Can snails get stuck in their shells?

[Ruth]

ok, you may recall i bought 3 snails when i found a tank full of dead ones at a pet shop. Well. there not doing very well even though i've been waking them up to feed everyday. They don't seemed to be putting any weight on even thogh i've tried them on loads of different foods, including porridge.

Well for the last couple of nights one of them hasn't been coming out of his shell when i have given him his bath. The thing is he looks like he's trying to but instead of his head popping out his foot seems to come out and it looks as if his head is trapped. He keeps moving as if to get himself out and i was wondering whether he has got twisted or something (maybe cos he's so skinny).

Please advise me what to do as its so upsetting to see him like this.

[Daniel]

thats what happend to my two tones and one of my fulica both my two tones died but my fulica doesnt do it anymore, im not sure what happend

[Arno]

I've had that happen to some of my snails too.Unfortunatly it seems to be connected to illness and often the last stages of this.

[Ruth]

So there's nothing i can do? Do you think he's to far gone to help? I don't want to prolong his suffering but don't wanna give up on him if there's any chance he might be ok!

This is so bloody hard and all because some idiot neglected them in the first place!! I really could cry, it's just heartbreaking!!

[Paul]

Sounds like this:

www.petsnails.co.uk/index.php?action=problems&type=retracted#start

Although I now think that the symptoms are the result of varying afflictions. Some can recover it seems, but the majority lose-weight from lack of eating and die unfortunately.

Sorry to hear about it, you did your best and you never know, he may pull through yet. It is just hard watching them waste away, and no-one can really tell you when to decide enough is enough. Some die quicker than others. Like Arno said if they are really sluggish it is probably the latter stages of an illness.

[KathyM]

Justin did this many many times over the last few months (he had retraction and we think he has died now). He got so far retracted that if he did try to come out (not very often and generally forced by a warm bath), he'd start to come out tail first. Sometimes when he did manage to get fully out, he'd curl his head back in so only his tail was out.

[KathyM]

Sorry, just to add. He did get stuck in his shell eventually - he was so far retracted that when he came out, his shell would stick into his body, and eventually he stopped coming out at all.

[Ruth]

That sounds just like my snail (Franky) is doing, his foot kinda comes out first almost as if he is facing the wrong way in his shell. I can only hope that i see some improvent in Franky soon as he is so skinny anyway that he really cannot afford to stop eating at the moment.

I'm sorry about Justin, i've been reading your posts about him and it's obvious that you care a great deal about him and have done everything you possibly could.

[KathyM]

Thank you very much Ruth - I really hope you have more luck with Franky than we had with Justin. We'll be rooting for him here.

[Val]

So so sorry to hear about Franky , you have tried so very hard to help him I expect time will tell if it is meant to be

Val