Are my snails dead?

[helpmeout06]

I have 2 large snails, they are 1 year now, they have been buried in the soil for a week now, I'm sure they don't usually do that for this long, could they have died? I change the soil every week and give them cuttle bone to keep their shells moist.

[jules77]

Snails hibernate in the winter. They bury themselves and close up the entrance to their shell with a door of slime. This hardens into a tough skin. This tough skin keeps predators out buy a tiny hole allows air in. Some snails that live in the desert have been known to remain in their shells for two or three years.

[helpmeout06]

Thanks very much, I have put them in the bottom of airing cupboard to keep the warm.

[lankeela]

But these are not in the wild. they do not hiberbate in captivity. They will dry out in the airing cupboard - they do need to be kept warm, but they need moisture - spray them with warm water and within minutes you will find that the skint hat has formed over their shell opening (like the dried 'honesty' flowers) will come away and they will come back to life. You can even let them sit in a shallow bowl of warm water. Wash their shells very gently and give their soil a rake up and spray that too.

Give them a shallow dish of water, and also spray round the walls of their tank and make sure you wash their lettuce which will give them plenty of moisture.

If you keep their soil shallow, only about 1 inch all over, they will not bury in it.

[Lucy Thomas]

Are they lethargic.

[helpmeout06]

They are still (not moving) there is an opaque like film on the bottom of them.

[helpmeout06]

I can see the hard skin and the tiny hole, so I guess they are OK, I put them warm water for five minute and put them back in the soil.

[pastafreak]

Are they Giant African Land Snails??? My daughter kept them for several years when she was younger-she is now 22. (She started off with the common garden variety-lol!) Take a look at these two sites-hope they help- http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/rarespecies/p/l andsnails.htm and http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/6210 /index1.htm

[pastafreak]

PS-the cuttlebone is for calcium not moisture

[helpmeout06]

Yes sorry my mistake Re: calcium I know, thanks.

[lankeela]

Any news on the snails?

[lankeela]

Actually I have six, and before you ask, no, they don't eat live fish.

[lankeela]

All you ever needed to know:

http://www.thesnailtrail.co.uk/

[snail-freak]

my snail is called gary-bob!! got him last year for my birthday , people think i am mad for having a snail but i think they are cute. me and my friend was collecting garden snails out of her garden ! but i was in town one day in a little petshop and i saw one and asked my mum for it they are so cool and hes hibernating now i soo miss him!!