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Post by AlienSnail on Feb 13, 2008 10:38:23 GMT
A friend has been in touch about a problem with a newly acquired snail that we think is wild caught. basically it has a swollen eye stalk which has been getting worse over the past few days.
My response includes....
"Have you heard of the eye parasite, unsure of the real name, but a parasite grows in the eye, makes the eye stalk turn green and sort of flashes, looks like a grub. Birds then peck off the eye stalk and the parasite is swallowed, where it continues it's next stage of development. The parasite's eggs are then pooped out, ingested by a snail, and the cycle continues.
Meanwhile the eyestalk grows back, and so long as it doesn't come into contact with more poop that's the end of the problem.
If it develops into this I would recommend snipping off the eye stalk. It will grow back.
Sorry that this is scary.
As for other parasites and diseases, if this gets worse and worse I'd snip off the eye stalk before it spreads to the rest of the snail's body.
Horrid I know. Please keep me updated. xxx
Do you think I'm right? I'm questioning myself now...
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eric2
Juvenile
Posts: 122
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Post by eric2 on Feb 13, 2008 11:36:43 GMT
i have had margies with slight swollen eye stalks before it just looked like a small ball im sure it went away though yours sounds allot more serious
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Post by AlienSnail on Feb 13, 2008 11:41:10 GMT
I have to admit I have not seen pictures of the eye, so I may be barking up the wrong tree with it, so I don't want to give bad advie. I'd hate to have her snip off a stalk if it will end up ok on it's own.
I am pretty sure they do grow back. Will google it to be certain. I'm worried now, a case of dishing out advice without the research. Naughty of me - I should know better than that (reprimands one's-self)
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Post by Vida on Feb 13, 2008 11:47:23 GMT
Snipping off the eye?  Never heard of that.!!!! I wouldn't be able to do it, that's for sure. |
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Post by AlienSnail on Feb 13, 2008 11:52:44 GMT
This is what I was thinking off, but perhaps it's not likely. people.smu.edu/eheise/Leucochloridium_paradoxum.htmAlso found this...... Q: Are there sorts of fish I have to look out for that could eat my snails? I have notest that some species try to eat there tentacles. A: I encountered the same problem. And it seems that almost all fish at least try once in a while to eat the tentacles. In my own tanks the snails lost pieces of their tentacles, but after they grow back, the fish didn't bother the snails anymore. But I can imagine that some fish will keep considering the snails as a nice piece of food. I'm not sure now if all snails grow back their tentacles but I'm sure I heard or read somewhere that they do...... I guess we'll just have to wait and see if anything more develops, and take it from there. |
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Post by AlienSnail on Feb 13, 2008 11:55:00 GMT
Snipping off the eye? Never heard of that.!!!! I wouldn't be able to do it, that's for sure. I know what you mean, I had to snip a cactus in hald to save it because the root half was going rotten for some reason, and I fealt really awful - poor thing. A snail's eye stalk - I think it's worse than snipping a cactus certainly, but if it's something that I thought might spread to the snail's body, or if I thought it was that awful parasite, then I would do it, as waiting would just make things worse. |
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Post by pumpkineater on Feb 13, 2008 12:08:53 GMT
Yes I would recommend taking off the eye stalk, it shouldn't hurt the snail, it will just stress it a bit. Does your friends snail look anything like this? uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EWB_COSUXMw |
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Post by donnaraine on Feb 13, 2008 21:13:49 GMT
OMG!!! that looks awful. i couldnt cut off my snails eye stalk, someone else would have to do that for me. can the snails die due it being cut off?
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Post by AlienSnail on Feb 13, 2008 22:09:33 GMT
OMG!!! that looks awful. i couldnt cut off my snails eye stalk, someone else would have to do that for me. can the snails die due it being cut off? I think I recall that the bird pulls off the stalk, so once the parasite is in there it's inevitable really that the eye stalk has to come off, and then it re-grows, so snipping it off would I suppose acheive the same results, but it's horrible, I agree. |
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Post by Arno on Feb 13, 2008 22:33:34 GMT
This is what I was thinking off, but perhaps it's not likely. people.smu.edu/eheise/Leucochloridium_paradoxum.htmAlso found this...... Q: Are there sorts of fish I have to look out for that could eat my snails? I have notest that some species try to eat there tentacles. A: I encountered the same problem. And it seems that almost all fish at least try once in a while to eat the tentacles. In my own tanks the snails lost pieces of their tentacles, but after they grow back, the fish didn't bother the snails anymore. But I can imagine that some fish will keep considering the snails as a nice piece of food. I'm not sure now if all snails grow back their tentacles but I'm sure I heard or read somewhere that they do...... Here's more on that subject: www.arnobrosi.com/head.html |
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Post by pumpkineater on Feb 13, 2008 23:31:57 GMT
My goodness me, that's incredible! Arno you are such a little goldmine of info. ;D
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