Poorly Fulica!

[spook]

Hi all,
Really need your advice please.......Vic my biggest fulica isn't very well,the past 2-3 days he's been retracting and each day he's been retracting a little more than the day before.Nothing has changed in their tank at all!I've sat him in warm water and he moves,he eventually comes out but looks really skinny and i weighed him and he's lost 2 1/2 oz in weight,he's not eating and o don't know what to do with him really!?
Moved him to a smaller tank by himself last night and sat him next to heater,this morning he was only retracted slightly so when i picked him up to look at him he woke up slightly and now is just sat with a bit of his foot showing but he's not sliming anywhere and still not eating!
he's only 3 years old...i didn't really expect to him to start dying at that age!?
Anything else i can do!??

[mickysnail]

Poor Vic, I wish could help. What is the humidity in the tank? Could you try sloppy food to encourage him to eat? something like rusks mashed in water. My immacs prefer them dry.
There are so many reasons for retraction it is hard to narrow it down.

[spook]

Hi there,
It's always pretty humid in there,over the years I've figured out that my two prefer it warmer and wetter and they've always been so healthy and active.Vic always has been the more sensitive one and if he got too cold he would start sealing up but this time he's not even doing that,he's just retracting and looks really weak when he does come out!...don't think he's looking too good really and like you said there are so many reasons why this happens it's hard to fix it!

[Arno]

Seems to me,you've done all you can and now all you really can do is sit and wait.
Hope he'll make a turn for the better.

[spook]

Cheers Arno,
It's good to know I'm doing what I can.will keep you guys posted!..
It's no fun at all watching him and wishing he'd just wake up and eat something.

[Val]

Hmmm, this is becoming a typical "fulica story" unfortunately. You are certainly doing everything you possibly can, there is nothing else you can do but observe him, so hope he pulls through this for you.

Val

[spook]

Cheers Val,
This may sound really stupid but can i give him anything sugary to try give him an energy boost or something?? My boyfriend is suggesting i try spraying him with sugar water to try perk him up???

[spook]

well he did have his head out for quite a while this evening,not moving but at least he was out!...just put some mushed up banana in and he retracted straight away again!! Bugger!

[Val]

My fulica used to love peach if that is of any help, peach also contains natural sugar.

Val

[Arno]

I don't know if spraying him with sugar water is such a good idea,or that it would help.I think that Val's suggestion is a safer option.

[spook]

Yeh i decided against the sugar water in the end anyway!....tried all sorts of fruit and veg but he really isn't interested in any food what so ever!...he just looks to weak to be even bothered...he's retracted again but gonna leave him till tomorrow now so he can save a bit of energy!

[daughterofanubis]

Hi, sorry to hear about the poorly fulica spook, retracting snails always worry me sick! i found that giving them soaked wholemeal bread, mushrooms and snail mash often perks them up, i had one that a friend had given up with which was thin from not eating and it seemed like it could hardly move, i had tried everything from baths to wetter condtions, drier conditions, calcium powder, cuttlefish, heated tank, i even tried several different types of substrate but over the weeks he just got thinner and weaker, then i decided to try a bit of snail mash with him and he actually ate some, just a mouthful but it was more than he'd eaten for at least two weeks!
then i tried soaked wholemeal bread and he ate about 1/8th of a slice!, i just kept him going on that for a few days and gradually introduced his favourite fresh foods again and now he's as fit as a butchers.....snail? lol!
just a fit as the rest and growing shell like nobodys business, so if you havn't try the wholemeal bread diet, it often works miracles for me!!

Hope that helps, DoA

[mickysnail]

How is Vic this morning?

[spook]

Hi!
He had his head out a little this morning before i went to work,so i left him to it....just got home and he's really retracted again and hasn't eaten a thing!