Post by simple on Aug 28, 2018 20:47:14 GMT
Some years ago when I got into snails my sister wanted to join in and chose a snail for herself. She looked at a wall and brought the biggest one home. I gave him a bath to wake him up, when I noticed he didn't seem to have eyestalks.
But I just had to wait a little while, he had a surprise in store and was about to reveal it, he had eyestalks but they were fused together, making them look like a single eyestalk in the middle of his head.
My sister never gave him a name. I jokingly called him a cyclops snail (in Portuguese, "caracol ciclope"), she didn't know what cyclops meant and thought it was an insult but fortunately for me my mom explained to her what it meant.
When she understood it, she started calling him that as well, and the snail's name was officially Ciclope.
Ciclope lived for a long time, he got to know Bob, my first snail. This leads me to believe he may have surpassed the average lifespan of the species Cornu aspersum of 5 years.
As time passed, I became increasingly worried with Ciclope's old age. He started showing some very alarming signs, he rarely got out of his shell, and when he did, he would just move a little before sealing himself again, not even eating food any other snail would eat, like cucumber.
This afternoon, I went to pick up the leftover food in the terrarium and decided to check on Ciclope to see if he was alright, I did the smell test and the results shocked me. I had to be sure, so I picked up a toothpick and ripped the dried slime he used to seal himself and looked into his shell, he was deeply retracted with his foot hanging like a dead snail, I did the smell test again in disbelief. I knew the day would come, I tried to prepare myself for it, but I wasn't expecting that day to be today.
I'm sad to announce that Ciclope, my one-eyed pal, has passed away.
But I just had to wait a little while, he had a surprise in store and was about to reveal it, he had eyestalks but they were fused together, making them look like a single eyestalk in the middle of his head.
My sister never gave him a name. I jokingly called him a cyclops snail (in Portuguese, "caracol ciclope"), she didn't know what cyclops meant and thought it was an insult but fortunately for me my mom explained to her what it meant.
When she understood it, she started calling him that as well, and the snail's name was officially Ciclope.
Ciclope lived for a long time, he got to know Bob, my first snail. This leads me to believe he may have surpassed the average lifespan of the species Cornu aspersum of 5 years.
As time passed, I became increasingly worried with Ciclope's old age. He started showing some very alarming signs, he rarely got out of his shell, and when he did, he would just move a little before sealing himself again, not even eating food any other snail would eat, like cucumber.
This afternoon, I went to pick up the leftover food in the terrarium and decided to check on Ciclope to see if he was alright, I did the smell test and the results shocked me. I had to be sure, so I picked up a toothpick and ripped the dried slime he used to seal himself and looked into his shell, he was deeply retracted with his foot hanging like a dead snail, I did the smell test again in disbelief. I knew the day would come, I tried to prepare myself for it, but I wasn't expecting that day to be today.
I'm sad to announce that Ciclope, my one-eyed pal, has passed away.
It is really sad finding out one day that your little buddy is gone... He was a very unique snail.
