Snail Damage?
- Thread starter pik01
- Start date
I would patch that since its a snail you really care about... I know it can be scary but it seems more risky to wait and his chances may not be so great if something isnt done ASAP
just my 2 cents.. and im sorry for his injury :-(
just my 2 cents.. and im sorry for his injury :-(
Thanks for the offer wendamus but I was able to scrounge some eggshell lining from the breakfast table
Thanks Lupin, I think msjinkzd once linked Donya's entire article that covers snail health and the when, why, and how on patching. I DL'd the article (thought I'd need it one day). I'll see if I can dig up the thread msjinkzd linked it in.
I agree with you 7itanium and tonight, with support from msjinkzd (how awesome is she, huh?) I patched Brooklyn's shell. It was 80 of the most nerve-wracking minutes ever.
I used Holdfast marine epoxy putty manufactured by Marineland. Got it from a LFS and it's most commonly used for bonding live rock and corals. I sterilized the eggshell lining, cut it to fit, and molded some putty. While molding the putty I began to notice some slime oozing out from underneath the patch. I made sure to dry the fissure before patching so this slime must have come during the stress of me puttying Brooklyn's shell. I hope the patch cures properly. 80 minutes later after I gave ample time for the putty to cure I rinsed out Brooklyn with some tank water, snapped a few quick photos, and placed him back into his breeder trap with a cube of snail jello. Lights out early for the tank tonight for the recovering patient.
The patch was probably much bigger than it needed to be but I wanted to be safe.
Might be hard to tell but this is his left side, I would have preferred to smooth it out more but this putty stuff sure is sticky and I definitely didn't want to put too much pressure on the shell.
Under that lump is his spire, I spread the putty over it to anchor the patch as per the directions in Donya's article.
Here you can see the fissure that almost reaches the leading edge.
There isn't much left visible of his shell.
My fingers still covered in putty
I made a little mistake here and almost put the putty over the leading edge. I hope this will be okay.
If he survives this ordeal, I am renaming him Adams (for Patch Adams). Since I put him into his breeder trap he hasn't moved. My fingers and toes are crossed and I want to thank everyone for their support, especially that jinkzy lady!
What a lucky snail to have you! I think once the putty is cured (as it is now) that spot by the leading edge will be fine. Hopefully its bonded on their nicely and nothing pops off! Fingers crossed for Brooklyn <Patch> and keep us posted!
Well it looks like he's comfy enough. I just peeked into the tank and saw him on his back holding up the cube of jello with his foot and munching away. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was living the good life.
What wonderful news!! Yay to you for a job well done! He had not been eating previously right? Seems like he is feeling like a new snail. You could always adorn his patch with different colors of nailpolish if you liked to match the seasons, lol!
It's been 2 days since the patch and this is the most positive sign of recovery I've seen. Out in broad daylight, Brooklyn's hamming it up I think I did overdo the patch a little, it seems he is still getting used to the extra weight. (Sorry, big guy!) I thought to help his rehab by placing the jello a small distance away (a few inches) to get him to scoot around a little but after just a few minutes I couldn't stand to see him struggle any longer and I pushed the jello right up next to him. I know, I have no willpower lol.
Post-Patch Recovery - Day 02
I think I did overdo the patch a little, it seems he is still getting used to the extra weight. (Sorry, big guy!) I thought to help his rehab by placing the jello a small distance away (a few inches) to get him to scoot around a little but after just a few minutes I couldn't stand to see him struggle any longer and I pushed the jello right up next to him. I know, I have no willpower lol. Post-Patch Recovery - Day 02
