Snail dead? How remove from shell?

[Bob]

Our snails went from active to motionless in about two weeks. They appear to be ok and their door is shut. We've been told that they're alive if their door is closed. They are in a 29 gallon tank and I believe they are apple snails as they were purchased at a local pet store. They haven't moved in over a week unless you call floating or sinking moving.
We'd like to know how long a snail will stay dormant and how to tell if there dead for sure. The temperature in tank is 74 to 76 degrees F. and our guppies, neon tetris, and sucker fish are doing fine.

Please Help
Robert and Verna
Thanks

[StephD4evr]

One way to tell for sure is to GENTLY pull on the trapdoor. If you meet a lot of resistance, the snail is alive and doesn't want to be bothered. If it pulls out limply, he's likely dead. Also a dead snail smells EXTREMELY bad. It's bad enough that if you handle it with your bare hands you will likely need to wash them twice.

Many snails go thru inactive periods. Are they producing any slime? Also, any new additions to your tank or water changes? Sometimes they are sensitive to traces of chemicals or if you've medicated your fish lately.

Your temperature is fine if it's in the 70's. My tanks are kept in the mid-70's with Endler's Livebearers & Dwarf Cories. I had problems a while back with my water clouding up a lot & lost 3 snails because of it. The fish weren't affected.

Keep an eye on them. Also, do you supplementally feed them? They can't survive on discarded fish food alone. Tempt them with food. Try Hikari (or other brands) Algae Wafers, Tropical Tablets, even a couple canned green beans are favorites of my snails. You can also buy cheap pond Koi food if you prefer. Generally snails are more active at night, but I've found mine are equally active during the day. Try to view them at different times of the day and see if they perk up. :P

[elgecko]

If you take the snails out of the tank for a few days, and let them dry out......then you know there dead for sure.





Sorry, could not resist

[Out50Stang]

i am new here so i don't know too much about snails, but your temps seem pretty cold, try raising the temp, sometimes if it's too cold they will hibernate

[beader]

oh, i don't know about raising the temp too much. technically it could go to 80, but anything over that could be dangerous. 72-75 is ideal for the snails to lead a comfortable life. snails hibernate around 68 or less. any higher than 80 and they're probably on a plate!

[Bob]

Thanks for the info on my snail's status. Well, they don't stink (yet) but they're still not moving. One sank and the other is still floating. I can't get a hold of the trap door to try to pry it open as it is inside the shell too far. The sheild is not loose. We were only feeding our fish flakes and they ate the trees we put in. We added some algea tablets and cucumber pieces and oh my gosh the fish went nuts and so did the other snails and algea eaters, but the two that we are worried about didn't move yet.
Still woried.
Bob and Verna

[beader]

well i can tell you for sure that if the operculum (trap door) is tight, then your snail is definitely alive. maybe time will just have to tell.....

[SnailerD]

Beader - I agree with your statement overall, but I have to say that there can be times when the "door is tight," but the snail is dead. I bought a snail (when I was new and dumb) - it was closed up tight. It smelled weird, but I thought that was from the water, because there were some dead ones in the tank. A day or so later, the snail was still not moving. When I pushed around on the operculum, it popped inward and the smell nearly knocked me over. It had just been wedged-in tight. The entire snail body had liquified and was peutrid. Horrible. I'll NEVER make that mistake again!

[StephD4evr]

Me too SnailerD! I just had that happen. It was a small Jade snail and since it's door was shut, I thought I'd just leave it alone. The door was tight too. But I noticed it was further inside the shell than normal. I tried to pry it open but couldn't. I took a sniff and that was all I needed to confirm! It was NAS----TYYYY.

But, when in doubt, let it be and check it the next day. Once you get the smell, you'll know for sure.

[SnailerD]

Oh, yeah - once you have smelled a REALLY DEAD snail - you never forget it. Even a sort-of dead one is bad enough, but that sickly smell after one has been dead awhile - that smell gets in your sinus cavity and you are stuck with it for what seems like days. HORRIBLE!

[beader]

well thank you for correcting me on that...i sure don't want to be going around spreading false information, that's for sure!

i think i know that smell you're talking about. i was at a cemetery where i walk from time to time, and they have this lake that has snails in it....not apple snails though (shell is more cone-shaped, but the whorls are still pretty rounded). there was a large white shell floating on the water. i took it out and noticed that there was just mud and leaves compacted inside, so i figured i'd dig it out. well lets just say the mud got in there before the body was eaten or naturally decomposed. it nearly fell on my foot! so yes i know that smell, and i never want to smell it again. makes me not want to try to save the shells of my older ones when they die, though i think they'd look good sitting with my bowl of tumbled stones.

[sillysnailmom]

I put my dead snails in the freezer- they stop stinking then. !!! When the weather gets better, we will have a decent Christian burial for Speedy.

[beader]

that sounds good....it would be almost like trying to save one's cat's skeleton because you want a 'souvenir'. i'd still keep the shells though if it weren't so gross to get the body out. shells aren't as shocking to guests and family as a super-glued skeleton sitting next to the couch.

[sillysnailmom]

Funny!

[SnailerD]

If you can stand the smell for a few days, just soak the body out of the shell. They clean up real nice. If the snail has a pretty shell, it is a shame to just toss it, or bury it. I feel it is an honor to the snail, to save it's shell. Sort of like you are saying, you liked it so much, that you want to keep it forever. Just my opinion. Keep on snailing!