cold snails?

[mickysnail]

Hi, recently I have been having problems with one of my immacs. since the cold weather has suddenly hit, I have been having trouble keeping my tank up to its usual aprox 21 degrees. At the moment it is just between 18-20. I know it is a small difference bit Harper is attempting to build a cover, and not doing it properly. My other two in the same tank are ok. They are eating a little less but seem their normal selves. The only thing is, none of them have layed eggs for two months. They have been laying like clockwork every month since I got them. Has anyone any ideas or suggestions about how I can give the tank a bit of a heat boost. I have a heat mat, and light bulb above the tank. I was thinking of going from a 25 watt lightbulb to a 40 for the extra heat but it is really quite bright, would it be too bright for them?

Thanks

[Arno]

I don't think the brightness will be a problem as long as there are darker corners for them to hide in.You could try the terracotta-pot heater or simply put the lightbulb inside the tank(the 25 w one) with a flowerpot over it.

[mickysnail]

Thanks, good advice as usual!

[vikingsnail]

You could try putting them in a warmer spot - mine are by the radiator, I know that's not always recommended but as our heating is on most of the time, the tank stays at the same temperature all day, give or take a degree.
For a last minute soloution (if you can't get hold of a brighter bulb or something right now) then you could always try putting a hot water bottle next to the tank

[mickysnail]

Thanks for replying. I have a 40w bulb for now, and I have a heat strio on order. I thought that adding a heat strip aswel just add a bit more warmth. It is only about 7w but I think that it may help.

Thanks!

[Rachel]

i use low volt solar heat mats, they go on the bottom of the tank and they have programmeable temps, although since they are v.v.v.v expensive i only have 2, the rest are normal but work fine.

[whodoesntlovesnails]

i also have a small heat pad under my tank to keep my snails warm during the cold nights

[snailysnail]

hi there
ive just got two new achatina fulicas but my heat mat is late coming in the post and hasnt arrived yet. the temperature in the room where they are kept is 18C during the day but falls to 15C at night. they were fine for the first day but theyre now in hibernation. how long can they last at these temperatures until my heat mat arrives?

thanks, anna x

[donut]

snailysnail have you got any hot water bottles coz for the coldest part of the night i would put one on spray the snails & tank with warmer water than normal & put the hotwater bottle on

what i do with mine (JUST got a heatmat & had the snails since summer) do a warm water bottle when i felt it getting cold in the room THEN after an hr or so put a hot bottle on i did this JUST to get the snails used to the shift in heat in the tank as the first time i put the bottle on they went far away from it & didnt "look" happy
also i sat the tank on a spare kids duvet (blanket would be fine) as that retained some of the heat off the bottle & stopped most of the heat escaping into the room
ALL of this may not be necessary but you may not get a reply before it gets REALLY cold & its better than nothing

[snailysnail]

thanks donut, i will try that and see how it goes
anna x

[spook]

Any chance you could place a small heater near the tank just to raise the temperature??

[whodoesntlovesnails]

i dont get the whole hot water bottle. do u just heat up a water bottle and place it in the tank or do u spray warm water in the tank to make it wamer?

[donut]

i do a normal hot water bottle in its case & pop it down the side of the tank on the outside i then spray the tank with warm water to increase the humidity

[snailysnail]

hi again, my heat mat came in the post and the temp is now a steady 17C, but the snails are still pretty inactive....so i thought i could get a smaller heat mat and place it along the short side of the tank, at the same end as the large one. are two heat mats okay? there will still be a temperature gradient, so i would of thought so. anyone?
anna x

[mickysnail]

I had the same problem and I added a small 6 by 11 " mat next to the one I have and it has worked a treat. My snails have never been as active!! The heat mats together now cover around 3/4 of the back of the tank.

[snailysnail]

thanks mickysnail, im ordering another one now!
anna x