Things To Pay Attention To When Buying A Snail
Jun 19, 2015 14:25:08 GMT
jolovessnailies and slimerslugs like this
Post by etana on Jun 19, 2015 14:25:08 GMT
Here you will find information about what you should pay attention to when buying a snail. These things I've partly figured out by myself, partly heard from more experienced snailkeepers, and this post may be edited when new information appears.
General Things To Check:
- Ask to see the snail and his current tank. If you're ordering from far away and can't see the snail in person, ask to see a picture. If there's any suspicion at all, request that the picture is taken a certain way, has a word of your choosing written in it, or whichever method you have to make sure it's not fake.
- See where the snail lives. Does he have friends in the tank, is the tank an appropriate size, are there decorations, bath tubs, hiding places? The more of these you can say "yes" to, the better. Each yes means the snail is more likely to be normal and healthy.
- See the snail's shell. It should be glossy and strong for the most part. Even quite extensive wear isn't dangerous or a particularly bad sign, if the shell is glossy around it. Damage from falling that's been well repaired is okay, perhaps indicating that the tank decorations could have been safer to fall on. Actual growth problems may indicate a health problem or a wrong diet.
- The snail's foot should be thick and strong.
- If you get to handle him (or see the seller handle him), it's a good sign if he comes out of his shell within a reasonable time (a few minutes), attaches to human skin tightly, and appears curious.
- The more the seller can say about the snail's "family tree", the better. At the very least, the origin of the snail himself and preferably also his parents would be good to know.
Warning Signs:
Be cautious, if...
- the seller doesn't know the first thing about the snail's origins or his parents. You won't have a way to know if there's been a lot of inbreeding in the bloodline.
- the snail is very small for his age. There could be many reasons for this, some of which could also be bad treatment. If a snail is very small for his age, but he has an excellent, glossy shell, his foot is in good shape and he's lived in a good tank, it could be that there's a bad growth gene at work. A snail like that may still grow big and handsome - he'll just grow very slowly. Or, he might not grow big at all, he'll just be small and handsome.
- the snail's shell has long cracks all over. Wrong handling, such as lifting the snail up from his shell when he's attached to a surface, causes long cracks along the growing edge, and it's both traumatic and dangerous for the snail.
- the seller says the snail has been mainly fed on cucumber and/or iceberg lettuce. These are low-nutrient foods, and should never be the snail's main diet, they only work as occasional treats (think of it as snaily equivalent of fast food).
- the seller advises you to change all of the soil often. This is very dangerous to snail health and actually kills snails. The cleaning advice should be more along the lines of "remove poops when you see them, and give them new soil for Christmas" (see the FAQ in this same section of the board for more info on good and bad cleaning routines).
- the snail has lived alone for a long time and you mean to give him a friend to live with. He might behave quite weird when he sees another living, breathing snail again.
- the snail has snow white, fat mites on him that run in zig-zag patterns around his skin and in and out of his breathing hole. You're going to have to deal with them.
Taking In Rescue Snails:
If you find a snail in a bad place with one or more of the warning signs, and decide to take him in anyway to help him, that's commendable, but please be aware that these things might happen:
- The snail might be very hard to handle, not coming out of shell for ages if you're watching, so you need lots and lots of patience and you need to act consistently. Snaily treats such as tiny pieces of sweet potato, or whatever his favourite food is, may help you teach him that you won't hurt him but instead your touch means yummy stuff.
- The snail might not get along with other snails, he might be aggressive or really anxious and try to avoid everyone.
- The snail's digestive system might have suffered from the wrong food, and he might not even be able to handle proper food - some rescue snails die right after the diet change, some just get very strange growth as they try to adjust.
- The snail's life could be much shorter than you expect, especially if there's no info on what exactly the snail has been through in the bad place, and there are a lot of scars and/or the shell has grown badly.
Also, notice that with any new snails, especially ones that come from bad places, it's wise to not have them meet your old snails (if you have any) right away, but instead keep them quarantined in a separate box for some days. That way you can observe if they have parasites or signs of illness.
