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Post by katie on Sept 15, 2009 19:32:42 GMT
Yelloha =D When snails reach full size, and stop growing, then the shell starts growing outwards for the tiniest of time, and then stops all together, right? They get a sort of ... lip/ridge thingy? (Dont know the proper term for it hee hee) Well, my big Fulica has got a small one, and he has completely stopped growing now. But Sprout, my Albino fleshed Fuli, also appears to have stopped growing.She hasn't grown in almost a year and a half. But she doesn't have the little lip thingy? Its just kind of gone hard, and overlaps the different layers, with a pale browny sort of colour. I'v tried to get this in a photo, but it seems impossible. So, is this normal end of growing, or is there something wrong with her?
Katie x
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Post by serug on Sept 15, 2009 19:44:42 GMT
hI Katie, Some snails just stop growing as some humans do . I have a tank of snails which are all over a year old and none with a bigger shell than 5 inches , some as small as 1 inch. All their siblings grew fine and all were raised and well fed by myself. To be honest very few people actually possess a huge snail , a snail with a shell of around 15cm is large indeed.
Yes the "lip" as you would call it starts to thicken which means the snail has started to slow down in the growth process,so dont expect much more growth from them. They will grow little by little as snails dont actually stop growing but the growth will be so minimal you probably wont ever notice it .
She will very likely live a very happy life she will just be a small snail.
Regards Serug
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Post by feebix on Sept 15, 2009 19:46:09 GMT
Sounds normal to me... I sometimes find a snail that I thought would get no bigger, suddenly decides to have a bit of a growth spurt, they do surprise you sometimes. I think the part your talking about is part of the Colomella? It`s the muscle that holds them into their shells. I think it`s just more pronounced on certain species, I`ve got pleny of snails here with and without the part you`re talking about.....
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Post by serug on Sept 15, 2009 19:49:58 GMT
HHMM Feebix, not sure if we are all seeing eye to eye lol. Maybe she means the columella or possibly the outer lip which thickens when the majority of growth is over ??
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Post by katie on Sept 15, 2009 20:27:25 GMT
The bit where the new growth adds on ;P Thats the bit i'm talking about, sorry, not good with scientific names, you should see me in chemistry Dx lol So as long as she's eating alright and seems healthy, she'll be good ,riight?
Thanks x
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Post by serug on Sept 15, 2009 20:29:31 GMT
indeed she will my friend.
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Post by feebix on Sept 15, 2009 20:50:08 GMT
Um... yeah, that bit lol The outer lip, you`re right serug, and I, as usual, am confused.... I`ll just .......................... go over here for a while........... ...@/"
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Post by katie on Sept 15, 2009 20:56:54 GMT
Aww, why are you confused?
And thanks. I was beginning to get worried, my old Fulica, Humbug, and the two babies I got from the Reptile centre, never grew. Humbug was Ironies bro, and the same size as him when i fist got them. But Humbug never grew atall, and he died a couple of months ago, like, wuite early on in his little snailie life. I was just wondering if it was because of the growth. the two babies died aswell, all within a week of eachother. (perhaps it was an illness) Just had to check that it wasn't going to do her any harm =)
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Post by AlienSnail on Sept 16, 2009 7:12:00 GMT
As mentioned some snails groe very slowly and never reach the size of other snails, but still live long and happy lives, breed, lay eggs, all without problems (though I never hatch the eggs of small snails). When the growth completely stops before sexual maturity some snails indeed switch off and die, quite suddenly, but if they get past that stage they should live as long as any other. My own theory about these eartly deaths in small snails is that once they reach puberty something genetic triggers that shuts the snail down, so as not to allow the snail to breed and pass on 'runty' genes. But I don't know. It sounds like this may have happened to Humbug As for Sprout, well pure-bred albino fulicas (white Jades) often remain small, it's a very common condition and until recently I believed that ALL Jades were small. Now I'm not sure, but being as Sprout has lived for so long after he stopped growing I would be pretty confident that he'll have the same chance of living a full and long life as any other fulica. Like Feebix mentioned, sometimes they surprise you and grow again. I think Serug is right, it's the shell lip.
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Post by feebix on Sept 16, 2009 8:59:11 GMT
......................................................................................................... I`m still over here.
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Post by AlienSnail on Sept 16, 2009 9:15:52 GMT
Oh come back you daft thing!!!!!! lol
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Post by feebix on Sept 16, 2009 10:00:36 GMT
................................................................................................................Can`t shant won`t ! lol
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Post by AlienSnail on Sept 16, 2009 10:20:11 GMT
Now come on, I'll buy you an ice-cream.....
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Post by Rachel on Sept 16, 2009 12:23:07 GMT
*offers feebix cookie*
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Post by feebix on Sept 16, 2009 13:43:54 GMT
............................................................Cornish clotted ice cream with sticky toffee pudding?
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