The Puffer Forum

Ok, i received a package in the mail from a fellow member today that really.... really stunk... it had snails and live plants, and I'm not sure of the source of the smell; but I think it was dead snails... I sorted through the package outside, put some plants that looked hopeless in my snail tank and the good looking plants in my puffer's tank... There were a few snails that survived, but a lot dead I'm afraid.

So I guess my question is to do with just the stink. I've scrubbed, showered, wiped my hands with alcohol, and acetone - pretty lotions, and I still... have... that stink... on my hands. It won't go away. I'll take ANY and ALL suggestions - and try anything... Going to try pouring some mouthwash on my hands... or some oxyclean... I'm going to cry if I have to wait this out - I wish I had work gloves or plastic bags or SOMETHING... but I thought It would wash off Please help!

rubbing stainless steel all over your hands works. If you cant get to some. Thats what some ppl in the restuarnts to to kill the garlic and onion smell inbedding in the skin. Something with the stainless steel oxidizes the smell off your hands.

Your best option is prolly soap and some bleach. Hate the dead snail smell its worse than good stink bombs. How did it get all up on you thou??

This may seem odd, but it works if you're sprayed by a skunk, so it might work with your dead-snail stink -- try wiping and soaking your hands in tomato juice. Not V8, but regular tomato juice. That's what we used to do when our dogs were sprayed by a skunk. It neutralises the odour ... so it might work.

Yea thats a good one too!

Well, at first, I was sitting on my front porch - unrolling soggy papertowels that were in baggies. Sloppy and wet. I shook them out in my snail tank, and for some pieces had to fish down at the bottom. Now the snail tank smells like the stink, and any of the water in there smells like the stink - thus my whole arm going in smelled like it too. I inspected as much as I could for snails, then - and rinsed them in cool water. Then I added them to my fahaka's tank. His tank is right next to the snail tank, and I've fished out a few more live snails that crawled out of some of the ferns onto the glass. (Just until I get a little more baby stock going, the more the merrier in the snail tank.) So now i have plants in there, and was hoping to be setting up my 120gal... but since that fell through I'm that this other hit works out.

The stink really stuck to me, and I think it's finally off.... either it's gone or I'm used to it... I hope it's gone!

Thanks for the idea about the stainless steel - I work with garlic quite closely at work all night, and stainless steel is everywhere. Thanks for that tip! I've been told the tomato juice thing, and lemon juice as well. Unfortunately, I have none of the above at my disposal. Just hoping I got the stink gone for now

that is too bad.. I know this is a little late in the game but why didn't you dump them into a strainer over a bucket first? When I got my mail order plants they REEKED!! I don't know what they used as fertilizers but it smelt like raw sewage.

Come on JP its Ohyouknow where talking about here HAHAHA JP

hey hey .. we all do silly things first and then later we say "wow, I wish I thought if that"..

That is the beauty of a forum.

oh I do it all the time

Shaving cream.

Oh a strainer would have been a great idea! I might have to see about picking up another strainer though; if the stink stuck to me like this - I think I'll designate a special strainer for tank usage. I'm kind of weird like that. My luck, I'd think I got it all off - make spaghetti, or macaroni, and my food would wind up tasting like it.

gross. But great idea!

Nothing else on this Earth smells worth than dead snail stink!

I have 2 strainers that I use specifically for my tanks, along with a toothbrush. They come in handy at times.

Great ideas, I'll have to bookmark this thread for just in case I need it later... LOL... I'd have never thought of shaving cream, JoseDepacos! Unfortunately not something we keep around here. My boyfriend uses an electric shaver (doesn't want to risk cutting himself due to meds that thin his blood, he'd have a terrible time getting a paper cut/blade cut to stop bleeding. Once he nicked himself at work - a tiny little cut - and wound up with blood all over his shirt. You'd think he lost the whole finger!) Might be a great excuse to start keeping it around though, to de-stink!

Pufferpunk wrote:Nothing else on this Earth smells worth than dead snail stink!

Amen to that.