Broken snail shells

[AndiFlatland]

If a snail's shell is cracked or broken, can it survive, or is that the end for the hapless creature?

[boxtops]

No, it can repair if it stays out of harm's way while it's vulnerable. It depends how bad the damage is.

[AndiFlatland]

Thanks for that, Boxtops. During the warm weather (such as we've had), I've been leaving my back door open a lot. Snails often crawl on to the back of the door frame, and I don't notice they're there when I go to close the door - only to hear a crunch as it crushes them. This is usually fatal, but on occasions, I've managed to stop the door closing completely when I've heard the shell crack, and rescued the poor thing and thrown it into a secluded part of the garden. Am I alone in feeling such guilt over the death of a humble snail?

[Mosaic]

yes.

[RATTER15]

Get a little bit of tin and some self tapping screws and patch it up for him.

[gen2]

To ensure the snail's wound is clean, I recommend dropping it into a bucket of salt water for half an hour or so.

[momac]

No you are not alone in feeling guilty..I won't hurt or kill anything that has a little heart beating and I don't care if i'm ridiculed for it.

[notasyoungasiwas]

Of course you are not alone Andi - you are a lovely, compassionate person. I too worry about snails in those circumstances and I have often been known to pick up a worm that is wriggling about in the blazing sun and popped it onto the grass in the shade! And I will never, never kill a spider. There are a lot of us softies out there !

[daisya]

I'm sorry but I had to smile. "on occasions, I've managed to stop the door closing completely when I've heard the shell crack, and rescued the poor thing and thrown it into a secluded part of the garden" I love it..."rescued it then THROWN it into a secluded part of the garden" ROFL...poor little devil, nearly crushed to death and then thrown to be dropped from a great height after that LOLOLOL.....aww, is there a law regarding cruelty to snails lolol. No I'm not serious as I cannot stand the little critters but to rescue one then throw it LOLOL.... ours usually get thrown into the traffic...ooops....don't get the snail police onto me please!

[JonnyBoy12]

I am with you on this one, momac. I do not kill anything unless it is completely necessary. Are there any more of us softies out here?

[islasmum]

If it can escape the broken shell, does it then become a slug?

[askyourgran]

How do they find their way into my wheelie bin? and no I do not reach in to rescue them.

[daisya]

Is a slug just a snail without a shell? I've always wondered that.

[AndiFlatland]

Back at some of youze:
When I said 'throw', I wasn't talking about a Flintoff cricket ball bowl - only a gentle toss from a few inches away into some undergrowth.
Whatever you do, DO NOT pay any attention to the advice from gen2 or RATTER15. Salt is fatal for land-based gastropods, and it should be obvious that the other one is just silly.
Momac, JonnyBoy12 and notasyoungasiwas, you are diamonds of my own hue. About a year ago, a spider took up residence in a corner of the small windows above my back doors. It ran up a vast amount of webbing, but never seemed destined to catch enough to sustain it, apart from a few clothes moths which seem to be a permanent feature of my flat. So I allowed them to flutter around until they blundered into the web, rather than use a chemical spray to eliminate them - which I expect would also have killed the spider. I make an exception for flies - bluebottles, etc., which are infuriating when they constantly keep buzzing around you, and lay eggs on any uneaten cat food (I have 4 cats). I try to swat them, and if they are still alive but incapable of surviving, I donate them to the spider, who receives them with enthusiasm!! All this time later, the spider is still there - does anybody have any idea how long they can live?
Keep caring for and looking after the creatures with whom we are privileged to share this planet. We are their guardians, not their overlords, and we all play our parts in the complex web of life on this planet. Pull any thread, and sooner or later, the whole fabric will unravel - as it is already beginning to do in many places.

[notasyoungasiwas]

Well said Andi - I've often wondered why the human race thinks it has the divine right to destroy, destroy, destroy at will. I too have fed dead flies to a resident spider, but I don't know how long they live, several months maybe.

[Old_Geezer]

I trust you don't decimate the bacteria in your toilet each day either then :-)

[notasyoungasiwas]

No, just once a week on average ......

[AndiFlatland]

notasyoung... Actually, I've tried feeding the spider dead flies (even very recently dead ones), and they don't seem to recognise them as food. I think they only eat from live prey. The dead ones just get dumped on the floor!
By the way, it's to our own advantage to nurture spiders - they do clear up a lot of the things we don't like. That may be an anthropocentric reason for favouring spiders, but sometimes we have to make difficult choices and tip the scales our way a little.

[notasyoungasiwas]

I didn't think it would eat dead flies either Andi, but you should have seen the way it grabbed them with its two front legs and pulled them towards it - honestly!! It was fascinating. I had to stop feeding it though as winter progressed and no more flies were available. I would never kill a spider, they only do good.

[AndiFlatland]

Maybe they are different species of spider.
Anyway, enough about that - new question coming in Animals and Nature in a few mo's.

[notasyoungasiwas]

"Anyway, enough about that" that's put me in my place Andi !!!