If you are planning on buying a snail, please feel free to consult the members of this message board for advice if there are any further questions left on your mind. The ensuing conversation will also help us update this post.
Happy Snailing!
General Things To Check:
- Ask to see the snail and his current tank. If you're ordering from far away and can't see the snail in person, ask to see a picture. If there's any suspicion at all, request that the picture is taken a certain way, has a word of your choosing written in it, or whichever method you have to make sure it's not fake.
- See where the snail lives. Does he have friends in the tank, is the tank an appropriate size, are there decorations, bath tubs, hiding places? The more of these you can say "yes" to, the better. Each yes means the snail is more likely to be normal and healthy.
- See the snail's shell. It should be glossy and strong for the most part. Even quite extensive wear isn't dangerous or a particularly bad sign, if the shell is glossy around it. Damage from falling that's been well repaired is okay, perhaps indicating that the tank decorations could have been safer to fall on. Actual growth problems may indicate a health problem or a wrong diet.
- The snail's foot should be thick and strong.
- If you get to handle him (or see the seller handle him), it's a good sign if he comes out of his shell within a reasonable time (a few minutes), attaches to human skin tightly, and appears curious.
- The more the seller can say about the snail's "family tree", the better. At the very least, the origin of the snail himself and preferably also his parents would be good to know.
Warning Signs:
Be cautious, if...
- the seller doesn't know the first thing about the snail's origins or his parents. You won't have a way to know if there's been a lot of inbreeding in the bloodline.
- the snail is very small for his age. There could be many reasons for this, some of which could also be bad treatment. If a snail is very small for his age, but he has an excellent, glossy shell, his foot is in good shape and he's lived in a good tank, it could be that there's a bad growth gene at work. A snail like that may still grow big and handsome - he'll just grow very slowly. Or, he might not grow big at all, he'll just be small and handsome.
- the snail's shell has long cracks all over. Wrong handling, such as lifting the snail up from his shell when he's attached to a surface, causes long cracks along the growing edge, and it's both traumatic and dangerous for the snail.
- the seller says the snail has been mainly fed on cucumber and/or iceberg lettuce. These are low-nutrient foods, and should never be the snail's main diet, they only work as occasional treats (think of it as snaily equivalent of fast food).
- the seller advises you to change all of the soil often. This is very dangerous to snail health and actually kills snails. The cleaning advice should be more along the lines of "remove poops when you see them, and give them new soil for Christmas" (see the FAQ in this same section of the board for more info on good and bad cleaning routines).
- the snail has lived alone for a long time and you mean to give him a friend to live with. He might behave quite weird when he sees another living, breathing snail again.
- the snail has snow white, fat mites on him that run in zig-zag patterns around his skin and in and out of his breathing hole. You're going to have to deal with them.
Taking In Rescue Snails:
If you find a snail in a bad place with one or more of the warning signs, and decide to take him in anyway to help him, that's commendable, but please be aware that these things might happen:
- The snail might be very hard to handle, not coming out of shell for ages if you're watching, so you need lots and lots of patience and you need to act consistently. Snaily treats such as tiny pieces of sweet potato, or whatever his favourite food is, may help you teach him that you won't hurt him but instead your touch means yummy stuff.
- The snail might not get along with other snails, he might be aggressive or really anxious and try to avoid everyone.
- The snail's digestive system might have suffered from the wrong food, and he might not even be able to handle proper food - some rescue snails die right after the diet change, some just get very strange growth as they try to adjust.
- The snail's life could be much shorter than you expect, especially if there's no info on what exactly the snail has been through in the bad place, and there are a lot of scars and/or the shell has grown badly.
Also, notice that with any new snails, especially ones that come from bad places, it's wise to not have them meet your old snails (if you have any) right away, but instead keep them quarantined in a separate box for some days. That way you can observe if they have parasites or signs of illness.
If you are planning on buying a snail, please feel free to consult the members of this message board for advice if there are any further questions left on your mind. The ensuing conversation will also help us update this post.
Happy Snailing!
