Snail Lovers ...

[kakihara]

Hi

I recently purchased a Golden Apple Snail (on Saturday) put it into the tank ... however now it's Monday and it still hasn't moved. Is this normal, or is it dead?

K

 

[zoeae]

If the trap door on the shell is closed it is more then likely still alive and resting. They tend to be less active in the fall and winter. If the door is open, and when you take the snail out of the tank the door stays open the snail is probably dead.

 

[kakihara]

Trap Door? I think that it's closed all right, there seems to be like a dark kind of something when I look in the shell, that must be it.

Cheers

K

 

[emma12321]

Take it out and sniff it if it is dead you will definately know as it will stink.

Emma

 

[kakihara]

Take it out an smell it?? Hmm, I think I'll give it to the end of the week and then if it still hasn't moved I'll throw it into the river.

Are there any other tests I can do, like give it a poke or something?

K

 

[Luke_e]

My apple snail closes for a few hours each week (total), just put some cucumber next to it. The trap door is the big that the shell rests ontop of the snail, its like a ltitle dish it sits in, that (if closed) would be tight up inside the shell.

 

[kakihara]

Cheers, I'll try the cucumber test, see if that wakes it from it's slumber!!

I've about 5 tiny snails in the tank at the moment, so at least the glass is getting cleaned by something!!

Do you reckon the smaller snails will try to gang up on the G.A.S. or would it be the other way around? Will there be an all out turf war with the GAS waking up one morning to find out that someone has sprayed graffitti on it's shell?

 

[Luke_e]

Cant answer it from knowledge, i only have one, but there is some tiny ones in the tank which i squish when i see them (dont want an infestation), but i doubt that they will gang up on each other as they can just hide in their shells if borthered, but i suppose if the other snails were small enough for the big one to eat then it may eat them if it finds them, but i dont think its likely.

 

[Fella]

Hmm, I think I'll give it to the end of the week and then if it still hasn't moved I'll throw it into the river.

Just as a point, I don't know if apple snails are indingenous or not, but throwing things which you assume to be dead into a local river isn't great practice, and could harm you local wildlife. Please, just destroy the snail humanely if you are sure it is dead, and then either bury it or bin it.