# 250 Giant snail babies...........



## Bellarina (Feb 4, 2009)

I'm posting this just to get some advice for a friend so appologies if it sounds like I don't know what I'm talking about- I really don't!

So she had 3 giant snails, which have turned into over 250! I'm guessing that they were a bit naive & never realised how many babies they would have. They are trying to contact the people thy got the original ones from but I'm guessing they aren't going to take that many off their hands so what do people do with that many babies??


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## fuzzymum (Nov 29, 2010)

Try and contact your local reptile shops, and advertise them everywhere xx


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## Bellarina (Feb 4, 2009)

I think they are in the process of doing that but people are probably only going to want a couple at most.


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

she can advertise online because snails are postable. (ok, that sounds cruel, but trust me it can be done safely and with no effects on the snails)

there are groups on facebook and people on there are always looking for snails. 

tell her she should look for eggs regularly and take them out and freeze them in future, it wont stop here 

i left my snails with a friend for a fortnight and came back and she'd had to buy another tank and i had waaaay too many snails... had to kill some of them unfortunatley 

(theres an instant way of doing this too, and i can prove its instant, but im not gonna say unless you want and no it doesnt involve smashing them with a hammer, dont be so cruel!)

bet i sound right mean now, posting and killing snails


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## Marley boy (Sep 6, 2010)

in interested to know


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

Marley boy said:


> in interested to know


to know what?


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## Jane Dryad (Aug 7, 2011)

I have 92 snails, after having had a couple off a work colleague who's daughter had grown bored with them about 3 years ago. They were laying the occasional clutch of eggs which I was removing and chilling before disposing of, but I got a bit lazy and didn't check the substrate for about 3 weeks and missed a clutch.
I really wish I had killed off the tiny babies but I was fascinated by them. 

I didn't think there were that many, but there were actually about 114, a few have died in the 18 months since they were born, but I now have 3 tanks for them, and religiously go through the substrate once a week to remove eggs (I would estimate that there are between 1000 and 4000 each week). 

My garden is getting rapidly higher with old substrate and eggs, but I've managed to talk a couple of people into having the old compost ('coir') for potting plants.
The moral of the story being - look after your snails responsibly and don't let them breed! I'm resigned to having them now for the remainder of their lives, which I understand could be about five or six years. It's time I would prefer to spend looking after unwanted rodents really, but there you go.
I would like to know how your friend is doing with all those snails.
I would also like to know if people have humane ways of killing the snails.
A while ago I had two snails that appeared to have ruptures near their mouths. I ended up giving them a little diluted beer which they love, and putting them in the fridge (not the freezer - I read that this is not good for them and they can feel ice crystals forming in their bodies.)


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

Jane Dryad said:


> I have 92 snails, after having had a couple off a work colleague who's daughter had grown bored with them about 3 years ago. They were laying the occasional clutch of eggs which I was removing and chilling before disposing of, but I got a bit lazy and didn't check the substrate for about 3 weeks and missed a clutch.
> I really wish I had killed off the tiny babies but I was fascinated by them.
> 
> I didn't think there were that many, but there were actually about 114, a few have died in the 18 months since they were born, but I now have 3 tanks for them, and religiously go through the substrate once a week to remove eggs (I would estimate that there are between 1000 and 4000 each week).
> ...


thats easier said than done if you have ore than one snail!

as for humane ways of killing them... only when they are still small im afraid - ive never tried it with bigger snails though i have been told it works (i have a snail who had a prolapsed stomach and was taken to the vets on multiple occasions! my dad wanted me to just kill him)


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## Acid (Aug 8, 2011)

i think its great that your being responsible and looking after them even though youd rather be looking after rodents  i bet most people would just kill them all and get them off their hands 

can you only post small/baby snails? ive been interested in getting one or two


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

Acid said:


> i think its great that your being responsible and looking after them even though youd rather be looking after rodents  i bet most people would just kill them all and get them off their hands
> 
> can you only post small/baby snails? ive been interested in getting one or two


no, you can post adult snails too


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## Jane Dryad (Aug 7, 2011)

Metame: I was interested to read that you had a snail who had a prolapsed stomach - perhaps that's what my two had, but the 'protuberances' did seem rather near their mouths.

