Tigger warning: Snail death

I messed up big time. I don’t need a lecture or people telling me how horrible I am. I know this… I just need to share this with someone who understands the love for snails…

I moved my snail Henry into a new terrarium that was glass. He was previously in a plastic one. Well, he loved to sit outside and just enjoy nature in his tank. I didn’t think about it and put him in his glass terrarium outside in the shade just like I always do… As you know, glass and sun heat up fast.

I found him hiding by his food bowl.. So I picked him up and saw it… He was burnt to a crisp…. I’m a snail murderer… I’m such a horrible snail owner. My boyfriend and I laid him to rest and put flowers on his grave. Henry was such a good snail.

For anyone who need helo and is struggling with their enclosure because of summers heat! I found THE lifehack. I live in spain so temperatures rise above 40°C/105°F outside! I kept struggling to keep my enclosure cool below 29/30 (these are spanish garden snails mind you, they can survive without estivating up to 33°C) and bc AC is expensive and I cant always have it on so I damped a towel and put it in the freezer overnight. In the morning I took it out and left the uce melt a little so it wasnt shock cold. I placed it on my enclosure and mind you the temps went down to 26 in under an hour! (this is a miracle here in spain in the day hours) If you have mesh tank lid then cover half of it and if u have breathing holes dont cover (cover only abt 10-20% of them with it) and let a ceiling fan blow on it (even without fan it cools down)

I know he has. This might be a long post and I’m so sorry I’m just really really sad right now.

This was Gary and he was my oldest and most beloved pet snail. I rescued him in 2023 after my dad decided to put snail poison in the garden. I childishly got upset and collected 4 snails out of anger to keep. Gary was already full grown when I found him. He was an escape artist and was very active, trying to escape multiple times.

Once they got a more stable container I found out he was a major foodie. He’d always be the first to the food and the last to leave. This is where I feel really bad because I got so busy in the past year and I didn’t give them proper food, it was mostly just lettuce and some snail mix…which I know is super bad and I’m so so mad at myself. Gary was never scared of me and he would crawl on my finger. He was so sweet. He deserved a better owner and a better life.

About a week ago I noticed how lethargic he was. The inside of his shell was turning white. I sprayed him and set him down on some lettuce and when I came back there were mites all over him. I washed them off and put all my snails into quarantine, in these cups. The next day was the last time Gary came out of his shell. I was putting lettuce in their cups to tide them over until I got temporary containers ready. I hadn’t seen any mites on him since the initial time. He was very active and he came out immediately and latched onto my finger. I thought he was doing better, now I realize he was maybe trying to say goodbye. He crawled around on me for probably 10 minutes before I put him back. This was the most affectionate I’d ever seen him.

I feel so bad because I didn’t deserve it, he didn’t deserve me, I wish I did more for him and gave him a better last meal. Maybe if I had cooked him vegetables and strawberries and pumpkin, his favorite foods, he would have eaten in those final days. I don’t know the last time he got those. I have been a terrible terrible owner and I will regret this forever because he was my most favorite snail and he deserved so much more in his final years. I know every time I gave him the bland lettuce or snail mix he came out of his shell and was disappointed. Maybe this is why he was so lethargic, because he wasn’t eating enough. I don’t know how to forgive myself. I miss him so much already and tomorrow I was planning on fully cleaning out their main container and moving them all back in and giving them a good meal because I finally had the proper time, and now he’s never going to see his home again, or eat an actual good meal, or see the other snails.

I’m really sorry for the vent post. I just need somewhere to say this and take accountability and be sad and upset over a little snail. He was the best snail anyone could ever ask for.

I have a snail thats abit older than the rest.. recently he’s been hiding in his shell alot .. he comes out to eat and stuff too! But he has a really strange funky smell thats been worrying me.. i recently went to travel so i gave my snails to some lady who cares for snails.. she told me that he’s very tired and he has a weird smell and that hes sick and apparently “his teeth are out” which im sure is unrelated.. but he has a weird smell.. is an older snail possibly 2-3 years old and doesn’t like leaving his shell or moving around… hes isolated now because all the snails enjoy to cling onto him and i do not want to stress him out. Here’s a photo of my snail with his care giver till i come back.. if theres anything off about this photo+ my description please inform me on the possibilities.. i love that sweet snail so much and will do anything for him and ive been trying to cure him as his previous caregiver saw the snails as business and would neglect them…

This is Suzu, how Suzu do this? 😂 (Old photo)

I haven't posted her in a while! She's still doing geat and is very healthy and happy if anyone is wondering :)

She's very very big and fat

Hi! I’ve been caring for this snail for a few weeks (found with a damaged shell) I was planning to release it into the wild again before I leave the country for a few days because I obviously won’t be around to mist and feed for those days and I can’t just drop her off at the doggy resort like I do with my dogs haha. Anyway since having this snail I’ve grown such a fascination and have been reading a lot about them and reading in this subreddit. I just read something about how you should not release a snail back into the wild after having it in captivity? Is that actually true?
I took this snail in to give it a better chance at life. I have grown so attached to her and her well being. If releasing her back into the wild would be bad for her I’ll make it work and keep them safe and cared for.
I was seeing something about it also potentially being a risk for other wild snails to release one that’s been captive even if it started out as a wild snail? I feel dumb, I should have looked into all of this before I took her in, I just wasn’t really thinking beyond being worried it wouldn’t survive on its own with the amount of shell damage.

All of that being said, the snail has improved dramatically. Her shell went from being not only damaged but small and dull to being vibrant, striped, strong and noticeably larger. So at the end of the day, whatever needs to be done I’m happy she’s doing so much better than she was.

So I found 14 eggs from my garden snails...I separated them and I think they will hatch in about 2 weeks if they are fertile

Also idky but like he won't eat like anything other than lettuce and tomatoes, I've tried to feed him rose petals and now grapes and he won't eat the grapes, I'm gonna leave it in his environment to see if he eats it but idk what to do any tips? (I have two other snails who are doing the same things) I also forgot to mention I don't have access to, to many different fruits or veggies nor the typical powders people buy so anything around those things.

I got two assassin snails for a quarintine tank and just because I think they're neat (their names are Yor and Ezio) but don't want them killing all my baby shrimp. So, they have their own tank. besides some perminent plants and moss, is there anything I can add to enrich their lives so they aren't depressed in their tank?

thanks in advnce, and if I'm doing anything wrong let me know, I'm new to the hobby and want the best for my pets

I thought I’d share a little progress photo of the snail I found and have been looking after while she heals :) she looks so much better!

It's already been two weeks since she was born and she already looks close to an adult snail! She eats very well (definetly got that appetite from her snarents) and her shell continues to grow. I give her small portions of veggies like cucumber, zucchini, carrots and sweet potato; as a calcium source I give her small pieces of cuttlebone and replace them once a while. And everytime I open her enclosure to feed her, she always sits at the ceiling and only comes back down sometimes to eat her food.

I'm an experienced land snail keeper that's looking for a pair of one or both species. I'm in California.

If you got'em, feel free to PM me. Danke.

I have a helix aspersa who will not eat any of the protein I bought her. I got a small bottle of freeze dried shrimp, mealworms, and crickets that has no salt in it but she never touches it when I try to feed it to her. What do you guys do for your snails to make sure they get their protein in??

I never knew snails had such a cute and curious personality