From time to time you may experience problems with your snails. Very little is known about what these illnesses are, what causes them, and even less is known about treatments. Unfortunately it seems more time is spent on increasingly more ingenious ways to kill them.
Because of this, the following information is a mix of whatever research is possible and available, theory and hypothesis, logical thinking and the result of various discussions with a large group of snail owners. It is with the help of the community at large, that these problems can at least be documented. Where possible I have tried to link to example incidents.
Hopefully, we can find some effective solutions to the majority of these problems but for now I'm afraid you'll have to be content with various suggestions and discussion.
Limp Body
A limp body could be caused by a number of things. The first one to consider is lack of air. A snail doesn't respirate a great deal but without sufficient ventilation (especially during postage) will cause the snail to extend and go limp. The snail can recover from this. For more information see Asphyxiation.
Secondly, the apparent limpness could be caused lack of food or water, an eating problem or if the snail is ill. A snail that is starving will lose weight and become weak and this can often look like the snail is limp. If the lack of air possibility has been ruled out, check out the following sections: