My daughter and I went out to find a snail for our betta tank. I let her pick one out and with her being very strong willed, didn't pay much attention to the little guy she picked. He is the saddest little thing I have ever seen. His shell is missing a chunk at the base by the the front of the operculum and there is a hole in the spire. BTW he is a golden brig., quarter size. He was quite active for a couple of days when I noticed what must be snail diarrhea. It was algae colored goo mixed in with his poop. Yesterday, when we got home he was floating but partially open. When I picked him up he closed his shell. I put him in a bowl of dechorinated water with some zucchini just to prevent my betta from bothering him . He is still floating this morning but there is poop in the bowl. He is in a bad way. How does one euthanize a snail humanely? How do I know for certain that he won't bounce back? I know that hole in the spire is not a good thing....

Im not an expert, but I would give him some more time. maybe just getting some good food is giving him the runs, like when you switch a dogs food to suddenly!

And lets see if any snail experts know if this would work. Could you seal up a snails shell with aquarium silacone like you can a turtles? (vets sometimes use silacone to cover up turtle shell breaks)

The break on the front, is it on the rim? If so it will grow back in time, thats where new growth forms.

Now, the hole in his spire, is it all the way down to snail flesh or is it just a little wormhole in the shell?

I certainly wouldn't give up on him yet. Some snails are odd,and do take a few days to adjust to new surroundings.I would test the water,and keep it as pristene as possible,and also watch out to see if Mr.Betta is picking on him. As for the hole in the spire, I seriously would check out AppleSnail They have a whole care section with alot of "How To" tips. Good luck with this little guy.

The betta actually cracked me up. I watched them closely for a couple days. He would just hover and stare the first day but he never attacked and never flared, eventually he left the snail alone. The snail was super active, too. I think he was happy to eat. He is quite a pooper if you know what I mean. The water is great. I have just the one little betta in a 10 gallon and it is cycled. I had done a gravel vac cleaning and water change the day before. I was shocked with how damaged the snail was and how healthy he seemed. I looked on apple snail.net about anatomy and determined that the hole is either over the posterior kidney or ovaries/testes and it is all the way through to the flesh. I'll look at the "how to" section though. I thought the floating meant he was a goner for certain. I hope he's not. He was fun to have around the tank.

Ooh, the break in the front is on the rim. I wasn't very concerned about that one. I just wonder who did this to the poor guy? He is so beat up. My daughter named him Strika (she's three), but I think I am going to call him/her katrina since he is such a disaster.

Thanks for giving me some hope...

Just wanted to update... he is no longer floating. He seems weak, he was on the side of the bowl and as soon as I touched him he floated again but when I left he was on his side (weird) but eating. I'm taking this as a good sign.