Data: Hello,
I wonder if you could take time to help me. I have pet snails. Canas are the type I have. (picture at bottom of page)
I belong to a web site named Applesnail ( http://www.applesnail.net/ ). Recently another member of this site had a terrible thing happen. Two of her snails developed white cyst-like things all over their bodies. They also developed round hard lumps on their foot. The tentacles also became all lumpy and bumpy as well. (Pictures below)
I have spent hours surfing the net trying to find a picture, or any information, about something like this. She and I truly have fallen in love with our snails and this has us gravely upset. She is young but I'm a old lady and the snails are just the right pet for me.
I worry that my pets could develop something like this as well and I sure would like to know what it is and how to care for my pets if it ever does present itself (Hopefully, it won't). So, any help would be appreciated.
Thank
you for your time and patience,
Joyce (concerned pet owner)
Email: Joyce
I can not pop one of these things as I do not want to cause her any pain. She is still eating, still moving, though not as much as the rest of the snails in that tank.
None of the white fleshed snails in this tank have the problem, and there are 4 more black fleshed ones that do not have this, only a total of 2 snails, one blue, one jade that have this. The jade is a pet shop jade, the blue is not.
There has been nothing coming out of these bumps, the shape hasn't changed in the past week. I only noticed the facial bumps last week, but the antennae lumps have been there a while, always dark lumps though.
This is a photo of one of the females in question.
You can see how the antennae crooks with each lump. It's hard to see her head from the shot though. I've not been able to get a good pic of her head. Please let me know if anyone has seen this before.
Also, Can anyone give me their opinion of using melafix in this tank? If I were to move the affected snails to a seperate tank, would melafix harm them in any way?
Thank you,
Joyce
PS: I have since learned that the two snails have died of their illness. The melifix was tried but it did not help.
Thoughts & Ideas:
- Hello
Joyce & Avril,....There is a very good book on apple snails.
Dr. Gloria Perera & Jerry G. Walls 1996
Apple Snails in the Aquarium -
Ampullariids: Their Identification, Care and Breeding
121 all-color pages (26 x 17.5 cm)
TFH # TS-260 List: $19.95 (1 lb 5.8 oz / .620 kg)
ISBN 0-7938-2085-5 UPC 018214120858Unfortuatly after careful review, it contains no information on diseases.
Best Regards,....Leslie - A
BIG thank to Paul M. for this offer of help;
"I work in a pathology laboratory, and although I can't tell anything from the pictures, I could probably determine at least the general type of disease (bacterial infection, fungal infection, parasite, tumor, etc.) that the snails are suffering from if I could obtain some small pieces of
preserved tissue from one of the dead snails.Even if I can't make a precise diagnosis, I could photograph the microscopic preparations and make them available online, so that someone knowledgeable in the area of invertebrate pathology (not many people are) might identify it.
PS: Joyce is following up on this generous off by searching for an inflicted snail. I'm sure all apple snail pet lovers will benefit from any information that comes from this.
