Snail has no Shell

[neil]

i have rescued a snail, who has no shell.i have placed him in a tank, keeping him moist+cool.he seems perky+ ive now had him 5 days.has anyone got any tips on how to help him?

[101100101111]

make sure you have a source of calcium in which he has access to, you could use cuttlefish bone (available from pet stores for budgies), limestone powder, or crushed up eggshell, make sure that his tank or box is shallow enough so he can't climb as this could hurt him or he could fall, you should probably refer to this thread:

petsnails.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=pests&action=display&thread=8863

for other info, his chances of survival are very small, so the kindest thing to do might be to put him in the freezer, although if you say he is perky then he might pull through, i wish you the best of luck.

EDIT

this should probably go in the problems and help board.

[lee2211]

I'd put him in the freezer, it's cruel to keep alive when he's missing the thing he needs the most. It's like keeping a human alive without their skin.
He may have survived this long but I doubt he'll do much longer, if you can't freeze him then just make sure you keep him wet, and try and make sure he doesn't get an infection.

[neil]

thanks,it looks like ive got to think about putting him in the freezer...but not just yet...he `s still perky. like the case in the link, he likes to hang upside down.is it definite that he cant develop a new covering?

[lee2211]

I doubt it, I've never heard of a case of it.

What do you mean by perky? I don't mean to be rude but him seeming "perky" can actually be signs of something being wrong.
I hope he's OK

[crossless]

I don't understand why people keep snails life when it has lost it's shell. Snails need their shell so I think they don't feel really nice without it so I would not keep snail alive if it has lost it's shell I think snails have right to live this world with little respect.

[lee2211]

petsnails.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=pests&action=display&thread=8863
Please continue anything WRT to this topic on the link to the thread provided. Thank you.