As a mystery snail owner, at some point, you’d begin to wonder how these snails ever coped in the wild. Mystery snails are such paradoxes; they’re equipped with all they need to survive a world of predators, yet they struggle to flip themselves over! You’re probably peeking over your upside-down, clumsy snail, wondering whether you should intervene or let it be. If they were alone, would they flip themselves right back up?
Mystery snails can flip themselves over after tumbling and landing on the wrong side. Sometimes it may take a while, but they do end up on their feet after a few tries. If your snail isn’t getting back up after several attempts or isn’t making any attempts to get back up at all, then there is something wrong with it, and now it’s your duty to find out.
The 5 Reasons Why Your Mystery Snail May Be Stuck Upside-Down
It may have been hours since your pet mystery snail stumbled and got stuck upside down. Firstly, don’t panic – snails can stay upside down for as long as possible without any adverse effects on their health compared to you. There’s no dizziness or fluid accumulating in their non-existent brains, so they’re all good! However, here are the reasons why your pet is stuck:
1. An Effect Of Old Age
After a full year of living, your mystery snail becomes an elder and will have difficulty performing tasks that are rather simple to do. If your snail is old, there’s every chance that it is too weak to flip itself over as it usually would. In this case, your help is very much welcome to assist your snail buddy back on its foot.
2. Your Mystery Snail May Be Sick
Another common reason your snail can’t flip itself over is due to illnesses. Depending on the severity, a mystery snail may lay on the wrong side of its shell and be unable to stand back up. There are a few ailments that can cause snails to reach this stage, but it’s not too far-fetched to witness.
3. If Not Sick, Your Mystery Snail Could Be Injured
Do your mystery snails have tank mates? It’s possible that it may have been harassed by your betta, dwarf, or loach fish. These types of fish are curious and mouthy; they will nip at anything that looks delicious, and your mystery snail’s tender flesh is not an exception. Perhaps it did get bitten and is now waiting the pain out by lying upside down.
If you do have troublesome fish in the tank, I suggest separating the mystery snail until it feels strong enough to move around. You may also reconsider making your pets neighbors instead of tankmates by placing your mystery snail in a separate tank to ensure there’s no bullying in sight. Also, DO NOT place assassin snails with mystery snails in one tank. Assassin snails are venomous and can injure mysteries even without the intention of eating them.
4. Your Mystery Snail Is Aestivating
We’ve all been bamboozled by our sleeping mystery snails once or twice. One minute your pet is roaming around, and the next minute, they’re playing dead. They can also take on weird positions during this activity.
Your snail may choose to aestivate on a branch, underneath gravel, or upside down on any surface. When this happens, the best way to tell if your snail is aestivating or dead is by sniffing it. If it’s deceased, the smell will attempt to knock you out! Otherwise, I suggest you ensure your pet’s home is in good condition, as mystery snails usually enter aestivation when there is a lack of resources.
Ensure the water parameters are correct, tank hygiene is in place, and you’re feeding your pet the right diet at all times. Give it some time, and it will be back to moving around like nothing ever changed.
5. Your Mystery Snail Is Just Messing Around
Your pet may have developed a preference for lying upside down. There’s no way to fully understand why pet snails do what they do, especially silly things like moving around fine and then deciding to lie in weird positions the next day. I suggest you observe your pet without bothering it too much.
Poking and prodding will only disturb its sleep if there’s nothing wrong with it. To make sure there’s no crisis, ensure the tank is in good condition; water parameters are correct, water cycling has been done to keep the tank clean, and there’s no potential threat to bother your snail, such as “bitey” fish. Also, make sure your pet is well-fed to strike off the possibilities of it being weak from a poor diet. Do all that, and you can let your pet do its snail things in peace.
Illnesses That Affect The Activity Of Mystery Snails— In-Depth Explanation For Why Your Snail Is Stuck
Mystery snail illnesses vary and can affect your pets differently. Depending on the severity, some snails are able to recover after a few days of inactivity, while others sadly pass away.
