Just added snails; a few still won't come out

zzyzx85

zzyzx85

the casual hobbyist
Dec 3, 2007
1,008
0
36
OC, CA
I got a shipment of snails from eBay on Monday and I added them into my tank on Tuesday.

I checked up on the tank on Thursday. My trapdoors seem to be shy and haven't really moved at all. All but one MTS disappeared, which is a good sign. My one massive ramshorn (no operculum, about 1.25" in diameter!) is slowly crawling around, spending most of it's time on my driftwood.

I know that the most obvious clues of a dead snail are the trapdoor falling off and horrendous smell of dead snail.

How long should I wait before I start getting worried? I know they can take a while to acclimate and all but I want to see them crawling around.
 
Have they moved at all? Often they may move at night. Place some cucumber slices in the tank near them and see if that gets them excited. Snails, IME, can stay put for quite awhile. I would wait a coupel of more days before worrying too much.
 
I have noticed the trapdoors would open up just a little, take a peek out, and close back up. I will have to try and "bait" them when I go back to check up on them.

Tank is at ~72 degrees and about 68 at night due to heat loss. They weren't shipped with a heat pack.

Are trapdoors known to be nocturnal?
 
Snails are much less active in cooler temperatures. You could try bumping the heat up a few degrees and see if them become more active. My snails get really lazy in temperatures below 74 degrees and very active around 78-80. And yes, trapdoors and most apple snails are pretty active at night. Do you know where they were shipped from? its also possible they could be acting dormant becuase of cool temperatures experienced during shipping.
 
OhNo123 said:
That trapdoor that hasn't moved might have died.. they probably got air stuck in them during shipping.
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They're not floating.
msjinkzd said:
Snails are much less active in cooler temperatures. You could try bumping the heat up a few degrees and see if them become more active. My snails get really lazy in temperatures below 74 degrees and very active around 78-80. And yes, trapdoors and most apple snails are pretty active at night. Do you know where they were shipped from? its also possible they could be acting dormant because of cool temperatures experienced during shipping.
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They were shipped from Georgia. I know it was quite cold a few night during the weekend they were in transit. I bumped the heater up a few degrees yesterday because it has been cold at night and it was still barely getting up to 72 during the day. Guess I'll have to crank it up a little higher when I go back next Tuesday. Sucks to have an apartment w/ poor insulation.
 
zzyzx85 said:
They're not floating.
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Dead snails don't necessarily float.

But I have noticed that trapdoors are extremely shy. I'd give them another few days to come out and move around.

Also, trapdoors are much hardier than brigs when it comes to cooler temperatures. This is why they are often used in ponds. Warmer temps may make them more active, but cool temps won't bother them.
 
Sorry, I must have misunderstood you. I guess I'll have to wait and see. I've read it can be a week or so before they come out. I'll keep an eye out for operculums falling off or shrimp having an escargot meal.
 
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