worried about my GALS T_T

[psyence]

hi~

i just posted this question up on the bugsclub yahoo group, but after reading a certain thread on here [ only just found this forum *glomps it* ] i think i'd rather have help from here instead ...

anyway, i'm getting a little worried about my GALS, jupiter - he's around 6 and a half months old. i bought him off of ebay about 3 months ago and have had no problems with him until now.

i cleaned his tank out, as you do, on monday - although i had to use normal potting compost instead of coir - which i normally use - because i didn't have any handy and he was getting a little stinky. i put the compost into the oven for about 10 minutes to make sure nothing nasty was lurking in it and then let it cool for about an hour before using it. however, jupiter has stuck himself to his cuttle fish and is refusing to eat or move. i know he isn't eating because he's very picky with his food - he'll only eat cucumber, courgette, lettuce or mango and he only has cucumber and lettuce in his tank right now, and you can usually tell if he's been munching on either. anyway he's only eaten one piece of cucumber and a small leaf of lettuce since monday.

i have a feeling that the reason he doesn't want to move off of the cuttle fish is because he doesn't like the earth, but i just wanted to make sure T__T has anyone else ever experienced this without the earth explanation?

anyway, thank you to anyone who replies ^__^

[Val]

Nothing wrong with jupiter, he is just very busy getting all the calcium he needs to grow a bit more!! They absorb the calcium through their foot which is why he seems stuck to it. Just leave him alone he will stay there until he has had enough or until the cuttlefish is completely worn away!! ;D

Val

[Arno]

Sometimes my snails stay on their cuttlefish(another way of getting their calcium,by absorbing it)for long periods of time,so it might not be the soil.As long as he doesn't retract far into his shell I wouldn't worry.Maybe if you spray him he will get more active.

[psyence]

ah! my sister said she thought that might be the answer too XD

thank you~ i'll stop worrying now xDD

[psyence]

snailwatcher said:

Sometimes my snails stay on their cuttlefish(another way of getting their calcium,by absorbing it)for long periods of time,so it might not be the soil.As long as he doesn't retract far into his shell I wouldn't worry.Maybe if you spray him he will get more active.

he isn't completely retracted, no, but he isn't fully out either, but then it's only half a cuttle fish bone he's sitting on.

[psyence]

just to say that jupiter now seems fine

i swear he did it on purpose just to make me worried xDD

but he's now climbing around all over the place and eating a lot, so no worries~