How long does it take a snail to grow his shell?

A baby snail, almost too small to be seen, is hatched with his shell already on his back. The tiny she11,however, is no more than a glassy flake. It darkens after the youngster eats his first meal and it grows as the young snail grows. The shell, of course, is the snail’s house and it must be big enough to hold his soft body.

In a few weeks, the shell of the baby snail has grown a curved whorl. Soon another whorl is added, then another. In about a year, the snail and shell are both fully grown. If all goes well, Mr. Slowpoke may live to celebrate two or three birthdays. If he loses an eye stalk, he can grow a new one, but if his house is crushed, he cannot rebuild it.