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Post by strachan on Apr 26, 2009 18:46:52 GMT
I have an Achatina Fulica called "Strachan" who is 14-16 months old. I have had him for 8 or 9 months.
His problems started just over 2 weeks ago, when one of his eye stalks went strange. He stopped extending it when he came out of his shell, and then when he did again it was much smaller and bent like an umbrella handle. The other one is perfectly healthy and no other marks or bumps on his flesh. Now he rarely extends it.
Now I am worried because he doesn't seem to be eating much. He has been hibernating as it has been cold, so I have left him 2 or 3 days then "woke him up" with a warm bath for some food. He is not eating any food, but he is rasping his cuttlefish bone. He is taking longer than usual to emerge but I took that to be the temperature outside.
He is my only snail and lives on his own in a big clean tank with a tree branch (bought from a reptile pet shop) and sphagnum moss.
Could he be eating the moss? He is looking a little underweight but is pulling his shell OK when he is awake. There are no breaks or anything in his mantle and his breathing hole is clear.
The reptile guy admitted he had little knowledge on snail physiology but suggested Strachan had bumped his eye on something and got it slightly infected and is feeling sorry for himself.
Should I be very worried? Or should I not worry unless he stops looking for his cuttlefish too?
I love the little fella and want to do anything I can to help him.
Thank you for reading, and I hope someone has some advice.
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Post by spook on Apr 26, 2009 18:54:30 GMT
Hi there, First of all welcome to the forum!.... What's the temp inside the tank?...do you have it heated at all?  |
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Post by AlienSnail on Apr 26, 2009 18:57:39 GMT
Oh I don't know much about poorly eye-stalks. I did read that if one was removed another would grow back, but I've no experience in that! It could indeed be the cold that's causing him to hibernate. If you have a heat-mat it would be worth placing it against the tank side. However, being as you have had him over winter and the problems started only a few weeks ago perhaps it isn't the temperature? If you don't have a heat-mat it may be worth putting his tank into the airing cupboard for a few days to see if he perks up. I know it sounds like an odd thing to do but I've temporarily kept snails in mine a few times and they appear to like it in there! Most Giant African Land Snails species prefer a remperature of around 22 - 28 oC. Heating the tank is the first thing I would try. Also what is the humidity like? If it's too airy with mesh-type lid then perhaps the air is too dry, cling-film over the tank lid often helps. Can you see any tiny white mites around the shell opening, and especially crawling in and out of the breathing hole? If so then these are likely to be harmful and need to be removed by bathing. You can also purchase predatory helpful mites to kill off the harmful ones. Over cleanliness can cause health problems. It sounds odd, but snails need to live in their own dirt a little bit because they need the bacteria and enzymes found in spoiled food and their own droppings in order to digest their food, in a similar way to people needing bacteria in our guts. I keep the tanks fairly clean, removing most of the poop but I leave some poop and spoiled veg in there, removing it after a few days. Ooops where are my manners? Yes  to the fourm!! |
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Post by laurent on Apr 26, 2009 19:45:42 GMT
Hi,
I personally wouldn't worry too much about the eye. My snails' eyes "do the umbrella" all the time, and sometimes with both eyes (especially when eating). Latter in the night, they deploy their eyes fully, go back to the umbrella style, don't always are symetrical, etc.
Cheers,
Laurent
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Post by feebix on Apr 26, 2009 20:38:20 GMT
Yeah I`ve seen plenty of my snails doing it too, nothing to worry about . The moss is ok for them to eat a bit of if they want, it`s actually a mild antiseptic too so it`s very clean stuff, it used to be put inside bandages to help heal the wound. |
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Post by AlienSnail on Apr 26, 2009 20:57:11 GMT
Yeah I`ve seen plenty of my snails doing it too, nothing to worry about . The moss is ok for them to eat a bit of if they want, it`s actually a mild antiseptic too so it`s very clean stuff, it used to be put inside bandages to help heal the wound. I learn something new every day....... Didn't know about the moss thing  |
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Post by feebix on Apr 26, 2009 21:08:29 GMT
True that |
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Post by choco on Apr 26, 2009 22:46:06 GMT
Have you tried lots of different foods to see if he's being picky? You could try slicing it very thinly or cooking it til it's soft, to see if you can tempt him at all. My snails will pretty much always eat cucumber, lettuce, sweet potato and baby corn, but you could try pretty much any fruit or vegetable and see if he shows any interest |
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Post by strachan on Apr 29, 2009 14:23:26 GMT
Thank you everyone for your replies- I feel so welcomed! Strachan (my snails name actually, not mine!) has his tank next to the radiator on a night and in the kitchen where it's bright during the day. He gets a misting in the morning, and before I go to bed, and another if the tank looks dry. I'm happy to say he had some cucumber last night and a WHOLE lotta cuttlefish- most of the top layer of a good 20cm square chunk rasped off! He's a bit more active too, but he still has umbrella-handle eyes. He does seem to be getting back to normal though. People at work ask me about my snail more often than they do about my cats |
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Post by AlienSnail on Apr 29, 2009 17:18:56 GMT
Ah well that's good news, glad he's eating. In the photos on your other thread his eye stalks look fine too. |
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Post by strachan on Apr 29, 2009 17:36:19 GMT
He's asleep in his (very shallow) water dish right now. The pics were mostly taken around New Year, the one with the penny on it was beginning of April. I'm hoping it's just "one of those things" and he'll get back to normal like the snails of the previous posters!
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