One of my margies is unwell advice please

[vandamay]

One of my baby margies seeems very poorly, he is listless, and seems bloated sometimes, the others are fine! silly discription i know but he seems a little grey, he had cucumber yesterday but then went back to being poorly, he had some nectarine a few days ago, maybe that? temp is a good 24 most of the time and sometimes higher, up to 29 30, good humidity, could it be too humid? i have no meter for that, and i will get one this week end, i thought that margies liked it wet as do tigers, was i wrong, he is very peeky today and i have quarenteened(sp) him, very worried now!

[AlienSnail]

Your conditions sound fine, it's good that he's quarantened. Is your margie an adult? Could it be that s/he's laid eggs and is needing a good rest? Edit: Oops yeah he's a baby - sorry, missed that part.
Bloating often indicates that something the snail ate did not agree with it. Intestinal blockages caused by either indigestable food or food that has expanded inside the snail causes water retention and bloating. It can pass and the snail can recover, however it can be fatal depending on the severity. How bloated is he?

Other possible causes of ilness to consider.....
Are there any very tiny slow-moving pin-head white mites around his breathing hole?
Maybe he's had an allergic reaction to something, sounds daft to think snails could be allergic to something but I once heard of a snail who had a skin reaction to coir.
It's also possible that he could just need a higher heat all of the time, occasionally you get a snail that is just more delicate than the rest.
You know where the skin meets the shell, is that intact, or are there any gaps? A gap would be called a mantel tear, and this can make them listless while they recover. A bad tear can be fatal, but a small tear can heal.
Has your snail fallen recently? One of my younger margies had a fall and landed in an unlucky way, chipping the new growth, quite a sizeable piece came off. The snail rested for several days, probably investing it's energy and reserves into mending the shell, but was soon back to it's normal active self.

And some snails fall ill for reasons that we never quite fathom, some recover, many die, I am sad to say. It's especially common amongst baby snails.

Good luck with him. xxx

[vandamay]

Thanks for the reply Ness, i was wondering about the nectarine because he was the only one who ate it! they don't seem so popular now the seasons are changing? sometimes he seems to have a problem fitting into his shell he so bloated!

[AlienSnail]

Hmmm. Poor little fella. I hope he recovers... x

[feebix]

Can I just point out Vanda, that necterine is very very acidic, like a lemon or an orange, really not for snails I`d have thought, maybe it`s that? I hope he gets better...

[vandamay]

I thought it would be ok as simon snail likes a bit of nectarine but he is much bigger, and has never been affected by it, I hope it's not my fault and he was just too small for such a treat!

[AlienSnail]

Aw but how could you have known? We've all made mistakes, and it's not 100% certain anyway. Yeah I do think it could be the nectarine though, thinking about it. x

[feebix]

Hmmm... It`s not for snails I don`t think, way too acidic. Still, you`ll know for future reference now, I bet he`ll be ok I was actually quite surprised when I heard that peppers were ok for snails, although they aren`t hot, I had discounted them as part of the chilli family ! But if you imagine putting lemon juice or something on a snail, I`d imagine it would be much the same as putting salt on a snail, a big no no.

[vandamay]

I been checking on him regular, and 2 hours ago he was laying on his side with no energy, on his bed of lettuce! and no movement, now after raing the temp to 30 in his kennel, he has at least managed to pick hiself up, and is holding the side! i don't want to mess with him too much as it may stress him, but he is very slightly improved, i will keep my fingers crossed, but after reading some things here , i won't hold my breath as they seem to improve and then pass away, but here's hoping, and IF he does pull through, he will be named something special and strong!
thanks for the replies, and i will in furure not give them anything acidic even if they do like it!

[AlienSnail]

Hope the little guy continues to improve. Let us know xx

[feebix]

Yeah fingers crossed and do let us know

[vandamay]

On inspection of my little guy just before, going to bed in a min, i have seen a teeny weeny little white thing running across his shell, would that be mites? being very new i have never seen them and they are described as being slow moving! and this thing seemed to be moving at a rapid pace..... if you think it may be mites, should i do all my tanks? with the Miles mites, and i think i even know where they came from i recently started to use fresh moss, but i sterilized it really well, but maybe not well enough! what say you Ness and Feebs do you think this little critter is a bad mite?
He is still a bit off this morning, i have ordered the hypoaspis and hope fully they will arrive tuesday, then they can all be treated and not have these nasty little critters, so cheers to all who gave advice,

[AlienSnail]

It's very hard to describe mites to people and the difference between the good and the bad if you've never seen either type before, as fast, slow and tiny are all subjective.
The harmful mites really are very tiny, they move slowly and sometimes when you see them they are not moving at all. They are white, definitely white, very small, perhaps half mm or even a bit less. They spend alot of their time around the breathing hole of the snail.
The harmless (and helpful) mites scurry fast, often they don't keep still, especially when they're nice and warm. They are bigger, off-white, creamy-white, light brown-white. They may run across the snail and stay there for a while looking for food, and if there's no food to be found there they may move on.
Then there's tropical white springtails found in many keeper's tanks. I put some in mine deliberately as they help to clean the tank without removing the good bacterial balance. These are elongated, adults are over 1mm and they are fast moving. Again they rarely keep still, and can be found around the snails and around the vegetation in the tank. If you disturb them they jump. They are completely harmless.
Some kinds of mites, springtail and other tiny creatures are quite normal, they find their own way into tanks or come in from snails purchased else-where. There is usually no need to clear them out.
It really is the VERY tiny white slow-moving round mites found near, and often moving in and out of, their breathing holes which are the ones to iradicate.
Hope that helps xx

[vandamay]

Oh i wish i new all the stuff you do! this little critter was definately very small and very white not elongated, and was "running" bloat is now on the top of his nursery box, not so bloated, but his flesh seems to be poking a little ridge just around his shell edge, it's difficult to describe, i will try for a good photo..... with a proper camera, i kept him at 30 all night, and he seems irritated around the breathing hole although no mites have been seen there, (i know i am pest ness) as i have ordered the Hypoaspis i shall use them any ways? shame to waste them i am off to get the camera then i really must get dressed, LOL!

[AlienSnail]

I think if there is any doubt about what the mite is then it's very wise to buy the hypoaspis. I would spread them around all of your tanks to be on the safe side.