Mantle Collapse. RIP Goku

[red608]

So he's once again fine, I was able to get the swelling down mostly and he was up to his usual antics and even ate some pumpkin seeds. His shell seems to have yet another lip developing so he'll have 3 o.O? (pics will be coming)His container isn't really all that big imo and I can't add much more substrate without his shell touching the lid, which I imagine might make it difficult for him to move around but not it a good way. He's really just determined to do what he wants regardless =/ Is it bad to give pumpkin seeds to often? His appetite seems better when I offer them like he refused food i gave him one time last week then gave him a pumpkin seed, he ate that and then demolished the other food plus some cuttle.

[lee2211]

Green tea! That's the one I meant. LOL it was one of those days :/

Pumpkin seeds are fine, it doesn't really matter but make sure they don't replace his veg.
Also, I'd be careful that he doesn't become "obsessed" for want of a better word, and refuse everything else you offer him.
A varied diet is best, but otherwise, pumpkin seeds are fine.

[aerliss]

Red, I had the same problem with my retic that had a damaged shell. He'd contort himself about so that he could hang upside down... but because the tank was so low his shell rested on the ground, helping to relieve the strain on the mantle.

How did you get the swelling to down?

[red608]

To be honest I'm not entirely sure. I did give him a bath and where he wasn't moving around much it wasnt hard to keep him upright. Sat with him an hour or so just occasionally giving him a bath again and he starting looking better. Next thing I knew he was himself again sliming all over and he ate some pumpkin seeds too.

[red608]

Oh and he doesn't ignore his veggies for pumpkin seeds. I have taken them away and he just ate the romaine I gave him. There's been times he didn't eat the seeds so much and actually preferred to just eat yam or romaine. However they will gwt him to eat when nothing else tempts him and then he'll eat whatever else after a few bites of pumpkin seeds. He's just weird about food like me ;P

[red608]

I don't even know what to do anymore

He eats and is active as hell but he looks worse! I went to feed him tonight and the tear/collapse is much more visible and HE WONT STOP HANGING UPSIDE DOWN FROM THE LID! His shell got stuck on the piece of cuttle and he just dragged the thing across the plastic lid I have in the container to put food on! And oh god at one point he was going one way and his shell was still facing the other way(I intervened at this point to stop him from doing more damage) Everytime I put the lid on the container, there he goes right up on it. I put more substrate in the container so there isn't any way for him to hang freely, the shell touches the substrate.

Anyways I got some pics.

Some show the tear/collapse and what appears to be some swelling or just him coming out of his shell, others show how new shell growth doesnt seem to be fully attached to the rest of shell, just the shell growth in general. You can see that his shell now appaears to be losing some color and looks almost bleached. You can kinda see the third lip of the shell that was developing, it only seems to be on the one side though.

[coyote]

Wow, I have never seen anything like that. I wonder if there is some kind of damage to the growth area at the aperture.

WRT him not stopping hanging on the lid, sometimes a snail is determined to do the absolute worst thing for itself. I had a Theba pisana with a serious hole in his body whorl, and he insisted on repeatedly poking his head through the hole instead of through his natural aperture, ruining any shell repair I tried to do. He would even crawl around that way, with the bit of shell between the aperture and the hole between his foot and the substrate. I thought it would be too uncomfortable, but he was absolutely determined to do it that way no matter what. He would up going into deep retraction and passing away eventually.

But that's not to say that the same thing will happen with your snail. It sounds like you are doing everything possible to minimize his risks. I don't know what else that can be done, since no one knows the cause. As long as he is acting and eating normally, that's the best possible sign.

[red608]

I made the decision to put Goku down today. I found him in much the same state as I did orignally. It's like he just keeps falling out of his shell everytime there is new growth. He may have still eaten some but he looked awful and has not been active like he was. He used to spend his nights digging like 7holes in the substrate. The past few days I've noticed less and less activity, and after finding him in such a sorry state yet again I thought it best to let him be at peace.

[ness]

Aw that's so sad. You tried really hard for this little snail, no-one could have done more than you have.
At least you know your snail isn't in any discomfort now x

[lee2211]

So, so sorry to hear that red.
You made his final days the best you could.

I know it's a relatively recent thread but would you mind if I cleaned up the first two pages a bit? I was thinking about making it a sticky considering there's already a one on gut-extrusion.

[coyote]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I know you did everything you could, but sometimes our snails pass away in spite of our best efforts, and there is little that can be done.

Rest in peace, Goku.

[red608]

Thanks all, I still feel bad he couldnt make it but I know he's in a better place now.

[red608]

lee, yes feel free to do what you want with the thread and pics. If they can be of any help to someone in future then Goku's death isn't a total loss ya kno? If you could please keep some of the pics of when he had new shell growth so others don't immediately assume they need to put the snail to sleep I'd appreciate it. If Goku had continued to borrow instead of climbing he would have fully recovered, of that I am sure. He was unfortunately rather persistant and I wasn't around enough to take him off the lid everytime. These actions of course led to yet another mantle collapse/tear just as bad as the first.

[lee2211]

Sept 10, 2010 23:55:56 GMT red608 said:

lee, yes feel free to do what you want with the thread and pics. If they can be of any help to someone in future then Goku's death isn't a total loss ya kno? If you could please keep some of the pics of when he had new shell growth so others don't immediately assume they need to put the snail to sleep I'd appreciate it. If Goku had continued to borrow instead of climbing he would have fully recovered, of that I am sure. He was unfortunately rather persistant and I wasn't around enough to take him off the lid everytime. These actions of course led to yet another mantle collapse/tear just as bad as the first.

I'll be keeping all of the pics, no need to worry about that

I just thought it would be more comprehensive to get rid of some unnecesary comments on previous pages. I just wanted to ask first before I started messing around with stuff considering this is so recent and all.

[Deleted]

Sorry Red, I've been following Goku since this thread started and I really thought he was going to make it. RIP little fella.

[rosiesnail2]

A year and a bit since death. Happy Spiritual Birthday Little fellah. RIP.
You know, my sis had a snail once called Curious and we bought him a special lil' tank and one day I knocked it off when y snails where in there too. Sis had a right go at me cause it smashed and the snails were everywhere but only Curious got hurt, he had a hole in his whorl and you could almost se all his organs H was one of the oldest in the end!

[jkc231]

Any updated info here? I rescued a wild snail from a parking lot and think he may be having a mantle problem. He's very active and is eating. I think the problem is from sleeing on the lid of the habitat, seems to be his favorite position because we turned the habitat over and right back up he climbed.

[morningcoffee]

May 22, 2012 0:33:41 GMT jkc231 said:

Any updated info here? I rescued a wild snail from a parking lot and think he may be having a mantle problem. He's very active and is eating. I think the problem is from sleeing on the lid of the habitat, seems to be his favorite position because we turned the habitat over and right back up he climbed.

Hi jkc231,
The best thing to do would be to put him in a shallow container to try and prevent him from climbing or hanging from the roof too much. You should also try to keep him moist if any of his body is out of the shell or if his mantle is detached from the shell. Give him nutritious foods and plenty of calcium. Hopefully he will be OK. Good luck!

[jkc231]

Thanks, I have restriced his movement, still seems that the mantel sticks out about .5mm at times and I can cleary see his airway