# Shipping Snails



## CyberSpike

whats the best way to package snails that may be in shipping for around a week?

I was guessing for small young snails, a small plastic bag, half full of water, half air, and an algae tablet to keep them fed. Then place that bag in a plastic ziploc container to keep it from bursting?


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## Puffer Pita

When people have sent me snails, they tend to put them inside a ziploc bag, no water but wrapped in very moist paper towels. Works well.


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## Christine

The only shipment of snails I have ever received in good shape was shipped as Tina described with the paper towels, but in a tupperware container. I have received 2 snails in one small breather bag.. 1 doa the other shortly after. Ive received 2 separate shipments in poly bags with 1/3ish water. Both of those had snails with broken spires in it and 1 of them a good portion of the snails were dead. One death, and the small amount of water gets polluted pretty fast.


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## CyberSpike

Were the paper towels soaked though? and should I include the algae tablet for the long voyage?


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## Christine

Yes they were soaked through enough to be very moist but not soggy enough that they could tear. At least thats how they were when I opened them. I can't say how wet they were when they were shipped out  Each snail was wrapped individually. That would make it difficult to include an algae tab.. plus, eating produces waste... ammonia etc then becomes a problem.


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## CyberSpike

air holes? or could that make them dry out?


thanks btw, the info is greatly appreciated.


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## SvenRhapsody

Hi,
I'm not an expert by any means but I've shipped several hundred snails in at least a dozen or two shipments and only had one dead snail that I know of. (I imagine someone might not have noticed if a couple of the 25-50 MTS were dead so...). Here's what I do:

I take a fresh sheet or two of paper towels (depending on the thickness of the brand I have right then.) I reach in the tank by hand and pick out the snail or snail I want and drop them on the dry paper towel. At that point varying amounts of water will drip on to the towel. I think roll the snail up snugly (nut not tightly) in the towel. If there are any spots on the towel that are totally dry then I either pat it with a dampened hand or dip the very tip of the towel into the tank and saturate it. I know that either my hand or wicking action will move the water. I don't want it wet in there I just want it right up near 100% humidity. I put the towel into a zip lock bag and seal the bag near completely. I think roll the towel up in the back and work all of the air out while sealing the remaining 1/2" or so of the seam. Now I don't go to any special effort to get all the air out. I just want the bag to be very flat an not puffy at all. I don't want the seal to open if it takes a little pressure. That would lead to drying out and that would be bad. As far as I can tell from experience, the snails aren't really affected by a lack of air over that time period. I think most snails can just about completely shut down when they find themselves outside of water but nice and humid. In that state they don't seem to need much in the way of air. If I think they will get too cold I'll include a heat pack, but that's about it. I've shipped snails global priority to Canada in a small envelope that all arrived fine this way. I do pad the box itself liberally with newspaper styrofoam etc. In some cases snails, especially larger specimens, will take up to several days to wake up after being placed in their destination tanks, but they seem to handle this treatment quite well.

Just for comparison, I don't know anyone who has Malaysian trumpet snails who has been able to eradicate them completely, even w/ anti snail medications. I've found apple snails (P. bridgesii) on the ground behind my tanks covered w/ cat hair and some dust that have been out at least a couple of days. I put them back in the tank and a couple of days later they're moving around.

Good luck
Sven


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## ni317

I have shipped many brigs and the best way I have found to ship them is in tupper ware or like bowls wraped in papar toewls with holes poped in the top of the bowl.Some poeple sware by useing bag witch if you use bags you need to use may be a few table spoons water in a small bag with only 1 snail no matter what size snail or they will bump in to each other and eather mess up each others shells or kill one or the other or both.
Also never put food in the bag it will fowl the water fast I went out of town befor and got delayed comeing back and all but one of my huge brigs lived 5 days with out food.
Here is a link that may help also 
http://www.applesnail.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11133.
Diana


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## Puffer Pita

I've had massive amounts of snails sent to me, of various sizes, and all were the same way and none were DOA. They were all just wrapped up together in a very moist paper towel, stuffed into a ziploc bag and shipped either in a small box or even a padded envelope. They were fine. Snails are pretty hardy critters.


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## SvenRhapsody

That's pretty much what I do boxermom, and it seems to work out fine.


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## Puffer Pita

BTW, if anyone has a plethora of snails, I'm always willing to take them.  All but MTS that is.


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## T4987

what size boxermom? I was thinking about breeding some blue apple snails soon you could have all the extras.


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## Puffer Pita

Any size, as long as you realize they will become food.  I have puffers from less than an inch to almost 5 inches so I need a variety of sizes.


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