# mystery snail with damaged shell



## Siobhan (Nov 11, 2013)

My enormous mystery snail wedged himself into a hidey in my betta's tank that isn't big enough to accommodate, and couldn't get out. I removed him as gently as I could, and discovered a crack in his shell. I don't know whether I did it or he did, but it's about a quarter inch and it's on the top and not near an edge. He didn't react when I touched him, but came out after a while and seems to be behaving more or less normally. Is there anything I should do for him? Or just let him be and it will heal?


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## SiameseFightingArt (Jun 17, 2014)

You can give him calcium powder so that it strengthens his shell and this won't happen next time.


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## Cey (Jan 15, 2015)

+1 for calcium supplements; a little cuttlebone in your tank will go a long way for your snail buddy, who requires calcium to build his shell to begin with, not to mention a healthy, sturdy shell.

The shell WON'T heal, unfortunately -- the shell itself is dead tissue, if you will, so once he "grows" it, that's it. It's not like us where we get a broken bone and it heals. Snails can't even repair simple erosion in their shells, once it's happened, no matter how much calcium you give them. Extreme damage to the shell will have to be fixed by you.

Monitor the crack; if it begins to erode further, you'll need to take some steps for your buddy. If, say, the crack becomes a hole, the hole is life-endangering for him, so you would need to patch the hole.

http://applesnail.net/content/various/snail_disease.php has some really great information, and also has tips on how to repair your snail's shell, if it comes to that!

Excerpt of the section you need: "If however, a large amount of shell is absent or if there is a real treat for the snail to become eaten alive, one can choose to repair the holes by glueing pieces of snail shell, eggs shells or even pieces of plastic over them. The best glue for this is medical superglue, although common household superglue will do as well, but is toxic until it's dried. In such case (household glue) one needs to make absolutely sure that the glue does not come in contact with the snail tissues. Pits and detoriated surfaces can be repaired by covering them with strong nail polish (make sure to use water resistant polish), epoxy resin or even better super glue. The latter dries quickly and even hardens more when in contact with water. More info about shell repair can be found on Pam's website. She has carried out several experiments with shell repair and has a good practical guide available. "


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