Dead snails or just shock?

[drewster]

I received my Keep it Clean package today from here and i am quite pleased. The only thing i'm worried about are the snails. I followed the directions to the T on adding everything to the tank. When i added my hermits they scurried off and started eating like mad. The emerald and sally lightfoot crabs are also busy doing their own thing. The snails on the other hand haven't moved from where i placed them. Most of them look like they are hanging halfway out of their shells. The directions in the box say to wait up to 3 days for them to move because they might be in shock. Should i be worried or is this common?

 

[obsessedwithfish]

Make sure your snails are flipped over where the inside of the shell is not exposed. If they are flipped over on their backs for a period of time they will die.
Originally posted by Drewster:
I received my Keep it Clean package today from here and i am quite pleased. The only thing i'm worried about are the snails. I followed the directions to the T on adding everything to the tank. When i added my hermits they scurried off and started eating like mad. The emerald and sally lightfoot crabs are also busy doing their own thing. The snails on the other hand haven't moved from where i placed them. Most of them look like they are hanging halfway out of their shells. The directions in the box say to wait up to 3 days for them to move because they might be in shock. Should i be worried or is this common?

 

[krazzydart]

I never had a problem with mine..... are they moving at all???? if not they are probally dead.... ,,, but for all of them to die at the same time does not make any sence to me ....... good luck and let us know what happens....

 

[purplepuffer]

To see if they are dead, just pick them up and touch the soft part, if they react in any way, then they will be fine, just need some time to get accustomed to the tank. If they don't move at all, or feel hard instead of fleshy, meaty, more than likely they have died. I hope they are alright!
~~Megan

 

[harris]

Just flip them on their backs, if they do not come out of the shell in about 5 minutes then they are toast. You may have killed them all if your salt content was different then the water by a large degree. I believe that snails run on a water vascular system just like a starfish. If the content of salt is too high or too low, they can actually rupture internal cappilaries and "bleed" to death internally. Or vice versa, in which they become water deprived, squeezing the vessels shut. If all of your snails kicked the bucket at the same time this may of happened. The only other thing I can think of is copper, but then the Hermits would have also been fried. I am sorry my friend if they have all died. But if you have any blue leg herm's leave a smaller dead snail in there and they will eat it. But be careful when you remove the dead snails they will REEK once they hit the air, I can speak form expierence.