Deep Retraction Cause of Loss?

[lisajane8482]

Pixie, one of my adult Fulica passed away last night.

She had been off colour, so to speak on Thursday, she wasn't her usual social self. She is normally the first to get up when i put food in but just assumed that it was due to a late night.

On saturday i checked on her and noticed that her mantal was about an inch away from the lip of the shell and that she was having difficulties lifting her shell.

I put her in her own tank with a bowl of water some food and capillary matting. I kept checking on her but never disturbed her as i thought that would be best.

When i got up this morning she had died. He head was really swollen and there was brown liquid surronding her.

What happened?

I've only had her for 3 months but she was an adult from a petshop. Her partner Joe seems to be okay and i have cleaned out his tank.

I'm absolutely gutted and am worried about Joe, will the same happen to him.

Any advice or help would be gratefully appreciated.

P.S. the mite problem i'm having came from a set of snails i bought off ebay, who are being kept in a seperate tank in a different room and have never been in contact with any other snails.

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[Arno]

Sorry to hear about Pixie,it's always difficult to tell what went wrong when snails die suddenly.Possibly she was already an older snail and died of natural causes.

[kab]

sorry about pixie , but it does not mean that the same will happen to joe at all ,
karen

[zoe6660]

sorry for your lost. will you be getting another one for joe?

[lisajane8482]

Hi,
sorry i haven't replied sooner, i've been off all last week looking after my little girl.

Thank you every one for replying, i think i may have over reacted a bit.

We went on Monday and got a new Pixie, from the same pet shop we got Pixie and Joe from originally. the new pixie is almost as big as Joe. They seem to be getting on well and Hopefully she'll settle right in.

[spook]

Awww really glad you've got a new friend for joe! ........
And i don't think you over reacted at all,i would have been exactly the same if it had happened to me!...

[lisajane8482]

I think that Joe may be going the same way as Pixie did, he is quite retracted and takes some waking up, usually he lifts his shell a little and pokes his eyes out then retracts again. I put him in his own tank last night with some moss, bowl of water and some cucumber. He came out after a good run under luke warm water and ate a little of the cucumber but I don't think he looks like he did a couple of days ago. His foot does not seem as large as it was. I will post some pictures of him tonight. I just hope he pulls through. The rest of the snails seem happy and healthy, so I don't think it is something I am doing.

[jmurphy]

Sorry to hear about Pixie, and now poor Joe is poorly too. Its really difficult to tell what is wrong with them isnt it? I've had a few of my snails off colour,,, then they sometimes pick up as if there was never anything wrong.

I know its no consolation, but I am expecting my fuli's to lay in a few days, if you would like me to send you some eggs to hatch please let me know.

xxx

[lisajane8482]

Thank you jmurphy, I kept some eggs that Pixie laid before she died and some that Joe laid after she died so I'm hoping they are going to hatch.

[lisajane8482]

Some Pics of what Joe looked like wed and then thurs.



How far back he retracts




Not sure if it's just the photo but he looks so skinny










His foot never extends more than this and there is a funny popping sound when he tries to move?

I weighed and measured him, pixie and Anastacia last night.

Joe weighs 2.15 oz and is 9cm in shell length
Pixie Weighs 2.35 oz and is 8.6cm in shell length
Anastacia weighs 2.8 oz and is 9.2 cm in shell length.

When i pick him up I've noticed he feels lighter than he used to and whilst he is still eating he only eats 1 thin cucumber slice where before he would eat a lot more than that. He also seems to struggle to move and i swear he looks skinnier, my mum just thinks I'm being paranoid and worring to much.

Any advice or any opinions on how he looks would be really appreciated.

[jmurphy]

Hi again,

I'm no expert hun but he certainly does retract far doesnt he?? Have you changed anything about their tank, prior to losing your last snail? Substrate/food/heat? Just trying to work out if its something upsetting them??

Once you bathe him etc I presume he comes out of his shell again OK? I really dont know hun, such a shame. I think sometimes these things just happen, its not your fault.

Nix
x

[spook]

I'm no expert either,but he doesn't weigh very much by the sounds of it,i know one of my fulis weighs 9oz and the other 11oz(although he is exceptionally big).

All i can suggest is prob what your doing already,keep him comfy and warm and give him some nice baths and see how he gets on...fingers crossed for you xx

keep us informed!x

[lisajane8482]

I hadn't changed anything at all, I used the same soil, gave them the same food which I always washed their tanks the same temp it's always been.

He takes a while to wake up, usually you would spray him and he'd be straight out, now i have to run him under the tap and it takes a few minutes for him to come out.

