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Sometimes Giant African Land Snails’ shell will break off at the mouth of the shell, where the snail’s body emerges. This will re-grow quickly – just make sure the snail has plenty of cuttlefish and a good supply of food. If a snail falls from the top of its tank and makes a hole in the shell, you may need to repair the shell yourself or the snail may die.
The snail’s shell is a protective shield over all of the vital organs. If the shell becomes damaged, the snail could desiccate (dry out) go into shock, or lose bodily fluids – all of which can cause death in the snail. If the shell is just cracked, place he snail in a hospital tank (a small enclosure that has been sterilised with boiling water, and just has some food e.g. lettuce and cuttlefish). The tub must have a solid lid to keep in moisture) Leave the snail here for a few days to recover. When the snail is eating properly (sometimes within an hour) he can be placed back in the main enclosure. If there is a large hole or you can see through the crack into the shell, then a repair must be made. If you cannot do it straight away, carefully clean the wound making sure fragment of shell and earth are not pushed into the shell and place the snail into a hospital tank that has been sprayed to increase the humidity.
Repairing the Shell
There are many ways of repairing shells. The main points to remember are not to make the injury worse and not to cause injury.
You can use eggshell for a small hole, or plastic for a slightly larger hole. Make sure the shell around the damaged area is totally clean and free from dust and dirt. Take the material you are using to repair the shell and place it over the wound to cut the patch to the correct size and shape. To attach the material, you must use an adhesive that is not water soluble, and that is non-toxic when it has set. Carefully, spread the adhesive on the patch around the edges, taking extreme care that no adhesive will get inside the shell when you apply the patch. Carefully place the patch over the damaged area. You will probably have to hold the snail steady whilst you are doing this – again make absolutely sure that no adhesive can get inside the shell. Hold the patch gently until the adhesive sets or ‘goes off’. The snail must then be isolated in a hospital tank for twenty-four hours to make sure the patch is properly set, and so that you can check the snail is eating properly. If the snail refuses to eat after 24 hours, bathe it gently in lukewarm water, then place it back into the hospital tank. Repeat this every few hours until the snail resumes feeding.
Sometimes, despite all our best efforts, the snail dies of shock, or the damage was too much for the snail to survive. We learn from these mistakes – NEVER have any hard surfaces in the snails enclosure e.g. decorative rocks and ornaments in the tank that snails can fall on. Water bowls if present should be plastic not ceramic or metal, and the peat should be laid deep enough to cushion your largest snails fall.
Deformed Shells
Although not caused by physical damage, some snails will grow a deformed shell. This snail has not grown properly - the shell is not growing from the inside og the 'swirl' of the shell and has made many 'plates' of shell to plug the gap.
You can see these 'plates' quite clearly in the centre of the snail.
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