Why do we use snails in such experiments? Do they actively respire, or anything as such?I think you mean used in?
You set up a beaker with some snails, a CO2 absorbant (KOH), wire mesh, a tube leading out of the beaker to a capillary tube with a dye in it.
As oxygen is used up in beaker, low pressure is created and the dye in the capillary tube moves towards the beaker.