Oedema
Oedema is a disease that affects the fleshy body of mystery snails, causing them to have swollen feet. In most cases, the foot may not be able to retract into their shells. It is caused by fluid accumulation in their bodies, which is mostly a response to old age. You may find your mystery snails in weird positions, almost like they lack the ability to stabilize themselves properly when they move.
Lethargy
While lethargy is more of a symptom than an illness, it can become so overwhelming for mystery snails that it is considered a disease. Inadequate dietary options, a poor environment (such as incorrect water parameters or an unhygienic tank), and old age are all culprits for a lethargic mystery snail. It’s also the reason why your snail may be unable to flip itself right back up when it missteps.
Shell Rot
Aphanomyces Astaci is quite a mouthful name for the notorious fungus that attacks mystery snails and causes their shells to rot. As the name implies, the shell literally rots while the snail is still alive, either flaking or cracking. Other causes of shell rot in mystery snails are unfavorable water acidity, lack of calcium, and irritating chemicals thrown into the tank to deter fungi or bacteria. If the chemicals contain copper, it weakens their shells and causes them to decay. It’s no surprise how this problem will affect their daily life.
Shell rot limits the agility of your snail, affecting its mobility and capacity to correct its mishaps when it stumbles around the tank.
Mantle Collapse
I had to save the worst ailment for last in this case. There’s no worse sight than meeting your mystery snail with its body detached from its mantle, unresponsive, and sometimes even helplessly floating around the tank. At this point, there is zero chance of survival, and euthanasia is recommended to end the snail’s suffering.
Mystery snails have a little pouch that contains their vital organs like their gills and lungs, and for some mysterious reason, the pouch can detach itself from the body of the snail. It’s equivalent to breathing with your lungs outside of your body! With time, the mystery snail will have difficulty breathing and slowly pass away.
The closest reasonable answer as to why this happens to snails is due to some freak accident where parasites feed on the connective tissues keeping the mantle in place or yanking on the snail when it’s tightly attached to a surface. Either way, it can happen at any stage of your snail’s growth and may be a little tricky to tell if you don’t know what you’re looking at. A reference video is your best bet at identifying if your snail is suffering from mantle collapse if you’re a beginner.
What Are The Possibilities Of Your Mystery Snail Falling Sick With Any Of The Above?
The possibilities solely depend on how you care for your pets. As long as you provide your mystery snails with everything they need to stay healthy, the chances of falling sick are reduced but still relative to the age of the snail. The pie chart below gives you a summary.
How Do I Make My Mystery Snail Active? The Only Solution
Not only will your mystery snail be more entertaining if it’s active, but moving around properly helps it to live its life feeling healthy and at home.
Manage the Water Parameters
Mystery snails need specific water conditions to survive. When there is high ammonia or salinity present, it negatively affects your mystery snails, causing them to fall ill. Following this, they will be lethargic and inactive in their home, preferring to stay hidden and preserve their energy.
Provide a Healthy Diet at All Time
Mystery snails are omnivorous and should be treated as such. Leaving your snail with only tank algae to feed on is simply unfair and dangerous to their health. Ensure you provide both animal-based and plant-based foods for your pets to feed on from time to time. For instance, a good diet consists of blanched vegetables like carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, and kale as plant-based foods, with bloodworms or raw fish as a protein supply. You can also supplement with algae wafers and fish pellets to ensure a balanced diet.
Also, never forget the calcium source! Throw in chunks of cuttlefish bone into the tank to ensure your snails grow strong and healthy shells. This will keep your pets healthy and active through and through.
Cycle the Tank Frequently
Depending on the population of the inhabitants of your tank, cycling should be done at intervals to ensure the water parameters like ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite stay at a healthy level. When there is dirt buildup in the tank, it throws off the balance of the parameters, causing your pets to become sick. Water cycling helps maintain a clean and healthy environment for your pet to live in.