On the subject of posting snails, to be honest its something I wouldn't risk. One of my relatives is a postman, and he said that parcels always get thrown about at the sorting office, whether marked fragile or not


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

Jane Dryad said:


> Metame: I was interested to read that you had a snail who had a prolapsed stomach - perhaps that's what my two had, but the 'protuberances' did seem rather near their mouths.
> 
> On the subject of posting snails, to be honest its something I wouldn't risk. One of my relatives is a postman, and he said that parcels always get thrown about at the sorting office, whether marked fragile or not


yes maybe. 
i think i have a phot soewhere, i shall try and find it

and i get paranoid about posting them and wrap them so well they'd probably survive an air raid attack better than me ;/


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## Silence (Nov 13, 2011)

Hi 
I am also interested in knowing how you do if one of your snails has to be put down. Is there any humane way of doing it? 
I have snails for sale as well, I let mine have babies as this is the first time they have ever bred and these are my first pet snails, so it is an exciting experience for me. Now, the little ones are growing fast and nobody is interested in having them, so in case I am stuck with too many snails it would be good to know what to do. I don't like the idea of rehome centres, I might as well keep them and take care of them myself, but just in case, does anybody know any humane method?


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

Silence said:


> Hi
> I am also interested in knowing how you do if one of your snails has to be put down. Is there any humane way of doing it?
> I have snails for sale as well, I let mine have babies as this is the first time they have ever bred and these are my first pet snails, so it is an exciting experience for me. Now, the little ones are growing fast and nobody is interested in having them, so in case I am stuck with too many snails it would be good to know what to do. I don't like the idea of rehome centres, I might as well keep them and take care of them myself, but just in case, does anybody know any humane method?


i was going to pm you but i cant and think thats probably cause you only have 4 posts... i keep forgetting about that

do you mean killing them off if you have too many or incase they get ill?

for the former, the easiest way is to just catch the eggs before they hatch - pop them in a freezer bag and into the freezer.

ive only ever had one snail get ill on me and he didnt require putting down, i took him to the vets as he had a prolapsed stomach (my dad told me i was stupid taking a snail to the vets and i should just have killed him and told me how to... anyway, moving on...)

snails are generally pretty hardy, i find, and when they die they just die.

though doubtless there will be more knowledgeable people than me come along and add to that soon enough!

on a slightly seperate note if you ever DO need to take a snail to the vets, find a vet that specialises in exotic animals - reptiles and the like


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## Silence (Nov 13, 2011)

Yeah, I have only been a member of this forum a couple of days. But strange that it should affect if you can pm me or not.. 

I wasn't thinking of any reason, I was thinking that it is good to know in case of any future events. And I was wondering how you put down a grown-up snail.. People suggest all kinds of cruel methods, but there must be a humane way of putting down a big snail. 
I have had GALS for almost 2 years now, and my snails are second hand, so I don't know how old they are. I have had lots of pets all my life, but I wondered if snails are in pain the last few days before they die.. maybe it sounds silly..


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

Silence said:


> Yeah, I have only been a member of this forum a couple of days. But strange that it should affect if you can pm me or not..
> 
> I wasn't thinking of any reason, I was thinking that it is good to know in case of any future events. And I was wondering how you put down a grown-up snail.. People suggest all kinds of cruel methods, but there must be a humane way of putting down a big snail.
> I have had GALS for almost 2 years now, and my snails are second hand, so I don't know how old they are. I have had lots of pets all my life, but I wondered if snails are in pain the last few days before they die.. maybe it sounds silly..


it doesnt sound silly at all. its nice to be aware (or as aware as we possibly can) of how our pets are feeling.

to be honest i have no idea if a snail can feel pain. they must be able to feel something as garden snails are kept away from plants by putting broken egg shells around the pots/flower beds because snails dont like crawling over it. i think all living creatures, including plants, are able to feel pain.

i have been informed that killing a snail works instataneously in boiling water same as for crabs and lobsters as their nervous system is the same, however im not sure! i know this is true for tiny babies as ive seen it but for a fully grown snail?

and to be honest i have no idea how you would tell if a snail was in pain!

most of the time when my snails have been old or sick they've just... died, or sometimes hibernated and died.

i wish i could be of more use!


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## Jane Dryad (Aug 7, 2011)

I've just found that one of my snails has a sort of rupture - it seems to be from his mouth too, so I don't think he would be able to drink with this 
A few months ago I had two who had the same condition. I tried to euthanise them by giving them a drop of beer then gradually chilling them, not thinking that they couldn't take the beer though I think they tried.
Would appreciate any input - wondered if this was similar to what your snail suffered Metame?
Will put a couple of pics on... hope no-one finds it too gross!


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## Jane Dryad (Aug 7, 2011)




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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

Jane Dryad said:


>


yes, that looks like it. I really advise trying to find a good reptile vet in your area because if it is it's stomach then it is easily sorted, the vet will push it back in and put some stitches in. Does the snail live alone or with others?


