Is your mystery snail sick?
Chances are if you are a mystery snail lover, you are among many other people who feel completely lost when it comes to getting real advice.
It’s not that you aren’t doing something right; there is very little information out there about mystery snails! I am writing these informative bits for those I hope will help in their mystery snail adventure by giving them bits of information that can be tried and tested.
For all those trying to help an old or sick mystery shell, I have a ton of tips that can help you out. I am going to cover two items in this article that may help you out, depending on the needs of your little friend.
1. Repairing a Cracked Snail Shell
If the problem is a crack in the shell or obvious damage, along with a gap or chip near the operculum (the “flap” you see when the shell is tucked inside its shell), you don’t want to let the snail die!
People think it’s already dead at this point, but it’s not! You can make a kind of patch for the shell. It’s a little tricky, but if you’re careful, it can be done without causing further damage.
I’m including several pictures and the video that first led me to this method. The creator shows bits of eggshell or pieces of an old snail shell, if available. That is more or less it.
Study the steps below and then watch the video for a good guide on how to repair without mistakes.
Gather your components. You will need a new eggshell or an old shell, a gel glue (very important: if you use a high-quality liquid glue, it may leak through the damaged shell while you are repairing, and you risk gluing the shell structure to its shell!), a surface to work on, a nail file (a glass one works well in this example), a container, some damp napkins, and scissors.
Have you ever wondered how to assist an elderly or ill mystery snail?
Take the snail out of the water and place it in a small, sealed box with holes in the top so it can breathe. You can leave a small amount of water in the container until you are ready to “work.”
Take a piece of eggshell or a segment of an old mystery snail shell and place it towards the broken spot. This is so you can measure the piece properly. You want the patch you are making to be larger than the spot of damage. This is very important. If you make it the same size or smaller, you risk gluing the snail to your work. Grab some scissors and cut out the piece of shell you’re going to use to fit the repair.
You can use glue on the bottom edge of the shell and fix this on the snail, pressing the shadow softly. You may rub it with a toothpick or emery to ease the opening along the sensitive part. If an eggshell option is being used, do note that while curing, it would crack a little and hence would stay on while being in the water.
Set aside the snail for drying. With gel instant glue, it should not take long. Drain the water from the box and put some wet napkins on the bottom. Place the snail on them to dry, making sure it does not stick to the napkins.
When do you need to repair a cracked shell?
It is important to note that mystery snail shells would start fading with age, although how much of the degradation is caused by age, I am uncertain.
Before I knew some of the things I know now, my bad snails had continually eroded and chipped shells. Since mystery snails only live a year or two at most, I figured it was due to age. Eventually, through studies, I found out that the pH levels within the tank are the most common culprit for this problem.
In my opinion, repairing shells only becomes important when there is real damage, such as an actual hole that goes all the way through the shell or a chip near the operculum, making it very difficult for them to get out of the shell.
Think about it. Would you want to leave if your body was just a long membrane, rubbing against sharp edges? Ouch. You don’t want to repair every inch of erosion on your snails’ shells. The simplest thing to do is to do it when the threat becomes life-threatening.
I know that snails build a makeshift patch to fix the problem briefly using a bit of their membrane. Nature doesn’t seem to have prepared men very well to fix the problem.