If you touch the operculum gently, and it retracts away from you, he is still alive. Do that underwater though, not out of the water. Removing a snail from the water is a stressful event, and will not encourage them to come out of their shell. If you can, get a breeder box to put him in with a bit of the snail jello or a bit of zucchini. That will keep him protected from harassment, and entice with food all while staying safely in the tank. Just keep in mind that snails will view any handling as a threat, and their default reaction is to retract and stay that way until they know they are safe.
Dead/Sick Mystery Snail?
- Thread starter Jazmin0303
- Start date
I don’t have a breeder box and don’t really know where I could find one..would it work if I put him in a one gallon bowl with some of the tank water? Or anything else I could use?
It won't be ideal, but it will work. Move some of the gravel/substrate or some other decoration over as well. Don't scrub it, just move it over. Don't leave food uneaten for more than a day, since there isn't as much beneficial bacteria on the gravel or decoration. Do small water changes with dechlorinated water daily--but don't take the snail out, once added.
Alrighty, I’ll have to do that later today. Thank you so much for the help! Do you think this will have to go on for long?
It depends on why the snail isn't coming out. If it's being picked on in the main tank, adding it back will just result in it happening again. Moving to a protected location is really to allow you to verify the snail is alive and healthy and will come out if it's not being poked at. It doesn't solve the problem in the main tank.
Alright that makes sense, I’ll be posting soon with the results, hopefully he’s okay though I hope he’s not being picked on
Gary is now in a bowl and has been since last week but still has not come out or moved at all... what do I do?
Okay so he’s not dead. I was about to get ready to dispose of him but then he flinched and went back inside of his shell (he was a little bit out of it, not much) but he still won’t actually come out of his shell entirely. What do I do?
