my poor blonds

[Daniel]

can people with baby dimis post some pics on this thread? because i would like to compare them with my own

[section8angel]

This was when I first got them around the 11th September:


This was about the 7th October:



And this was about the 12th November:


All dates are rough as I'm just going from what windows says on the properties lol I don't always have date stamp on when I take the pics.

I'll take some new pics tomorrow when the camera battery has charged.

They don't look bigger in the last pic than in the second but they are lol.
You can tell by looking at how much of the plant they cover, and they were the size of my biggest albino reti is now when I got them, but they're double that, maybe more now lol.

[LisaLQ]

Here's mine - when we first got them - Gary first:


And Sally on Sam's back!


And now - Gary first:


Sally:


Bear in mind we got ours in September, and notice how small Sally still is (although both have grown somewhat, it's neither here nor there). All the other snails are fine and growing - just these two who aren't.

[Daniel]

These are mine, they dont look like yours much is it just because the shell is worn.

[LisaLQ]

That's exactly what Sally and Gary's shell is like - here's pics taken tonight:

Dry shell


After a spray

[ian]

Odd, on my list of feedback on ebay it says seller name changed to sweetythechickuk sure it was different when i brought them! Anyway had mine since october and they still look like Sians first picture, in the other photos it looks like the striped might be fading into adult markings but mine are still stripy! Why???

[section8angel]

Lol ebay is strange, don't try to figure it out!!

They lose their stripes as they get older and it seems to vary a lot as Lisa's lost their stripes way before mine so don't worry too much lol.

How big are yours?

[Daniel]

mine are only about 2-3cm (if your talking to me lol)

[section8angel]

Actually I meant Ians lol. But thanks anyway, I was wondering about yours too lol. They look smaller than that in the pics.

[alexc1981]

My dimidiata is also a worry. He hasn't grown since I bought him 3 months ago from Sarah. He's about 2cm.

The edge of his shell did get rough and jagged where he was nibbling at it. Thankfully he has stopped that now and has had a little bit of shell growth, which has smoothed out the jagged bits. The shell is also quite dry, but not to the extent of Daniels snails. The shell is quite similar to Gary's.

He eats little food and even less cuttlebone.

I remain optimistic though as he has shown some improvement. My tank has a lot of ventilation so I think I'll reduce it. Higher humidity might help.

[ian]

Mine are 4-5 cm, do you think its normal that they havent started forming adult markings yet?

[mekainem]

I got my two from ebay as well and one has perhaps grown a centimetre the other hasn't managed that and is still about 2 centimetres, the others about four. Their shells aren't ragged though and although they don't eat as much as our fulicias, they seem to eat a bit but just aren't growing particularly well, zero and scraps have a very little nibble on the cuttle fish but not much at all. The little one was quite retracted when I got home today and it took me over two hours to wake her but shes been munching away but that the second time she has done that in the last couple of weeks.

[section8angel]

Mine are about the same size Ian and still pretty stripey even if they have lost some of them, so yes I think it's normal.

Although it seems nothing is "normal" with dimis lol. Quite a few of the ones on here like to hide a lot, and some don't eat much but are still alive and not skinny, even if their shells aren't growing. Lisas lovely two for example.
I think a slightly rough shell was something else that dimis seem to get regardless of everything else?

[Paul]

When I had all the babies they were all really greedy and really active and growing beautifully but I obviously posted them out at a few cms in size. Then I had that weird illness that killed one of my remaining two babies but it also saw a few others off of different species so I didn't think it was related to the immaculata. The remaining baby was ill but has recovered now and is active and growing very well, it has put 1 cm of shell down in a month. Has anyone who had any babies off me encountered this problem? I know Sophie said hers died I'm reading the thread trying to decide what the problem is so I can help but I'm just not sure.

Everyone who got them from ebay or virginia cheeseman seemed to have a few problems. I sold about 10 on ebay, snails2die4 sold some of mine on ebay at the same time. And Beth had the siblings of my parents, so her babies should be similar to mine I would have thought. Has anyone who got one from me, snails2die4 or Beth had problems? I'm trying to figure out if it is weak genes, inbreeding or related to the species.

I've always found they like heat and humidity but they are a South African species so in theory they shouldn't be as fussy heat-wise as West African snails like tigers and margies. And I can't think of more humid places than the rain-forests tigers live in. Immaculata are closely related to fulica and Albert Mead thinks panthera are a thin variety of immaculata so in either case, they should require similar care.

If everyone with problems can record some statistics it would be a great help. How old they are, what size they are, how long they have been suffering from the problem etc, how much they have grown since you've had them etc, substrate used and what snails they were introduced to.