Just spoke to my mum, who's at my house waiting to pick my daughter up from nursery and joes up, looking around and grazing (the term she used) on his cucumber, so fingers crossed he's getting better.

[jmurphy]

Aww, fingers crossed for you LJ. I lost two baby tigers over the last couple of days, no apparent reason, retracted really deep into their shells and I couldnt rouse them, left them with food and kept them warm overnight but unfortunately it didnt work... they stank of fish the next day (a sure sign eh?).

I'll be keeping everything crossed for you, hope he pulls thru ok.

Any news on your eggs yet? My two havent laid yet.
x

[lisajane8482]

They haven't hatched yet, but I'll let you know when/if they do.

I can't really remember when Pixie laid hers, but it must have been nearly 3 weeks agoand Joe laid his last week so hopefully if they're going to hatch it will be soon.

[zoe6660]

aww its sad to hear but hopfuly joe will get better i cant help and tell you whats worng i would love to help but im no good. but hope joe gets better and the eggs hatch.

[lisajane8482]

Well, Joe's still alive but I am really worried about him, he seems quite alert when you manage to get him to come out but he won't eat and a soon as he goes in to his tank he retracts again.

I've tried liquidizing snail mix, cucumber and lettuce mix and cucumber by itself, I've even tried just plonking him in the bowl and nothing.. He just slimes out and then retracts.

I've even tried hand feeding him and he's just not interested. He's still losing weight, obviously, but he isn't retracting as far.

I've tried putting him in his water bowl as my mum rekons he look dehydrated to try and get him to drink and he slimes out and around the tank (which I sprayed) and then retracts again.

I had him on my hand last night after another failed attempt at getting him to eat and he seemed quite happy, like his normal self excepting he looks skinny, I held him for about 10 mins and when i put him back in the tank with some more liquidised cucmber and whole cucumber he retracted again.

Could he be unhappy by himslef? would it be worth while putting Pixie in with him to try and see if it's because he's on his own? (even though the problem started when he was with other fulica/rodatzi).

Is there anything I haven't thought of to try and get him to eat? maybes some food that is really tantalising to snails or a way of just getting to eat?

[jmurphy]

Awww I'm sorry to hear Joe's still not well.

I dont really know what to suggest? He is a fulica?? What breed is your other snail, a fulica too?? Perhaps he might like company, seeing as you've tried him on his own and thats not made any difference, how about putting a friend in with him (a friend of the same-ish size?)

Have you tried brocolli? Sweet potato? How about a nice shall bowl of water for him to wallow in that?? I'm just throwing suggestions into the air for you... my fulis sit for ages in the rock pool that I have in the tank for my tigers!!! They love it.

My fuli's love brocolli and sweet potato, I spray the brocolli so its soaking wet and it looks like a tree been in the rain!! They love that??

Hope some of my suggestions help.

Keep us posted and good luck hun.

x

[lisajane8482]

He has a shallow pool in the tank but seems uniterested in it, i'll try him on some broccoli and sweet potato tonight.

In his original tank there was the new Pixie who's Fulica and 2 rodatzi.

IU think I'll dig ot thier old tank and put him in that with Pixie and see if he does any better.

Thanks for the suggestions, i'll keep you posted on his progress.

[jmurphy]

Yes, try him on his own with his mate, see how he gets on...

what sort of substrate do you use? I just use multipurpose compost... tho after I bathe them, I sometimes lay a few leaves of wet lettuce on top of their substrate for them to lay on and dry out (after their bathe) and they eat it at the same time, they love that too.

Keep me posted, fingers crossed.

xx

[lisajane8482]

I did use Coir but moved to a top soil improver from B and Q that a few other people have been using.

When I put him in the tank with Pixie, i'm going to use coir again.

When Pixie died i changed the soil from coir to the b and q stuff and then the next day put in my 2 new rodatzi's and the new Pixie in with Joe so it could be the change of soil or the introduction of the rodatzi have upset him and he's now sulking??? Although i did find him trying to mate with one of the rodatzi and Pixie.

[Val]

Sounds like you are doing everything humanly possible, have you tried sweet apple or peach? my fulica used to really like both of these. Do so hope he improves.

Val

[lisajane8482]

Joe finally gave up and passed on to the big garden in the sky, he seemed to perk up and then reverted back to not eating and retracting really far back.

[spook]

So so sorry to hear that! BIG HUGS x

I'm going through exactly the same thing as you did with my biggest fuli Vic....not looking good

[lee2211]

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