My Golden Incan Snail has gotten more damaged

[Ninjajonnygo]

A month or so ago I posted about damage to my golden Incan snails shell and since then it has gotten worse. Its shell is golden and shiny but damage to its shell has continued. I’ve noticed he sometimes goes to the top of the tank and “jumps” down but also smaller pest snails (as seen in the picture) frequently latch onto his shell. Could this be damage because of the snails? I have another tank unaffected by pest snails as well which also has hard water I could move him to. I have danios and a pleco too which are the only things I could see doing any damage to him as he’s a pretty big snail. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Fishfur]

A month or so ago I posted about damage to my golden Incan snails shell and since then it has gotten worse. Its shell is golden and shiny but damage to its shell has continued. I’ve noticed he sometimes goes to the top of the tank and “jumps” down but also smaller pest snails (as seen in the picture) frequently latch onto his shell. Could this be damage because of the snails? I have another tank unaffected by pest snails as well which also has hard water I could move him to. I have danios and a pleco too which are the only things I could see doing any damage to him as he’s a pretty big snail. Any help is appreciated.

Other snails might possibly be nibbling on the exposed flesh but noton a snail with an intact shell, smaller snails crawling over it are just grazing in the biofilm that covers it. This does no harm.

But that defect will stay open because the growing edge is gone from that area.

When it decides to sail to the bottom it’s normal behaviour. Hard water is good for their shells.

You might try to glue a small bit of similarly curved shell over that defect to protect the flesh below as much as possible.

Best not to get ANY glue on the snail itself - only on the shell. They breathe air so the snail can stay out of the water long enough for the repair to be done without harm to the little guy.

 

[Ninjajonnygo]

Other snails might possibly be nibbling on the exposed flesh but noton a snail with an intact shell, smaller snails crawling over it are just grazing in the biofilm that covers it. This does no harm.

But that defect will stay open because the growing edge is gone from that area.

When it decides to sail to the bottom it’s normal behaviour. Hard water is good for their shells.

You might try to glue a small bit of similarly curved shell over that defect to protect the flesh below as much as possible.

Best not to get ANY glue on the snail itself - only on the shell. They breathe air so the snail can stay out of the water long enough for the repair to be done without harm to the little guy.

Thank you so much I appreciate it but how do I stop the damage from continuing? It’s been getting worse since it first occurred.

 

[Fishfur]

Thank you so much I appreciate it but how do I stop the damage from continuing? It’s been getting worse since it first occurred.

The shell will keep growing and as it grows the defect will get longer. Nothing can stop that.

All you can do is try to protect the exposed flesh if you are able to find a suitable bit of snail shell to use to make a patch over the defect.

 

[Ninjajonnygo]

The shell will keep growing and as it grows the defect will get longer. Nothing can stop that.

All you can do is try to protect the exposed flesh if you are able to find a suitable bit of snail shell to use to make a patch over the defect.

Ok thank you I thought he was fully grown but this makes more sense. I’ll see if I can head to petco or something and get a dead snails shell.

 

[Fishfur]

Ok thank you I thought he was fully grown but this makes more sense. I’ll see if I can head to petco or something and get a dead snails shell.

Good idea. I think you’d have the best luck with a super glue that comes with a brush so you have good control of where the glue goes. Apply to each side of defect and around that top raggedy edge and gently press the patch into place. Hold it for a minute or so and that should be it.

Make sure the curvature of the patch matches that of your snail closely or the glue won’t be able to hold.

Fit the patch first, glue only when you’re sure of the fit. A nail file or fine sandpaper will help to shape the edges of the patch and make sure they are smooth.