Astrea Snail with Cabin Fever

[cesau]

I went home the other day and noticed an astrea shell laying on the bottom of my tank, I didn't think too much of it at the time, wasn't the first time a snail died on me...

Later I noticed what appeared to be an Astrea snail sans shell on some live rock. Very strange, looks like a small intestine spiraling into cone shape. I touched it with the edge of a fish net and it was still very much alive. I placed its shell near it, but it didn't go in... it's just roaming around the tank now...

I haven't seen this happen before, is it normal? Will the snail grow a new shell or will he die? Is there anything I can do?

 

[greenbean36191]

The empty shell and the naked snail aren't related. Are you sure you weren't seeing something like Stomatella, which is a closely related hitchhiking snail with a flat shell that makes it look shell-less? Snails can't willingly leave their shells, so it's pretty uncommon to see a naked one roaming around. The only way to get them out is to damage the shell enough to free them from their attachment. Usually whatever cause that is also traumatic enough to kill the snail. Assuming the snail wasn't otherwise injured when it was liberated from the shell it can go on living just fine assuming there are no predators. It won't make a new shell though.

 

[cesau]

I'm baffled. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a hitch hiker, and it's size and shape were identical to the shell. As fas as I know the only thing in the tank that would be predators wouldnt just remove the snail from the shell... (golden cbs' and hermit crabs - which i havent seen attack a snail before, but I hear it happens)

Is it possible the snail got trapped somewhere between rocks and physically pulled himself out of his shell as he was trying to escape?

 

[dc]

Don't know this for sure, but I don't imagine it could live outside it's shell.

 

[greenbean36191]

No, it can't just pull itself out unless the muscle attaching it to the shell deteriorates. They can live without their shells, but it doesn't sound like this one will last long if that's really what you're seeing. The shrimp and crabs should make short work of it.

 

[macperry]

My hermit crab just ambushed a turbo snail, and I watched him drag the snail out...and move right in! To see the turbo shell walking aroung with snail legs sticking out is the beast laugh I've had in a while. I felt bad for the snail....but you know what they say about mother nature.