Post by sleepy on Feb 2, 2020 9:24:39 GMT
Hello everyone! First of all thank you so much for allowing me onto the thread! ^o^/
I would like to introduce you all to George, my garden snail that I've been keeping since November, along with 2 other adult snails and 17 babies (originally thought we had 15 but we found two hiding yesterday when cleaning their tank)
George took a little tumble a few days ago and ever since then, I've noticed his shell has been coming away from his mantle, showing the dark parts underneath. Looking around I'm unable to identify whether or not this is mantle collapse, or his mantle is just puffy from mating? I've moved George to his own little container so I can keep an eye on him, and I have a few pictures of his condition (however I am unfortunately on mobile at the moment!)
Some notes about his condition for further clarification:
- George is moving around and eating normally, as far as I can see. (I am currently feeding him cucumber to keep him hydrated, along with apple and carrot and two big chunks of cuttlebone)
- His mantle looks rather puffy, leading me to believe he may have recently mated?
- He has a strange white dot on his body near what I think is his oviduct? (Which also makes me think he mated and is holding eggs)
- His shell comes further away from his mantle when his shell is leaning, but he has no problem pulling it around
I mostly just want to know what I'm dealing with so I can take the best course of action for George, and if he will get better. I love my little snails
Thank you everyone in advance for your help!
--EDIT--
Hello everyone! I've added some pictures below showing George, I've circled the white dot on his body in red.
Thank you everyone again for your help!
--UPDATE MAY 2020--
Hello again everyone! Sorry for the sudden disappearance, I hope everyone is staying safe and taking care of themselves. I have a few updates regarding George.
I was treating him for a good while using the castor oil, and it seemed to improve his condition dramatically -- however he did not ever make a full recovery. His mantle swelling would ease with treatments, and he was active like any regular snail, however as I said, the castor oil treatment seemed more like I was prolonging the inevitable.
I was keeping George isolated from his other tank mates, and his activity levels and appetite seemed fine, but keeping him in a small container all on his own seemed inhumane -- I really started feeling for the little guy.
In late March I actually moved house, and fearing that George wouldn't survive the move, I released him back into the wild to let nature take its course. He seemed happy enough to slither right out of his container, so it seemed he would be happier out in the wild, even with his injury.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help and advice. I am still raising snails, I have three in my big tank and 15 babies in a smaller tank to take care of, so I will be on this thread a lot more often!
I would like to introduce you all to George, my garden snail that I've been keeping since November, along with 2 other adult snails and 17 babies (originally thought we had 15 but we found two hiding yesterday when cleaning their tank)
George took a little tumble a few days ago and ever since then, I've noticed his shell has been coming away from his mantle, showing the dark parts underneath. Looking around I'm unable to identify whether or not this is mantle collapse, or his mantle is just puffy from mating? I've moved George to his own little container so I can keep an eye on him, and I have a few pictures of his condition (however I am unfortunately on mobile at the moment!)
Some notes about his condition for further clarification:
- George is moving around and eating normally, as far as I can see. (I am currently feeding him cucumber to keep him hydrated, along with apple and carrot and two big chunks of cuttlebone)
- His mantle looks rather puffy, leading me to believe he may have recently mated?
- He has a strange white dot on his body near what I think is his oviduct? (Which also makes me think he mated and is holding eggs)
- His shell comes further away from his mantle when his shell is leaning, but he has no problem pulling it around
I mostly just want to know what I'm dealing with so I can take the best course of action for George, and if he will get better. I love my little snails
Thank you everyone in advance for your help!
--EDIT--
Hello everyone! I've added some pictures below showing George, I've circled the white dot on his body in red.
Thank you everyone again for your help!
--UPDATE MAY 2020--
Hello again everyone! Sorry for the sudden disappearance, I hope everyone is staying safe and taking care of themselves. I have a few updates regarding George.
I was treating him for a good while using the castor oil, and it seemed to improve his condition dramatically -- however he did not ever make a full recovery. His mantle swelling would ease with treatments, and he was active like any regular snail, however as I said, the castor oil treatment seemed more like I was prolonging the inevitable.
I was keeping George isolated from his other tank mates, and his activity levels and appetite seemed fine, but keeping him in a small container all on his own seemed inhumane -- I really started feeling for the little guy.
In late March I actually moved house, and fearing that George wouldn't survive the move, I released him back into the wild to let nature take its course. He seemed happy enough to slither right out of his container, so it seemed he would be happier out in the wild, even with his injury.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help and advice. I am still raising snails, I have three in my big tank and 15 babies in a smaller tank to take care of, so I will be on this thread a lot more often!