Apple Snail Out Of Water

[Essjay]

I found one of my apple snails on the worktop behind the tank yesterday when I was doing a water change. I've no idea how it got out as it's three times the size of the hole in the lid where the wires go through. I also don't know how long it had been there. The trapdoor was pulled well into the shell, so I put it in a tub of tank water, and within 10 mins it was coming out of the shell, and it's happily crawling aound the tank this morning.

So I was wondering, how long can apple snails survive out of water? This was one on the worktop less than a week - it was there at the previous water change - and seems fine. I know that with a trapdoor, they can survive for a while. Did I find it in the nick of time, or would it have survived for longer?

 

[the duck]

They can survive for a while...I believe mine was once out for 3 days and it was perfectly fine. I have found that my snail escaping generally signal bad water quality. He escaped 3 times in the course of a week, I did a water change...and no problems since. My tank has apsolutely no top on it, so it shouldn't be a problem if there is a whole or two in your lid.

 

[FBTgirl2]

My Apple snail crawled out of the tank once too! He passed away though. He had a 5 foot drop and I think that is what killed him.

 

[saltynay]

2-3 weeks depending on the health of the snail to begin with. If its leaving the tank for long periods of time then it shows there is something wrong with the environment. Predators like small fish nipping its stalks are the most common issue however it can be down to calcium/ph levels examine the shell for signs of pitting or thinning.

 

[Essjay]

The snail in question was in my quarantine tank. Because I cloned the filter, I was keeping an eye on the water levels to be on the safe side, so I know they were fine. I suspect it got out when I took the lid off to test the water - it's only a small tank, and it was all over the glass. Either that, or I managed to flick it out when I took the plastic plant out while I cleaned the tank (easier with it out of the way). It's now back in it's usual tank, showing no signs of suffering from it's adventure. The fish that were in the QT are now in there too.