horrible conditions in petshop

[Ruth]

Hi guys,

Today when i was making the weekly shopping trip to the pet shop i noticed that they had a tank labelled GALS so i asked if i could have a look. When the woman lifted the lid off the tank it was absolutely disgusting, i could see mites, flies (fruit fly that had escaped) and maggots. There was no food, water or cuttlefish. In amongst this there were about 15 snails (about 4cm fulica) which were all dead apart from 3. When i told the woman she said she had thought it was their cabbage that had smelt (although there wasn’t even any in there). Trying to keep my cool i asked if i could take the remaining 3 and after i had paid her, well, lets just say i told her exactly what i thought. I know that by buying the last 3 it was putting money in her pocket but i just couldn't have left them.

Anyway, i got them home and bathed them and gave them some food and they seemed to perk up a bit but they are so thin. They look like there shells are too big for their bodies. Compared to my others of the same size their bodies are only about 1/3 of the size and when they retract you can hardly see them. Also, they keep tipping over (i don't think they can support their shell properly) and then can't right themselves.

Anyway, my questions are whether there are any foods that will help them bulk up quicker and also I’m worried about the maggots that were in the tanks. They were only small and probably fruit fly as opposed to flesh eating ones but will they still do some harm? And is there anything i can do to minimise this? Obviously I’ve cleaned off the maggots/ mites etc that I could see but I’m worried they may have entered their breathing hole or something.

Sorry this is an essay but i know you’ll understand how upsetting it is to see them kept like this.

Thanks for any advice,
Ruth

[sezzy5889]

thats terrible i bet you feel good rescuing them though

hmm, i guess hemp can help bulk a snail up, i'm not sure, just feed them loads and supply them with lots of calcium, porridge will help flush their systems of parasites and stuff, i guess all you can do is clean them up, heat them up and feed them up :-)

Why don't you join the forum Ruth, you sound like a dedicated snail owner :-)

[sezzy5889]

theres a list of foods you can give them here...

petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=feeding&action=display&n=1&thread=2874

[Deleted]

you might have to hand-feed them for a while with really soft foods like cooked mashed carrot. i had a thin retracted snail and it was so weak it cudnt even munch lettuce.

well done for saving them. pet shops are so neglectful to snails sometimes its awful.

[Ruth]

Thanks Sarah, i'm actually a memeber, i joined quite a while ago when i first got my littl' ens but couldn't log in today (maybe expired) but will definately sort it out.

Porridge sounds like a good idea and that's a really useful list, thanks. Mine already eat better than i do but i can see loads of things i haven't tried them on.

Do you make the porridge with cold water or hot water and let it go cold?

[sezzy5889]

you can make it with either, it may be best to make a bit of each to start with and see how they like it better, some snails like it made with cold, some like it made with hot, how they tell the difference i have no idea but they do, lol

[Ruth]

I'll try them with both then *Ruth scampers off to make different varieites of porridge* ;D

lotsofsnails- petshops are terrible for it, i've seen them in quite a few ploaces and thought how cramped in and nelected they looked (although this was obviously the worst). The woman today just took the dead ones off me and threw them away like she'd found a tin of out of date beans in the back of the cupboard. I'm gonna report them to the RSPCA but don't think it will do any good.

[felix93]

Ruth, I am glad to know that you have rescued the 3 of them. The last time I went into the reptile shop, it was very upsetting when I look at the tank in there. There's only shells left, not even one live baby snail in the tank.

May be you can try to give them some soaked bread too? Mine love the bread very much. Fulicas eat almost everything, so in no time surely they will have some meat on them.

[LisaLQ]

Poor little loves, good on you for saving them!

I wouldn't worry about the maggots too much, as they usually only eat dead flesh/things (sorry to be gross). I hope the snails come round now they're in a much better home - will be keeping fingers crossed for them to make a quick recovery

[Paul]

Any cereal or complex carb is good. I'd go for hemp if you've got it, it has the most digestable protein and contains a huge amount of carbs and nutrients. You'll get much more bang for your buck so-to-speak. If you can't grind it up, use normal porridge oats with a little cuttlefish ground in. If they hadn't already eaten since you'd got them I'd suggest something lighter but as you have, cereals will be good. I always make mine with cold water, they won't touch hot water stuff, plus there is the added benefit that they'll be more nutritious. The longer something spends over 46°C the quicker it's nutrients are reduced because vitamins and proteins are altered.

[Paul]

oh and well done! ;D

[sezzy5889]

Paul, just looking on the website, i'm surprised you don't have any pics of Craveni and ventricosa in your gallery, a few people here keep them.
and in species theres only tigers, margies and fulica with information on, are you working on these or...

[Arno]

I think he's working on expanding the species info,and could use some help with that.........

[Paul]

very true...

I've been working on a number of things, but in the species pages, I need much better photos than I've seen. If anyone has any of the species I haven't yet done, and fancies taking some really good photos from certain angles let me know and I'll tell you what I'm looking for. Plus, info is very thin on the ground for most species.

The quality for the gallery doesn't matter as much, I've just not got around to compiling all the photos, mainly coz I intend to have a nice simple way of adding photos rather than me having to do it manually.

[Moracai]

Well done Ruth for rescuing those poor little snails. It's heart breaking to see any animal kept like that.
I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago and sent a stern email to their head office.
i got a response promising they would look into it, and today I went back and saw that the snails were now being kept in excellent conditions.

[Ruth]

Hi,

Just thought I’d say thanks for all the info and suggestions you've given me and also let you know that they appear to be doing well. I'm waking them in the day a few times and offering most of the things that have been suggested (porridge, hemp and bread mixed with cuttlefish) and obviously the usual fruit and veg.

Also, i phoned the RSPCA today and informed them about the pet shop but they said that by buying the remaining snails coupled with the women throwing the dead ones away i had, in effect, got rid of any evidence. However, they said that they'd send an inspector round so i can only hope that this may give them the kick up the a*se they need as they did in ur case, Moracai.

Thanks again and I’ll keep you posted about how they do.

Ruth

[Val]

Well done Ruth, for rescuing those snails and for phoning the RSPCA!!

Val

[Stacey]

it might be an idea to phone your local council aswell ruth, because they hand out the licences in the first place. I know theres nothing for them to see now, but if ever you see any bad conditions in a pet shop (i think its environmental health) its best to report it too. they just seem to be quicker to pay the pet shop a visit rather than the RSPCA.
well done on taking the poor 3 that were left in those conditions, i really dont know how some people can think its ok they live like that

[Ruth]

Thanks for that Stacey; I’ll be sure to give them a call in my lunch break.

Some people are just so cruel, i do voluntary work for the RSPCA and some of the things people do are completely unbelievable. For about the first year of doing it i think i left about every day in tears at some of the stories and new cases. I'm afraid neglect appears to be more the norm than genuine caring for animals.

I've only kept land snails for a relatively short time and so have only recently started being aware of them in pet shops and stuff however it would appear that the general consensus (of the people selling them) is that they are only marginally more worthy than feeder food. But I suppose, when the only value that these people attach to an animal is monetary, then £2.50 for the average snail makes it barely worthy of the tank space.

*Ruth rants on to herself and anyone who'll listen*

[Arno]

I would say that £2.50 per snail (x 10,x 100?)should make it worth to keep them alive and healthy.Even as feeder food a snail which is alive is worth more than a dead one.
Fortunatly you hardly see snails being kept in such conditions over here,if you can find them at all.

[Ruth]

I just mean that relative to other animals that exotic pet shops stock, snails are much, much less expensive and that usually means that they are less precious to the shop and as such are more likely to be treated badly. People who trade in animals would be less likely to neglect to the point of death a tank full of snakes worth £300 each for the simple fact they are worth more to them.

[mickysnail]

Good on you Ruth. I got my fulicas from a pet shop and they were overcrowded and kept in a tank that was way too wet for this species. I saw no food in the tank. when i got them home they were starving. i wish i had the room to take tham all. Needless to say i will continue to turn the petshop owners name to mud. mickysnail