African Land Snails - daft question

[redclover79]

DS1's snail is stuck to the wall of it's tank but its eyes are kind of lolling on their stalks... Has it fallen asleep or pegged it? Just about to go on school run but will check back (with suitable trepidation) on return!

I dunno about land snails but when aquatic snails snuff it they STINK to high heaven and that's the only way you know they are dead (until they come away from their shell anyway). Dunno if it's the same with land snails though, sorry. Hope your snail is OK!

I seem to remember someone on here ages ago thinking theirs were dead but they weren't - cannot remember any more than that, sorry

Thanks for your replies, I can confirm Bernie is alive!! He must have been asleep . I thought they would curl up inside their shells to sleep...

I kept them for years as class pets - never saw one sleep with its 'eyes open' like that.

Can confirm that mine sometimes did not move for weeks at a time, especially over the school holidays as our house is much chillier than the classroom.

Only discovered death by horrendous smell. One lived at least 6 years!

Have you got more than one? They are hermaphrodites and lay hundreds of eggs which will hatch in the summer if you don't avoid this by putting them out for the birds. (You may of course wants hundreds of snails ...)

We've only got one so hopefully no eggs! Maybe he had bellyache as I left dp in charge of feeding him and he laid on a banquet...