Before picking up and holding a snail one should know the following:
A snail holds it's self in it's shell mainly by use of a strong muscle, called a Mantle. If a snail is handled wrongly one can pull the snails body out of it's shell partially or fully. This will lead to what we call a mantle prolapse or death. A snail can not survive outside or partially outside of it's shell. This is because a snail's internal organs are positioned inside of the shell, and they need their shell to keep everything in place, safe and moist. A snail's body and shell are partially porous. This means they can absorb nutrients and chemicals from anything they touch. Snail's like to stay moist and will need to produce extra mucus when moving on dry objects.
Thus it is of grave importance to handle snails gently, never pulling on them and to always wash your hands with water (no soap) before handling a snail. Ideally your hands should be wet with water while handling a snails. |
If you have wild caught G.A.L.S. then there are some other factors you should know about before handling. Please go to :
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Picking up a snail from it's shellWhen a snail is on coir, food moss or any other surface that they are not stuck to one can simply and gently pick the snail up by its shell, once you pick them up with one hand, quickly place your other hand under the snail's body so as to have the snail rest on your second hand. At which point you can let go of the shell.
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