29:50 GMT
it would probably take years for a shell to degrade, no idea whether it would lose colour, but none of mine have
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I give him a bath and he didn't came out...a few mins later he start comming out and I give him a bath again, this time he came out, ufff
I give him fresh greens, friuts catlefish bones... the temerature and humidity is fine now, what can I do for he eat something??
Can this tell something??? Intestinal problems, that didn't let him eat??