bookmarks (click) diseases , health , death , food , other

questions are from r/snails and petsnails! :D

DISEASES

Q: what is deep retraction syndrome/drs?
A: "If your snail retract so far back into the shell that the foot is no longer visible by the outer lip, something is wrong. This issue is usually a symptom of something else, and often the behaviour of the snail changes along with it. The snail can stop eating, be less active and loose weight."

Q: what are some symptoms of drs?
A: early symptoms:
loss of appetite. less activity, long periods spent buried. snail sometimes twists in its shell towards the breathing hole.
mid-term symptoms:
deeply retracting, snail can still be woken up but will only stay out for brief periods of time. loss of weight, body begins to look too small for the shell. snail struggles to pull the shell around. you may find the snail upside down where it has retracted and fallen to the floor. shell loses colour/becomes lighter and more 'bleached looking'
at this stage in a few cases the snail has actually eaten a little for a few days, which seemed to suggest the snails were getting better. it didn't last :(
near-death symptoms:
even deeper retraction probably due to the decreased weight and size of the body. hard to wake up even with a lot of attention and stimuli. snails takes longer and longer to stir and retracts again almost immediately.

Q: what are some cures to drs?
A: two common methods that could help are a sugar and a green tea bath! your snail could die, though :(( but as long as its still alive it can recover haha ! it is also recommended to give a bit more protein than usual and to avoid nutrient dense veggies !

Q: how do i give my snail a sugar bath?
A: you mix a very small amount a sugar with water and then bathe the snail with drs! another common method is to use very weak green tea ^^ (a sugar bath is a remedy that shown to help with deep retraction syndrome)

Q: how do i give my snail a green tea bath?
A: brew green tea (plain green tea, no flavors or additives) using snail-safe water and let it cool completely to room temperature. then dilute it with more snail-safe water until the color is very light. the final mix should be at least 50% water. then add a bit of this to a shallow dish, make sure it is only a few millimeters deep max because snails can drown extremely easily. you can then put your snail in the dish. dont try to rinse them or anything, just let them sit.

Q: what causes drs?
A: 1. "overly clean" enclousres - just dont do more than mentioned in the housing page and you should be good !
2. weak genes, this is not in your control :')
3. no mites or parasites in the enclousre

HEALTH

Q: my snail suddenly only has 1 eyestalk, it used to have two!
A: that is okay haha !! they sometimes hide them ,, but if it doesnt show up again after like a few days ,, that is concering to me and i would check it out in r/snails. either discord server or subrreddit is fine ,, you will probably get an answer ^^

Q: my snail grew some puffy thing around the lip of his shell ,, is it okay???
A: yeah, it is! your snails just horny lmao

Q: my snail's shell is broken :((
A: CALCIUM. your snail needs calcium, and a lot of it lol. you dont need any extra amounts, your snail will go get it when it needs to, but you do need a 24/7 supply of calcium (even if the shell is okay! it should be the norm). do not sprinkle calcium or offer food with more calcium, forcing it into eating calcium can harm it. you also might want to ask in r/snails, maybe there are some methods and tips im not aware of but calcium is definetly very helpful for this.

DEATH

Q: IS MY SNAIL DEAD
A: does it eat less than usual? did it retract? is its body disconnected from its shell? does it smell? is it hard to touch? these are all signs of death. i am so sorry :(

FOOD

Q: what are some good calcium sources, and what is self regulation?
A: you can learn about calcium here, but self regulation is just this thingy snails do when they need calcium or protein or anything else! its exactly like how when youre thirsty you drink water, or when youre hugnry you eat (i hope! if not, you should go eat and or drink right now !! :D this can wait a bit ♡) ! when snails need calcium, they just go get it, if they can. so as long as they have a consistent, 24/7 supply of calcium in their enclousre they should be fine! :D

Q: what foods are unsafe for my snail?
A: you can check and learn about a healthy and safe diet for snails here!

Q: my snail doesnt self regulate anymore..?
A: if youre using cuttlebone/cuttlefish bone, it might be damp or wet. make sure its dry and clean! again, do not sprinkle calcium on food ! perhaps it just doesnt need more calcium at this point !

OTHER

Q: what (types of) enclousres are okay?
A: storage boxes are not recommended. faunarium are ok and cheap, but arent great for humidity, as they have a lot of ventilation and theyre designed for animals who need lower humidity. reptile terrariums and fish tanks are recommended, but are usually more expernsive (not always! also a second hand one will obviously be much cheaper) , and fish tanks tend to have large holes in them so the snails could easily escape! so personally i find reptile terrariums to be the best ^^

Q: is it okay if my snail buried itself in the substrate?
A: yeah, that is normal and completely ok ^^ they usually do it to cool off!

Q: can my snail live with other snails/can my snail live by itself?
A: yes and yes. snails arent really social creatures, they dont have the intelligence it takes to even understand what a friend is. the only difference is that the snails would be more active because of competition for food and they would also mate a lot more.

Q: can i release my snail/hatchlings/runts back into the wild?
A: no. as long as youre treating your snail okay, the enclousre is much better for them than the wild. they will probably bring diseases into the population and they would also hurt the ecosystem. snails dont actually die off that quickly, its a long term pet that requires a lot of care. you need to be 100% sure you wont "get bored of it" before you get one, that is a live creature we're talking about!

Q: how do i get a snail?
A: you can either pick one up from a garden or forest (but make sure to checek it's ID before putting it in your enclousre! different species require different care and needs) or get one from a pet shop (i think they usually dont have them there, though) or buy one from a local seller! you can find one in r/snails or some snails facebook group! if you are located in the US, though, you can only buy one from your state, as it is illegal for snails to cross state borders. GALS are also illegal in the US.

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source the r/snails discord server https://discord.gg/y5CTnykG
source Aurora's Animals