How to treat shell shedding disease in farmed river snails?

In the process of farming river snails, the prevention and treatment of diseases is very important. Only by keeping disease outbreaks under control can you effectively increase river snail yields, and only then can you achieve the goal of reducing costs and increasing profits. Therefore, during the farming process, never neglect the importance of disease.

Causes of shell shedding disease in river snails

Feeding a single type of feed, with the feed lacking elements such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium. River snails like to live in waters that are warm in winter and cool in summer, with soft bottom substrate, abundant food and fresh water quality, such as lakes with lush aquatic plants, ponds, field depressions or slow-flowing river ditches and other water bodies. They especially like to gather in places with slight flowing water. They are omnivorous, often feeding on microorganisms and humus in the mud as well as phytoplankton in the water, tender aquatic plants, moss and so on, and they also like to eat artificial feed such as vegetables and fruits, vegetable leaves, rice bran, wheat bran, soybean powder (cake) and various animal offal, etc. They also like to be active and feed at night, and the most suitable temperature for growth is 20-27°C.

Symptoms of shell shedding disease in river snails

The shell falls off, and in severe cases the internal organs are exposed.

Treatment of shell shedding disease in river snails

① Spread humus to supplement calcium.

② Feed feed rich in calcium, such as shell powder, bone meal, eggshell powder, etc.

Pest and disease control in river snails  

Although the river snail is an organism with strong disease resistance, it can still be infected by some diseases and pests due to high density, water quality and other reasons, and these pests and diseases must be prevented and treated.  

River snails are generally suitable for farming in rice fields, shallow ditches, low-lying land, wetlands and other places. River snails do not have high requirements for the farming site. Generally, shallow water areas with slight modification, and soft mud-bottom water areas with a lot of humus, can all be used for farming, and it is even better if there are certain slight-flowing water conditions.  

1. The suitable living temperature for river snail farming is 10-40°C, with the optimum being 20-28°C. Above 40°C causes death, and below 10°C they enter a hibernation state. Note that in summer you must guard against high temperatures, because the water in rice fields is shallow, and in summer the water temperature may reach the upper lethal limit; while for overwintering in winter, the organic matter content of the mud bottom should not be too high, otherwise toxic substances are easily produced and affect the overwintering of river snails.  

2. River snails are relatively sensitive to the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. Normal life requires dissolved oxygen in the water to be above 4 mg per liter. When it drops to 3.5 mg, appetite decreases, and when it drops to 1.5 mg, it causes death.  

3. In river snail farming, the breeding season is June-July (in places with suitable conditions, they will also lay eggs once in autumn). If you plan to breed them yourself, it is best not to raise carp in the rice fields where river snails are farmed, otherwise the young river snails will be eaten by the carp.  

4. The use of pesticides in rice fields should be avoided as much as possible or minimized; even if used, low-toxicity pesticides should be adopted, and they should be applied on sunny days; it is best to apply them to half of the rice field at a time.  

5. During the peak growing season, organic fertilizer can be used regularly. The principle is small amounts applied multiple times; it is not advisable to apply too much fertilizer at one time.  

6. During river snail farming, it is best to have a certain slight-flowing water environment to ensure dissolved oxygen in the water, but you must pay attention to the water source and never use a water source containing pesticides.  

7. In river snail farming, you can consider mixed farming with leeches, loaches, rice field eels, etc., which will bring better economic benefits.

Regarding information related to river snail diseases, the editor has given everyone a rough introduction. I hope this is useful to friends who farm river snails, and mastering certain methods of disease prevention and disease treatment is an essential skill for river snail farmers.