As a mystery snail parent, your journey of learning and discovering strange but interesting facts about your pets truly never ends. You will come to realize that these small and seemingly simple creatures possess fantastic strategies for survival, making them highly underestimated. Whether you are curious or a concerned caretaker of a run-away mystery snail, you may wonder if your pet can survive outside its tank. Thankfully, I’m here to provide you with all the answers you need!
Mystery snails can indeed live outside water. They possess dual breathing mechanisms that enable them to utilize oxygen both underwater and on land. They also have the stamina to spend a significant amount of time outside their required habitat. However, the duration for which they can survive on dry land varies depending on the individual snail and other factors such as their size and health status.
How Long Can Mystery Snails Live Out Of Water?
Mystery snails can survive out of water for 15 minutes to 24 hours, and in some cases, they may even exceed this timeframe and survive for a couple of weeks when necessary. Since they are aquatic creatures, one crucial factor for their survival outside water is their ability to retain moisture until they can return to their natural habitat.
5 Interesting Survival Strategies Mystery Snails Employ Out Of Water
Now, let’s explore the mechanisms that enable mystery snails to survive outside water. Here are the five main techniques they utilize:
1. Adaptive Lungs
Mystery snails possess a special type of lung called a pulmonate lung, which is connected to their pneumostome (snail nose). This unique adaptation allows them to breathe both in water with their gills and above with their lungs. Underwater, mystery snails use gills to filter in oxygen. However, when necessary, they can also use their specialized lungs by floating to the water’s surface and using a tube called a siphon to suck in air, much like using a snorkel.
This adaptation is particularly useful in polluted water environments where oxygen is scarce. On land, mystery snails close their gills and operate their pulmonate lungs to draw in air into their shells, using their muscular feet to create pressure for pumping. Inside the pulmonate lung, there is a network of veins that helps distribute oxygen to all parts of the snail’s body, ensuring its survival.
2. Special Mucus Glands
Mystery snails possess mucus glands that help protect their tender bodies from bacteria and injuries. The mucus produced by these glands forms a thin shielding layer covering the entire snail’s body keeping the snail moist and preventing friction as it glides across dry surfaces. However, this defensive effect is temporary, as the slime will gradually wear off without moisture to replenish the glands.
3. Muscular Movements
Mystery snails on land move on a different groove. They perform rather jerky disco-like motions that assist them in drawing in air for oxygen and expelling waste products, such as carbon dioxide (CO2). It’s equivalent to moving your limbs underwater in order to stay afloat. When submerged, mystery snails rely on their gills for most of their oxygen needs so they do not need the extra movement for oxygen. They immediately employ these actions to regulate their oxygen and moisture levels, ensuring their survival on land.
4. Aestivation
Mystery snails enter a state of dormancy called aestivation when resources become scarce. Similar to hibernation, aestivation is triggered by a lack of resources; a state where mystery snails reduce their metabolism and conserve the moisture they have until their needs become abundant again.
They can remain in this condition for several months to a year, depending on their health and maturity before entering dormancy. It is important to note that finding your snail in this state is not always a positive sign, as it indicates a lack of resources and a sign to put in extra effort for the sake of your pets.
5. Epiphragm Production
When mystery snails enter aestivation, they produce a unique type of mucus called an epiphragm. This translucent film covers the snail’s operculum (trap door) and helps lock in the remaining moisture while keeping out unwanted substances like bacteria. The epiphragm is important for a successful period of dormancy and further determines the snail’s survival. Thanks to this adaptation, mystery snails can remain hidden for months without dying from dehydration.
Reasons Why Your Mystery Snail May Not Survive Above Water
Despite the adaptive measures we’ve discussed, mystery snails differ individually and so will their responses to surviving above water. Here are the various reasons why your snail may not survive the scenario:
Size Differences
The difference in size determines a mystery snail’s hardiness to different habitats. Bigger snails have a better chance of surviving above water due to their ability to store more moisture, compared to small snails. The smaller the snail, the easier for it to dry out and sadly die. For instance, bigger snails have an easier time producing mucus and doing the “air dance” to suck in oxygen compared to their counterparts.
Age Differences
Age, just like size, also plays a key role in the mystery snail’s resistance. Baby mystery snails have little to no chance of surviving aestivation as they’re not proficient in adapting to such drastic changes. The stress will be excessive for them to manage, leading to their death.
On the extreme end, senior snails also have a hard time managing day-to-day activities underwater, and even a much more stressful time on land since they grow weaker as they age. The more stressed the snail is, the less it’s able to defend itself in harsh conditions and drastic differences in habitat.
Health Of The Mystery Snail
The healthier your snail is, the better chances it has to survive living above water for long. Unhealthy snails may have weaker shells that can collapse and kill the snail even before the lack of moisture does. Generally, the nutrition contributes heavily to how strong and enduring your mystery snail will be in unfavorable conditions. For instance, feeding your snails plant-based foods alone deprives them of the benefits of protein that replenishes and builds their muscles. It’s essential to balance their diet so that your mystery snails can be strong and healthy.
Why Do My Mystery Snails Keep Crawling Out Of The Tank?
Mystery snails are quite sneaky pets. They do the craziest things and go to almost surprising places for how slowly they move, especially when you underestimate them. There are a few reasons why your mystery snails may be constantly exiting their home. Here they are:
To Lay Eggs
Female mystery snails lay their eggs above the waterline to keep them dry, and if the waterline is high, they wander off to the other side of the wall. This is highly dangerous as your snail could fall and crack its shell in the process.
To Find Suitable Food
There’s misinformation going around describing mystery snails as “good algae eaters” able to survive on algae alone which is painfully false! It’s possible that you may have been misinformed, and now your poor pet keeps wandering off to find better food options. Contrary to popular belief, mystery snails are omnivorous and even prefer vegetables and animal-based foods to algae.
There are several nourishments, such as kale, spinach, shrimp, and snello, that you can feed your snail to provide it the health and happiness it deserves under your care and to keep it from escaping the tank on random food hunts.
To Escape The Unfavorable Water Parameters
If your mystery snail feels threatened by the water conditions it’s living in, it will seek alternatives in an attempt to migrate to “greener pastures.” It’s essential to maintain the correct level of water ammonia, alkalinity, temperature, and hardness for your pet to live in so that, in this case, it doesn’t attempt to crawl away.
To Find More Mates
Male mystery snails are rather active bedroom affairs and are notorious for mounting the females numerous times in a given period. Usually, when the conditions are right for mating, the males receive the mating signals from the females and hunt them down. In some cases, this journey could lead them outside the tank, where they may fall off to their doom. It happens more than you may think, especially when your snails have a conducive environment with plentiful resources. Mystery snails mate when they have all they need, giving a better chance for their offspring to survive.
How Do I Stop My Mystery Snails From Escaping The Tank?
First and foremost, you’d want to secure your tank with a mesh cover or a lid with perforations for ventilation to completely eliminate the chances of them falling out.
Following suit, you can then tackle the source of the problem. Imagine living in a room that’s too hot or too smoky to breathe; you’d want to get out of there as soon as possible! It’s the same with your mystery snails—you must ensure that their living conditions are at the very least ‘livable’ so that they don’t go looking for options. The ammonia, nitrate, salinity, and temperature must be the proper percentage at all times to ensure they’re healthy and happy.
Take a look at the table below for the important details:
| Parameters | Ideal Range |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 70 – 80 (°F) |
| pH | 7.6 – 8.0 |
| Ammonia (NH3/NH4+) | 0 |
| Nitrite (NO2-) | 0 |
| Nitrate (NO3-) | 0 |
| Copper (Cu) | 0 |
| Water hardness | 150 – 300 ppm |
| Salinity | 0 |
Why Can’t I Find My Missing Mystery Snail?
It’s disheartening to lose a pet and even worse when you suspect they mustn’t have gone far, yet you can’t find them! On the bright side, if you can’t find your snail right off the bat, it’s possible that it fell, didn’t get hurt, and had some time to crawl away to somewhere safe. If they’re healthy, they may survive a good number of days before you find them.
One of the weirdest places snails have hidden is around the HOB filtering system. Give it a good peek and go well around the tube, too. In addition, here are other places to check for your missing mystery snail:
- Underneath places that have the potential to be damp
- Dark and cold spots
- Behind the tank
- Underneath the gravel; mystery snails can burrow to hide and aestivate when they need to
- The nooks and crannies of decor
- In between plant roots
- Disguised in a pattern that resembles its shell around the tank area
While you’re searching, guarantee that you measure the water parameters and ensure each parameter is the correct percentage. Some snails take the cue to come out of hiding when they sense their environment has become more favorable.
What Do I Do After I Find My Missing Snail?
After you have found your missing snail buddy, immediately give it a sniff test to indicate whether it’s still alive. If it smells horrible, it means that sadly your pet has passed away. If otherwise there’s no funky smell, you can proceed to plop it back into its tank providing that you have ensured the water conditions are safe and steady.
Give it some time to feel at home, and it will be back to normal, crawling around the tank like it never left. For a good measure, throw in its favorite food, maybe a lump of snello or diced shrimp, to lure it out of its resting state. Nine out of ten times, the food method wakes them up like a spell!
Can Mystery Snails Drown?
Technically, your snail won’t drown when it’s submerged as it has gills to breathe in that situation. Mystery snails have a dual method of breathing and would either swim to the surface to catch some air whenever they feel like and when the water they live in is polluted or utilize their gills when the aquatic environment is conducive. When there is a lack of oxygen in the tank, your mystery snail can suffocate and die when it’s submerged even if it has gills. It’s necessary to ensure airflow so that your snail can use either of its special mechanisms to breathe.
