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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 20, 2005 18:46:56 GMT
I have just been cleaning my snails tanks out. It is very cold outside, so I used the garage to put my snails in whilst I cleaned the tanks out outside. I had a heater in the garage and it was warm enough....or so I thought...I decided to clean my snails shells with sunflower oil to make then nice and shiny. It was only when I finished cleaning out the tanks and got them indoors that I noticed something was wrong. They are just sitting their with their bodies hanging out of their shell. Much like this tiger sleeping. petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=snailpictures&action=display&n=1&thread=3250Some of them don’t respond to when I touch them whilst others do, but not much. I’m not sure if it is the sunflower oil that has caused this or the temperature of the garage. Like I said I had a heater on in there and it seemed warm enough. Omg have my snails frozen??? Help me please! What do I do??? Are they dying???
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 20, 2005 19:15:05 GMT
Has anyone got any advise like how to warm them up, meaning should I put them nearer a radiator, or just leave them and see what happens? Was it the sunflower oil??
Please help
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Post by eric2 on Nov 20, 2005 19:18:59 GMT
my advice would be put them on a heat mat but i am no expert if you havent got a heatmat a radiator should be fine
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Post by gorgeousgastropod on Nov 20, 2005 19:21:14 GMT
One of the more experienced snail people need to answer this for you i think
if it was me though, id give them a little warm bath to see if that has any effect....
but maybe wait until one of the others with more knowledge has responded.....
i'll keep my fingers crossed for them
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Arno
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,493
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Post by Arno on Nov 20, 2005 19:28:26 GMT
Maybe the sudden temperature change caused it in which case I wouldnt give them additional heat but let them be for a bit and see if they slowly come round.
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gabi
Achatina tincta
Posts: 616
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Post by gabi on Nov 20, 2005 19:29:00 GMT
Started their "hanging out" already in the garage or short time after you put them in the fresh made tank? Did you change the substrate in their? Is it maybe still to cold (the substrate, the tank itself?)? The oil shouldn´t harm them. I never used it on mine, but heard that others have already done, without a problem. And snails usually don´t die hanging out of the shell. Sounds to me like they have gotten cold and needing to warm up. First you can try is bring them on a warm place that the tank reaches a temp around 26 degree and then the should act normal soon. You can try with a single snail if warm spraying is helping.
Hope this helps a bit, keep us updated.
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Post by Paul on Nov 20, 2005 19:29:33 GMT
I've only heard of bodies being extended like you describe when they are asphyxiated or the humidity has been way too high for a while.
Snails' bodies are permeable and are drastically affected by moisture in the air so I think 100% humidity for long periods of time may make them look a little bloated and extended.
But, asphyxiation is usually what causes extended, limp bodies, and from what you describe, that sounds impossible.
If it was me, I'd keep them in a nice warm room, and I'd keep the lid off for an hour or so (just in case it is humidity related), and see if they pick up.
Sorry I can't be of more help, but I'm still learning, I'd like to use some of your experiences for the problem section, so if you can describe what has happened and what they look like, perhaps with photos etc, I can use it on the problem section of the website. In fact, if anyone encounters problems, if you document it in detail it would be a great help to others.
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Post by Paul on Nov 20, 2005 19:35:02 GMT
oh yeah, incidentally, it won't be the oil. I can't see any reason why that would cause it, unless it contains something unnatural.
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 20, 2005 20:04:16 GMT
Ok well I put them into the garage while I cleaned the tanks out, outside. Like I said, I had one of those electric heaters in the garage which gave loads of heat. I thought the temperature in there was fine. So if it's not the oil then it must be the temperature... The snails in the glass tank were in the garage for longer than those in the plastic tanks. (The ones in plastic tanks were indoors whilst cleaning out the others, alternating them round after I finished cleaning the glass tank.) The ones in the plastic tank seem to be fine now and most of them have recovered. I think they have recovered quicker as they were not n the garage as long as the snails in the glass tank. As for them, (glass tank GALS) they still seem to be "frozen" or in a state of not moving or reacting to much.