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

also Jane, i apologise for not replying sooner, i honestly didn't see your original post in this thread.

RE: posting snails, if packed properly they're perfectly fine, i've sent snails through the post which have arrived completely safely, however i have never recieved snails through the post.


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## Jane Dryad (Aug 7, 2011)

Thanks Metame and there's no need to apologise, you've replied quickly enough about this as I only found the snail in this condition last night!

He lives in a tank of 16 in total but I've isolated him now. I'm wondering if I missed seeing it earlier. Having 86 snails (and other pets) I don't really get chance to have a really good look at them every day.
I've discovered a pet snail forum which is very informative, but it doesn't contain good news about snails with prolapses.
I'm impressed that you actually found a vet to treat your snail. I'm afraid I don't think mine would be up to it. I'm just keeping an eye on him for now, but he hasn't moved since I put him in another tank so I fear he may be suffering, and I'm considering chilling him to put him to sleep.


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

Jane Dryad said:


> Thanks Metame and there's no need to apologise, you've replied quickly enough about this as I only found the snail in this condition last night!
> 
> He lives in a tank of 16 in total but I've isolated him now. I'm wondering if I missed seeing it earlier. Having 86 snails (and other pets) I don't really get chance to have a really good look at them every day.
> I've discovered a pet snail forum which is very informative, but it doesn't contain good news about snails with prolapses.
> I'm impressed that you actually found a vet to treat your snail. I'm afraid I don't think mine would be up to it. I'm just keeping an eye on him for now, but he hasn't moved since I put him in another tank so I fear he may be suffering, and I'm considering chilling him to put him to sleep.


what caused my snails prolapse was eggs that it couldnt pass so the stomach was forced out of the mouth (interesting fact a snail cant be sick because it has no cartlidge in its throat so if it attempts it... hey presto, stomach prolapse!) so if you keep him seperate then he cant mate and its less likely, from my snails point of view as thats what caused it.

Stuff your vet, honestly. Google is your friend, just google for vets around you and find a good reptile vet. Or ring your vet and ask them to recommend a good reptile vet.

I'm sure someone can help, its easy enough for a vet to sort.


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## Jane Dryad (Aug 7, 2011)

Apologies - I did intend to post an update on my snail sooner but I've had a week of feeling like I was coming down with something but still trying to get through work/look after pets etc.

Thank you for your advice again Metame. I did get to speak to a veterinary practice that had dealt with GALS and they said the prognosis was bad, so I took the decision to put him to sleep by chilling him 

I first rang my own vets, who, as I suspected had never treated snails, but they did give me the details of a practice in Birmingham that treats exotics (two bus journeys away from me). When I looked at their website, it said that they have one vet there that specialises in exotics and has a particular interest in reptiles. 
I gave them a call and asked if they'd ever treated GALS and told them what the problem was. The nurse conferred with her colleagues and said that one of them vaguely remembered a snail being brought in with the very same problem but couldn't recall the outcome. She said she would speak to the vet after surgery hours and get back to me. 
After what seemed like ages, the nurse rang back and basically said that the prognosis was not good and that the best thing to do was to put the snail to sleep. We discussed methods of euthanasia - she said that the method they would use at the surgery would entail breaking a piece of the snails shell in order to inject into the heart. When I asked if she thought the method of chilling the snail would be cruel or not, she said it was an option and would be preferable to leaving the snail in the condition it was in.
I therefore decided to do that right away, as I felt the snail had suffered long enough.
I do wish this vets was a bit nearer to me though. They have far more expertise than mine, and their opening hours are longer (plus they are open on Sunday!)


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

I'm sorry it didn't work out for your snail 
hope you are ok


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## Jane Dryad (Aug 7, 2011)

Thanks, I'm feeling better, almost human 

I was a bit surprised about the way they said they'd put the snail to sleep, I thought they might use gas. It seemed a bit brutal but I guess its quick.

I lost another snail this week - like most of my casualties he had simply retracted into his shell and died, but with having so many its a bit hard to tell if any of them seem to be 'off colour', though I'm not sure I could tell any better if I only had a few!


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

yeah it does sound brutal actually, i know they used gas to sort my snail out


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## Princess Peanut (May 23, 2012)

I used to care for Giant African Land Snails at work. One Monday morning I came into work took the lid of their house and it was totally covered with babies! They were mega cute! But there were SO many. I rang a local Aquatic Centre/Pet Store and they took them for me, thank god!


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