Help - extensive shell damage

[KathyM]

This baby (2-2.5cm) has quite nasty damage to her shell from the journey (although she was extremely well packed so God knows what the postal service did with her package!).

She has split her main whorl where it joins the next whorl, all the way to the top of her shell, and it has split there towards the front of her shell (you can just make it out in the pics, but if you can't I'll try to illustrate better).

Although it feels very sturdy, it is sat slightly stuck out, especially when she retracts. when she retracts you can just see her insides through the gap.

I think it warrants fixing, what do you think? Will this heal by itself or shall I do some handiwork on it? If it needs fixing, can someone please explain how and what I'll need?

I'd really appreciate your help, thanks! ;D

[Deleted]

I think she'll survive, I've seen Helix aspersa in the garden with huge cracks all the way up their shells which seem to have closed over.

[KathyM]

Thanks Mike I've got to say I'm a bit worried about how it will heal because when she retracts, it comes out a bit, if you get me

[felix93]

Eric (my light fulica) shell is like that (the 2 whorl do not attach to each other and there;s a huge gap), in fact he was a lot worst and at one stage I thought he was going to die. I was worried but as he was too tiny, I could not do anything and just hope for the best. I DID NOT handle him when he was growing for months but just gave him plenty of cuttlefish (as well as powder in his food), he fixed his shell himself. I just let the nature takes it. He is a lot smaller than his brothers and sisters, but he is growing. His shell id very much different than other fulicas though.

[sezzy5889]

yes i say no handling, just leave himand he will grow

[KathyM]

Thanks you lot - I've put her in a smaller tub in the tank, with lots of moss, cuttlefish powered and in bits, calcium spray and courgette. I haven't handled her since I took those pics ;D

[KathyM]

An update on Logan:

He's been in the little bug box since he arrived and I've only handled him to let him join in at snail mix time (and very carefully).

He has over a cm of new growth at the edge of his shell, and where the crack is has an overlapped effect (you can see a white stripe under the crack as if it's been fixed from within). All new growth is now knitted to the next whorl, which is amazing to see after it was flapping off.

I don't think it'll be long before he can go back in with the others. I can't believe how fast he's repairing - I thank the calcium spray and the snail mix ;D

[Deleted]

yay thats good ;D

[KathyM]

Thanks Mike ;D

Pics now on the pics board and ID board ;D