Mastodawn

Please don't boost #aislop !

This slop graphic went #viral in my timeline on Mastodon. Commentators found the source in a FB slop page, and biologists in the comments tell the facts. Nevertheless, people burst into enthusiasm, so little do they know about nature. #AISlop sites on big platforms gather about 250k followers.

I did a fact-check about real snails.
You can read it here: https://steady.page/en/naturematchcuts/posts/28951404-a41f-4215-ab89-bc35dbc41233

#snail #snails #animalsave #NatureMatchCuts #biodiversity #reconnectWithNature #blog

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Santtu Sammakko

@NatureMC So, your advice isn't for pet snails? Well, I had a pet snail as a kid (giant African land snail in English, I think). I had them for maybe two years, and used to grab their shell to lift them quite a lot. Well... over time, their body/foot/whatever started to detach from the shell. 😬 They liked to hang upside down from the lid of the 'tank' (a plastic box lol), but eventually their shell hung _considerably_ lower than before, which looked quite painful... (cont.)

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Santtu Sammakko Feb 26

@NatureMC (cont.) We decided to put them down because of that.
So, is it different for pet snails? If so, why? Because you lift them up more often? Or because the surface of a tank/plastic box is so smooth it _does_ create a vacuum? I'm no expert on snails... What could I have done to prevent the damage? I feel bad for my deceased pet snail. :/

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Petra van Cronenburg Feb 26

@Santtu_Sammakko Indeed, I write mainly about European garden snails (and slugs) because:
- I don't know anything about pet snails.
- These giant snails are very different (alone with their weight/food etc).
- These snails mostly don't live in natural conditions (your plastic box e.g.) and are not treated naturally (pets).
So it's better to ask a veterinary specialised in such species.

What I can say: yes, of course, plastic or glass is smoother than soil or asphalt! It could had helped perhaps

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Petra van Cronenburg Feb 26

@Santtu_Sammakko to get them retracted before. But it could have been also something about food, I am not a clairvoyant. 😉
It's sad that you've lost your pet. You were a kid: it's the adults who have to know how to keep a pet. My tip if you want to keep a pet, no matter what kind: familiarise yourself well with their natural needs and behaviour *beforehand*. And keep them as naturally as possible.

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Santtu Sammakko Feb 26

@NatureMC Oh, I see. Well, I suppose it was mostly because I grabbed their shell like that... but dunno. I asked for advice on some forum, but don't remember the replies anymore.
It was my dad's idea to get the snail and, well, we both have ADHD... 😅 None in our family knew much about snails. I LOVED watching the garden snails as a kid, but that's pretty much it. I guess my parents just trusted the pet shop keeper on the food etc. If I ever get a new snail, I'll try to be more careful...