Post by etana on May 20, 2015 17:56:28 GMT
Yesterday one of my first Arianta who was still around, Big Eyes, passed away. I'm kind of relieved, because he was a very sad snail, and maybe he's with his dear Old Grumpy again in snail heaven.
That's an old picture of him on top of where he lived in before I got my first glass/plexi tanks.
He arrived when I had only two snails, and just hours after arrival he was doing the snail love waltz with one of them, Old Grumpy. They really had a nice bond from that moment on, they spent a lot of time together and slept shell against shell all the time. Grump mated with a couple other snails, but Big Eyes would chase away others who tried to woo him and then go kiss his dear Grump.
Unfortunately I failed to lock the lid one time, and Old Grumpy escaped, got lost in the apartment, and died. I felt so guilty. I showed Big Eyes the empty shell, and he gently felt it with his tentacles, turned his head away, and his tentacles drooped down and his face went inwards. The next thing was, he dug a burrow and deep retracted. I kept digging him out, patting him till he came out and putting him on food, and he'd just go back into the burrow again. A couple weeks later he began eating again, and later let another adult snail touch him too, Keijo. Before that he would only let his own kids be near him.
Then they hibernated a few months, and after waking up, Keijo died of old age. I showed Big Eyes the empty shell again. He looked at it and then looked away, but didn't do the burrowing. It was clear that they never really bonded deeply anyway, but I like to make it clear what happens to my snails' friends.
The rest of his life he watched that Rudolf the bully didn't treat his children too badly. He would appear to scold Rudolf, who would let go of the kid and snail to hide. He was sleeping more and more, and his shell was deteriorating. He was probably getting old. If I put a rotting apple into the tank, he'd find it, pull his eyes in and just suck at it looking blissfully happy.
Then yesterday I found him and one of his kids deep retracted together. I patted on Big Eye's shell, he quickly came out and made a face at me, and then even quicker, went back in. Right then I knew it was the end for him, so I said goodbye and felt a little weight lifted off of me, because I didn't have to wonder anymore whether he still remembered his big love. The younger snail died too, I don't know why. I've lost a bunch of young snails lately, some to accidents and some retracted and just never came out again, so today I'm pampering everyone who's left.
Bye, dear Big Eyes, I'll always remember you. <3
p.s. Thanks for giving me Twirly Eyes, I can't stop laughing when I see that snail.
and say RIP Big Eyes and have a good time slimming around with Old Grumpy in the Big Cabbage patch in the sky.