Achatina snail is becoming a familiar pet today. The unpretentious creature easily agrees to almost any food and does not refuse to caress. She does not require taking her for a walk, she does not need to visit a veterinarian. In general, there are quite a few advantages. But unfortunately, this creature is also aging and prone to disease. Today we’ll talk about how to understand that the snail is dead. It turns out that this is not at all obvious, and often living creatures are buried due to a common mistake.
Life span
This giant snail is endowed with the mind and quickly becomes the favorite of the whole family. She recognizes her masters, begs for food and takes a shower with great pleasure. Observation of it has a positive effect on the human nervous system. She distracts from problems and reassures. Therefore, we are so attached to our pets and want to create optimal conditions for them.
These amazing creatures are one of the few who live in captivity longer than in nature. They have an average life expectancy of 5 years, and if you are lucky, they can live all 10. Of course, everything is individual here. But in the nature of the enemies they have a lot, including man. These gastropods are extremely voracious. In the aquarium, you can watch how one individual quickly destroys cucumbers and succulent lettuce. And coming together, they can be very dangerous for the fields.
Snail old age
By making mistakes in the content, you can reduce the life expectancy of Achatina by two to three times. Sometimes she at 4 years old looks quite ancient. The pet may lose activity and begin to close in his house. Therefore, the question arises: "How to understand that the snail is dead?".
Why it happens? This is actually normal mollusk behavior. The older he gets, the slower his metabolism. The reason for this is a lack of enzymes and a violation of the intestinal microflora. The snail loses weight, loses weight and begins to sleep more. This dream should not be confused with death. How to understand that the snail is dead? Just wait and watch, soon everything will fall into place.
Care and Feeding
The less the conditions of detention change, the easier it is to understand whether everything is normal with your pet. Therefore, try to prevent sudden changes. Temperature and humidity should be maintained at the same level, it is better not to plant new neighbors with your pet. Change the soil not all at once, but in parts. Since it is not immediately possible to understand that the snail is dead, place it in a separate compartment. There are a number of tricks that will help you figure out her condition.
If the pet does not close in the sink, but sits motionless and does not respond to food, try spreading the face of one of the mixtures proposed below:
- Boiled pumpkin.
- Vegetable smoothie without salt.
- Ground steamed mixtures.
- Juice of cucumber, carrot, tomato or sweet pepper.
Usually the snail begins to lick food. You can repeat the procedure several times in a row.
Milk baths
How to understand if a snail has died? Try to redeem it. Achatina love to take a bath. If, having felt the water, the pet begins to crank its neck and show its pleasure, then everything is in order with it. Perhaps a change in behavior is associated with the onset of autumn.
But you can bathe not only in water. Milk is not digested by the body of the cochlea and leads to prolapse of the internal organs. However, swimming in it works wonders. The snail quickly comes to life, it develops an appetite and increases activity.
What leads to death
It is important for each owner to know what his wrong actions can lead to a decrease in the quality and longevity of the pet. Sometimes the mollusk simply lived through the period allotted to it. But sometimes we ourselves are to blame for premature death. For example, they laid out the soil, saturated with substances toxic to the mollusks, fed with nitrate vegetables. Add to this a treat of treats in the form of leftover cookies, and you will see that there are more than enough reasons for death.
The owner may object that the snail died instantly, for no apparent reason. Such cases are very rare and are associated, as a rule, with hereditary diseases. But usually this process takes several weeks. How to understand that an Achatina snail is dying? She does not touch food, becomes inactive. Shiny and elastic skin previously becomes dry and as if stiffens. Can I help a pet? More often than not. But you are able to stop his torment. To do this, place the snail in the freezer. She will quickly fall asleep and will not wake up.
Fighting for life
Not all hosts are able to give up. Someone will fight for their pet until the very last day. In this case, it must be isolated from the remaining snails. Lay out white sheets of paper as soil. Irrigate it regularly with warm water to lure the snail out of the sink, and try to feed it at this time. As a meal, offer vegetable puree with calcium and protein. In case of refusal of food, bathe in milk or vegetable juice. How to understand that a snail is dying? The photos here, alas, will not help, so just be careful and watch the pet for a while. Akhatina closes in the house and tightens the entrance with film. She does not respond to all your attempts to lure her.
On the last journey
Sometimes mollusks can sit for a long time in the sink, after which they are again brought to light. In this case, the lash with which they tightened the entrance remains wet and the sink is heavy. Do not stop trying to lure and feed your pet. But how to understand that a snail is dying in an aquarium?
- Does not respond to water irrigation.
- Located deep in the sink.
- A dark liquid flows from the house.
- The snail exudes a strong and very unpleasant odor.
After a few hours, a dead snail starts to smell. And do not have to sniff, the smell is very pronounced. In this case, you just have to save the carapace as a keepsake. To do this, the clam house is boiled in salt water and the body of the snail is removed from it. After that, you can cover the shell with varnish.
Snails Ampoules
In addition to land snails, amateurs can also live. The most interesting representatives are ampullarium. Large and bright, they slowly travel along the walls of the aquarium, scraping from them growing algae. It is good for both the snail and the owner (less clean the aquarium). Unfortunately, their life span is also short. How to understand that a snail ampoule is dying? If you notice that her house has stopped and has been motionless for several hours, then you can start to worry. At least the pet feels bad. It is recommended to immediately put it in a separate container and observe.
If the entrance is tightly closed by the door, then most likely it is alive. When the clam dies, the door easily moves away when pressed. And sometimes the body of the snail completely falls out of the shell. The unpleasant smell coming from the sink will be the best clue.
Instead of a conclusion
Snails are fun creatures that work great as pets. Achatina, which are quite large, live on land and spend great time in the arms of their owners with great pleasure. You can bathe, feed them, and if you need to leave for a few days, just leave more food. Do not forget to cover the aquarium so that your pets do not scatter.
If the snail has come to die, there is nothing to be done about it. You can leave the carapace as a keepsake, and then take a new pet for yourself. Of course, for 6-8 years, while Achatina lives, a person manages to become attached to it. But a young snail can make up for a sense of loss.