Nerite Snail - Playing Possum?

[Kov]

Have two nerite snails, and in the past few days I've found one of them lying belly-up in the back corner of the tank. I've reached in and put him upright both times, at which point he has crawled away to be found in a different spot later.

Is this a bad sign, tho? Or is it normal for them to be found this way? Can they not turn themselves upright on their own?

Thx,
Kov

 

[Jcala]

Have two nerite snails, and in the past few days I've found one of them lying belly-up in the back corner of the tank. I've reached in and put him upright both times, at which point he has crawled away to be found in a different spot later.

Is this a bad sign, tho? Or is it normal for them to be found this way? Can they not turn themselves upright on their own?

Thx,
Kov

My Japanese trap door snails do this all the time, one time I saw them all do it then the next morning they where all fine, I guess it's them sleeping or them "resting". Not much help sorry!

 

[shellyx]

Have two nerite snails, and in the past few days I've found one of them lying belly-up in the back corner of the tank. I've reached in and put him upright both times, at which point he has crawled away to be found in a different spot later.

Is this a bad sign, tho? Or is it normal for them to be found this way? Can they not turn themselves upright on their own?

Thx,
Kov

My nerites do this a lot when they let go off plants they end up upside down lol mine always manage to turn there self's over

 

[Kov]

OK, Wonder-Dummy the Nerite Snail took another high-dive, this time off a tall piece of driftwood. He's upside-down again, and it looks like he has a piece of gravel wedged between himself and his shell...

You think leave him to see if he can correct his situation? He's in probably the hardest to reach spot of the tank, so that's fine with me if he's going to be able to pull it off. Thoughts?

 

[MMantelli]

Ya I'd let him be I'm sure he will right himself.

 

[Kov]

Yeah, he did eventually. He had pushed the rock out when I checked back a few hours later, and overnight he got himself flipped and went about his business!

 

[MMantelli]

That's how they do it in the wild

 

[Kov]

OK, coming back to this thread...

Both snails were on the glass one evening several days ago. Next morning, both had taken the tumble and were upside-down. However, they did not move for two days. I picked them up and righted them two days ago, and they still haven't moved...

How long might they go before moving? So how do you know if they are still alive?

Thx,
Kov

 

[shellyx]

Snails smell bad when they die! I would lift them out and do the sniff test or gently touch their foot and see if there's any movement. My snail's can sit idle for a few days so hopefully they're just doing that. Good luck

 

[Kov]

If they had croaked, would ammonia levels be rising? Did another test, and still at zero there. All other levels within the norm, tho the temp crept up to 80F on a hot day. Tank normally stays at 77F, so it wasn't a big leap. Are they more sensitive to temps?

Just seems weird that they would both die at the exact same time. Nine fish in the tank, and no problems for any of them.

So sniff test, eh??

 

[shellyx]

Yep, try the sniff test! Hopefully they're just resting.

 

[Kov]

Croaked... Why would both die off at the exact same time, tho? They'd only been in tank about 2-3 months. Very strange.

 

[Fishfur]

If the foot feels mushy or pushes in when you touch it, they are dead. If they stink when you take them out, they are dead.

But they can lie idle for a long long time, if they want to.They also have a habit of perching on the tank edge for as long as an hour and it does them no harm. Only one fell off outside, the others went back in. They are tidal flat snails, so they can tolerate being out of water for awhile. If you ever find out outside, drop it back in, it may well still be alive.

Some lfs will tell you they can drown, because they can't turn over, but I have yet to seen any of mine fail to turn over by themselves sooner or later. Myth, I think, about drowning. But they are not as agile as many snails are, for sure. My fave clean up crew snails.