If your snail or any other pet is floating in the water, don’t panic. There are many reasons why this might happen. First of all, make sure you have a good filter in your tank; if not, use some quick-setting glue to close up any holes which would allow water to flow out.
If there are no visible leaks and everything is sealed properly, then you may have an air bubble trapped inside the snail’s body from a recent feed. The way to test this theory is to use a pipette and squeeze out a little bit of water from your snail. If it immediately fills up with air, it is probably full of gas and needs time to deflate.
Just leave it in the tank and wait for that bubble to come out; it could take several hours.
If nothing happens then, the snail may be empty already or sick. If your pet is dead, there isn’t much you can do about it except remove it from the aquarium using a siphon (be careful not to suck up any gravel).
If your pet seems sick, do a small water change. If it doesn’t improve, go to the vet right away since there is probably something wrong with it. Snails can have parasites that are usually visible in the form of little white worms inside the snail’s body.
They need medicine to get rid of them, or if you don’t have enough money, you can buy the medicine online.
If your snail is empty, there isn’t anything to worry about. You may either wait for the snail to fill back upon its own (it will take at least a few hours), feed it again with some lettuce, spinach, or any other green vegetable if it seems like it needs something extra to gain body mass.
Some snails get skinny when they get older, but if your snail is young and healthy, leave it alone. It’s probably normal for them to lose weight during winter months or heat waves. If you think your pet is losing too much weight (at least 1/16 of an inch per week), it may be a parasite, and you should go to the vet (you can buy medicine online).
If your snail is heavy and not emptying, something might be stuck in its anus. If this is the case, take it out with tweezers or forceps (very carefully, please!). Please do not use chemicals since they only worsen the matter, and the snail might die.
Snails may also go through a molting process (shedding their shell) during which they won’t feed, but that’s normal since it would be like you not eating for weeks. If your pet is not suffering from any illness and nothing seems wrong with its shell, leave it alone to finish molting.
Changing water is not recommended since it would shock your snail if the water were too cold or warm.
If your pet seems to have white spots on its shell, it’s probably just algae or some other thing stuck to its shell, which can be removed using a toothbrush.
Also, make sure that no snails are trying to eat your snail.
If you’re still having problems with your pet, go to the vet or a pet shop and ask for professional help. If you need immediate care for your snail, take it into a warm room and use a hairdryer on low heat to blow hot air over its whole body. It is important not to burn your snail.
If you can not find any problems with your pet, wait for at least 4 hours, feed it again and see what happens. If it still floats after 4 hours, there is probably something wrong with its shell or other organs that need professional help.
If that’s the case, keep it warm and try to give it some more time; if its condition doesn’t improve, then you will have no option but to take it to the vet or pet store. There are several reasons your snail might be floating, including (but are not limited to) lack of minerals (such as calcium), parasites, and disease.