When I've had snails with shell problems that haven't rasped their own shell or had a break the amount of calcium and the diet seems to have no effect whatsoever. Ceiron seemed to have some success with vitamins but I tried that with the few that I have with bad shells and the new growth was the same. I have never tried withholding or limiting calcium but after reading about how snails can have too much and have health problems as a result, I think it is worth considering.

Also, no-one we know has kept them over winter and perhaps more importantly, know one ever keeps a full clutch of babies until they are fully grown so we have no idea what percentage have 0 problems. The problems you are having may just be "normal" losses out of a population. It stands to reason that we hear about the problems because people are already members here or join because they encounter problems. I'd like to know the other number, the number of snails without problems because I think that may help shed some light on this problem.

[copigeon]

The largest was from paul, the other 4 from someone paul referred me to when I lost the second of the 2 originally supplied.

They eat well, appear to consume cuttlefish well, went through a bad patch which is where the worst of the shell growth is, but the last cm of growth is fine just... ridged? smooth, no imperfections as such just ridged in texture.

I have 1 runt, the rest seem to be growing at a very slow but steady rate.















Currently on coir in an unheated propogator medium humidity. Previously on capillary, underfloor heated high humidity. Theyre slightly less active now but I know thats a heat issue, apetite hasnt been affected overly adversely though.

[LisaLQ]

copigeon said:

It looks like this one has had the same kind of rough shell growth as mine, then grown out of it - so fingers crossed my two might?

[KathyM]

A quick update on ustin, my dimidiata from VC. He hasn't grown at all, no new growth whatsoever, and is still failing to thrive. Added heat, moisture, and other variables (different substrate) hasn't made a difference. Hemp and cuttlefish pulped meals, no difference. He's just staying lethargic, small, with a bad shell and on and off the blated foot problem. I can't see him recovering now as it's been so long. Every time I go into the tank I expect to have to revive him in warm baths or find him dead. Shame as he's my six year old daughters pride and joy, she'll be devastated when he finally gives up

[LisaLQ]

Paul - here's piccies of my two. Bought in September, these piccies were taken 5 minutes ago, so you can see how tiny they are:

Gary (biggest)


Sally (smallest)


Shell's still pretty flakey looking - when they're wet they dont look as bad. Here's a pic to show them against their tank mates - notice Cooper the fulica next to them, Cooper joined us at roughly the same time - and he was smaller than Gary when he arrived. Obviously he's doing ok - but it shows how little the two dimis have grown.



And from the top - Sam (fulica), Monty (retic), Cooper (fulica who is younger than them), Gary, Sally.

[LisaLQ]

Oh and they were originally on compost, then all sphagnum, then back on compost with sphagnum in one corner, now on capillary with sphagnum on one half of the floor.

[ian]

Cant remember what my substrate is called but is a rehydrated coconut husk. Ive just increased the humidity to around the same as my marginata, they were kept similarly to the fulica before. Ive had them for two months, the larger one is 5cm and has grown around 3mm but that was during the first 2 weeks and has since not grown at all. The smaller one has grown 1mm which was about a month ago and she is now around 4cm. Body wise they are quite healthy looking not too plump or thin. They are active and eat but not much, ive noticed a real increase in activity (but not feeding)since ive uped their humidity. I have found out that they had mites and now they are treated and dont seems to have any (after several rinses under the tap) they have both stopped rasping which has made the biggest difference to the smaller one, the ragged edges of her shell have grown back but its looks like scar growth, its thicker and white and rough. I think my dimidiatas problems have been made worse by the mites (which have spread to some of my fulica but thankfully not my iredalei or margies) i think i may have also got a runty one. Looking at my larger one i would say that she is fine and healthy and i will keep measuring them and i expect to see an increase in the spring.

[KathyM]

I'm pretty sure Justin is either dying or dead now. Last time I checked this morning, he was still breathing but had retracted completely with warm baths having no effect. This is not a moisture/warmth problem for definite. He has steadily retracted further and further day by day and although initially warm baths were bringing him back out, he hasn't eaten for a long time now. He has had extra heat and moisture, and varying substrates, with no change to his condition. My daughter will be devastated.

[Deleted]

oh I'm sorry Kathy. This is such a horrible thing to happen, I hope everyone elses dont go the same way

[KathyM]

Me too Mike Thanks.

[section8angel]

Aww no I'm so sorry Kathy. And sorry for your daughter.

[xxbeckyxx]

i got mine from ebay also from this user (Deluka77 have no longer got them either didnt grow @ all when i had then sad isnt it