Btw. They started hanging out like the tiger in the picture after they had been in the tank for a short while. Their bodies weren’t limp, more like frozen. Their bodies return to the previous position after trying to move them.
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gabi
Achatina tincta
Posts: 616
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Post by gabi on Nov 20, 2005 20:31:20 GMT
Glass tanks store the cold way longer then plastic ones. But should warm up soon. Give the snails out to a warm place and spray them now please and you will see, that they are recovering soon. Can´t you give them for a while to the others in the plastik tank and put them back in the glass tank when it has warmed up?
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 20, 2005 20:53:24 GMT
Now 2 out of the 5 snails in the glass tank have actually moved! So it is only 3 snails that I am worried about now. Hopefully I will still have all 37 fulica left.
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 21, 2005 18:55:04 GMT
Update: I can now say that all but one snail has recovered. One of my small snails that never grew has been in a state of deep retraction for the past day. I am worried, but I can say that I thought this snail would have problems in the future, as it never grew. He seemed weak before I cleaned the tanks out. In some way I feel responsible for it's current illness. Not because it was ill to start with, I couldn’t help that, but I feel that I may have made it worse from the cold incident. I would feel dreadful if he doesn’t make it. I hope he doesn't die...
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Val
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,498
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Post by Val on Nov 21, 2005 19:35:48 GMT
sonicsnail, exactly how long were they in the garage?
Val
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 21, 2005 19:38:59 GMT
I'm not sure....
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Val
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,498
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Post by Val on Nov 21, 2005 19:44:30 GMT
Well O.k. roughly then, 1 hour, 2 hours???
Val
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 21, 2005 19:46:19 GMT
Like I said, I'm not sure, I wasn't wearing my watch.
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Val
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,498
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Post by Val on Nov 21, 2005 19:54:07 GMT
Well VERY roughly then!!!!!! did it take all morning, or all afternoon, or were they out there all night!!!! Just a very rough idea of how long we are looking at.
Val
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 21, 2005 19:59:23 GMT
Omg...Lol I really don't know!!! Not even in roughly timing. What were you going to say about the time factor anyway?
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Val
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,498
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Post by Val on Nov 21, 2005 20:03:04 GMT
Our garage is joined to the house, but even so it is very very cold out there, even with a heater going. If you left your snails out in the garage for a considerable time then yes, your snails were freezing!!!!!
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 21, 2005 20:10:39 GMT
Val, I get the distinct impression that you are trying to make me feel bad? As I have said before, the garage was not exactly freezing, I considered it to be warm enough. Obviously it wasn't, but how can one tell if it is exactly the precise temperature for snails without a thermometer??? In my opinion the temperature in there seemed fine and I was wearing a T-shirt...Not like I was wearing something warm. So if it had been that cold, I imagine that I would have felt it.
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Val
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,498
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Post by Val on Nov 21, 2005 20:14:05 GMT
I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I am just saying that most garages are very very cold and these snails are tropical creatures, you can't expect them to endure such temperature change without it affecting them drastically!!
Val
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 21, 2005 20:20:09 GMT
I'm not saying that they wouldn't have been affected, as I know they were. I wondered how the temperature affected them? It seemed warm enough for them to be in there without any problems. If I was warm enough with a T-shirt on, then I presumed that they would be too. I have to say that I have cleaned out the tanks when the temperature in the garage has been not as warm. That was a long time ago and I had no problems with them then.
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Post by Paul on Nov 21, 2005 20:34:03 GMT
It does sound strange and the only thing I can think is that the cold somehow came from the floor.
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Post by sonicsnail on Nov 21, 2005 20:47:11 GMT
Got it! I just had a thought that heat rises!!! So with the heater on and the snails being on the floor they may or may not have been getting all the heat from the heater???
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Arno
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,493
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Post by Arno on Nov 21, 2005 20:50:16 GMT
Eureka!lol...........the heat rising combined with the cold floor might have done them in
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