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Post by Simon on Jul 21, 2009 22:49:56 GMT
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Post by choco on Jul 21, 2009 22:52:53 GMT
First off - don't panic! You've given them some attention and care for tonight, and tried to improve their conditions, so they may well all be happily sliming around tomorrow.  Give them a soak in a bowl of warm water (boiled water that has cooled plenty is good) rather than just running them under the tap - you can leave them to sit in the water for a few minutes and once they realise it's warm and wet they may be happier to come out. This almost always entices out even the most retracted and unhappy snails in my experience If you've put clingfilm over the top of the tank to cover the holes, you could try putting a layer of bubblewrap over that or instead of that, to help keep the heat and humidity in. You can lay it over the top and tape it to the sides of the tank with a couple of bits of sellotape - easy to remove when you need access to the tank. Do you have any sphagnum moss in the tank? It holds moisture very well and helps keep the tank humid. My rodatzis have eaten the green ends of leeks before without any problems, but I've not given it to them again as most of the snails weren't interested in it. Had the snails actually eaten any of the spring onion? They're quite good at avoiding things that are bad for them so there's a good chance that they didn't actually eat any of it - or stopped after a brief nibble. If you don't want to keep buying bottled water to spray them with, you could use a bottle of water conditioner - these are usually sold for reptiles and are supposed to neutralise the chemicals and harmful metals in tap water. You just put a couple of drops of it into tap water. Personally I use filtered water which I then add water conditioner to as well... I don't know if it's as good as pure water but for sure it's better than tap water. If the snails seem skinny, try some foods to bulk them back up a bit - sweet potato is great for this, and regular potato if they'll eat it. Plantain is good too, as are yams and squash. Give them more of this kind of thing for a while, rather than cucumber and lettuce, which have high water content and are not as nutritious. Glass tanks are often easier to keep a decent temperature with a heat mat, as glass conducts heat far better than plastic does. It's not easy to see the lid in that picture, but it's usually a good idea to cover any lids that have a lot of holes or are made of mesh etc. to keep as much heat and humidity in as possible. Of course, you do need SOME air to get in and out of the tank as the snails have to breathe! - but a few tiny holes or gaps is enough for that. My glass tanks have heatmats stuck to the outside, on one tank wall, and the backs of the heatmats are covered with silver reflective bubble-wrap insulation (the kind of stuff that goes behind radiators to reflect heat back). The lids are made of mesh, so I've got the same stuff taped on over the tank lids. I spray the tanks thoroughly twice a day with a spray bottle, and they stay quite nice and damp, and perfectly warm. Best of luck with the snails, and sleep well - let us know how they are tomorrow |
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Post by AlienSnail on Jul 21, 2009 22:55:30 GMT
Very similar, in fact I think the same as three of my tanks. I replaced the lid with corrugated plastic board, though you can also get glass cut to fit for, I think, £10 - £15. I like corrugated plastic though, it's fairly stiff yet you can cut it to size with scissors, drill ventilation holes in etc etc. There's never many holes in any of my tanks, just a few.
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Post by welsh on Jul 22, 2009 8:51:53 GMT
How are they doing Simon?
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Post by Simon on Jul 22, 2009 9:11:53 GMT
MORNING UPDATE Basically i know 1 of my fulica's is okay and the other is hiding in the plantpot full of sphynum moss. But un-fortunately my 2 baby albino retics are dead  And thanks Morningcoffee ill go out and do anything you have suggested now  And Yes i keep a handfull of moss in my tank always. Plus there's zero condensation on my tank lid where the clingfilm is, the the sides of the tank did stay kinda moist. And i might buy that glass tank or maybe something a bit bigger. Going to the shop to buy some sweet potato Might visit the reptile shop later, anything you'd suggest me to buy? Thanks All! Simon. |
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Post by muddydragon on Jul 22, 2009 9:32:36 GMT
oh i'm so so sorry to hear that  that's devastating *hug* if they came from welsh or feebix their brothers/sisters send their love (they send it anyway even if they didnt come from them) as do all my snailies which send you a big slimy hug! im glad the fulica are still alive |
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Post by AlienSnail on Jul 22, 2009 10:04:38 GMT
Aw Simon that's sad news about the retics.
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Post by Simon on Jul 22, 2009 10:55:08 GMT
I've bought a brand new slightly bigger heat mat, which seems alot better (other was second-hand) and i bought temp and humidity gauges(to answer all our questions xD, i've put in food but they dont seem to be eating it :S
Simon.
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Post by choco on Jul 22, 2009 11:06:11 GMT
I've bought a brand new slightly bigger heat mat, which seems alot better (other was second-hand) and i bought temp and humidity gauges(to answer all our questions xD, i've put in food but they dont seem to be eating it :S Simon. Are the albinos definitely dead? Sometimes it can seem like they are if they're retracted or hiding... If they are then I'm very sorry to hear it Unfortunately baby snails do seem to be more prone to problems than the older ones, and sometimes the albinos can be weaker. A thermometer and a hygrometer are pretty much essential for snail keeping, so it's good that you've got those now! Keep an eye on them, and then you can adjust the conditions as needed if either of them are less than ideal. I never get condensation on my tank lids either, only on the sides of the tanks. And don't worry too much if they don't seem to be eating right away - chances are they'll eat when they're hungry. My fulicas only eat in the evening and at night, and not all of them eat daily. As long as fresh food is available for them, they should be OK - see how they go tonight and if anything has been munched on in the morning. |
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Post by Simon on Jul 22, 2009 11:21:34 GMT
Im pretty sure 1 is definately dead, but the other im sure makes tiny tiny vibration like movement in its shell, and im sure has come out a bit more since before so he's still in the tank, and ill update you all in an hour or 2 Thanks, Simon. |
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Post by muddydragon on Jul 22, 2009 11:27:50 GMT
we're all routing for that little guy here! *Fingers/antenna crossed!*
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Post by Simon on Jul 22, 2009 11:32:40 GMT
Cheers All you people are ace! Btw, im almost always logged into this forum i love it, where like a little 'community'  Thanks, Simon. |
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Post by welsh on Jul 22, 2009 11:38:13 GMT
OH simon how sad, well i've still got quite a few albino retics, i'd be happy to send you some more out once your set up is sorted if you just pay the postage.
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Post by Simon on Jul 22, 2009 11:54:55 GMT
Oh, Thanks Caroline (Y) Your ace :') and ill give you a PM when i KNOW everything is good and well, the tank is now steaming up, and at a nice 27-28*c and almost 80hm(humidity) My fulica's are active but not eating, and ill keep you all updated Thanks, Simon. |
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Post by welsh on Jul 22, 2009 12:18:07 GMT
No probs i'm sure we'll get you there eh! And i'm happy that they will go to a good home, we all have problems starting out well some of use still do! I've also got loads of baby fulica's off my albino snail but i'm gutted as most of them are normal skinned if you like you can have as many of them as you want! i've got 60 odd!
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that's devastating *hug* 