How to Know if a Pet Snail Is Ill

In caring for snails, as with any other pet, owners can encounter problems. Illness and injury can effect these tiny creatures, just as they can effect the larger, more rambunctious members of the animal kingdom. Be able to spot the first signs of illness in your snail.

Instructions

1. Inspect your snail's appearance. Growth patterns, shell damage, wounds, and mutations can be tell-tale signs of illness or injury. Check for cracked or broken shells, cuts, grazes, scars, limpness, swelling, collapses and extrusions on your snail's body and shell.

2. Check your snail's behavior, including its activity level, eating habits and its relationship to its shell. An overly lethargic snail (or "sleepy snail"), a weak snail or a refusal to eat for several days may be indicative of a problem that can range from an uncomfortable climate for the snail to an illness.

3. Note what, if any, pests are disturbing your snail. Flies, mites, worms, maggots and mold can deeply affect your snail's health. If your snail is bothered by these pests, take the appropriate steps to clean its habitat as well as the snail itself.

4. Be aware of non-obvious symptoms of problems and their possible causes. Your snail could be suffering from dehydration and asphyxiation that could be affecting its behavior and appearance. Ensure that your snail's habitat is conducive to its survival by researching optimum temperatures and feeding rituals.

Tips & Warnings

• If your snail exhibits some of these symptoms of illness but shows no real illness (such as closing itself into its shell), this may be just its natural response to being in captivity.

• Many times, a predetermined "illness" can actually be remedied by a small alteration in the snail's environment. If your snail refuses to eat, make sure that your snail has foods that it likes to eat. If your snail is showing signs of discomfort, make sure that the climate in his habitat is to its liking and that it is receiving enough oxygen.