Post by heydihoo on Nov 27, 2010 14:54:15 GMT
can this be moved to species specific please
this is information i have gathered on the above species through my own research and experiences aswell as others experiences
Intro
Megalobulimus oblongus haemastomus is a hardy species of snail which originates from Uruguay in South America. They are social snails but can only be kept with their own species as they have a stress defence mechanism where they excrete bubbles which seems to only happen when other species are kept with them. It can be kept at room temperature up to 28oc but I find room temperature with no additional heating gets them more active. As a species they seem to cope well with being posted through cold periods. Breeding is not common in captivity although there are a few people who have been able to get eggs and hatch them, so captive bred snails are not available at present. In recent years it has came to my attention that this species is becoming increasingly rarer in the wild due to only laying a few eggs each rainy season so it is now more important than ever to stop importing these and more effort must be made to help the people that own these snails to get them breeding.
Shell
Shell Shape : More elongated but smaller than the nominate species.
Shell length : Up to 10cm.
Shell colour : Appears white in WC adults although this could just be due to wear as CB juveniles are brown in colour. A bright pink lip appears on the opening of the shell when adult which grows with age.
Breeding
Sexual maturity : Is believed to be reached at around 3 years of age
Mating : Mating occurs during seasonal changes, so if you wish to breed Megalobulimus you will have to put them through a period of dryness for a few months where you don’t mist the tank at all then go into a period of spraying everyday and include a water bowl. After mating the snails seem to bloat slightly and are allot less interested in food and more interested in staying burrowed for days at a time even after being sprayed.
No. eggs : Usually 2 x 3cm eggs that seem to lay in a dormant state until conditions are right for the embryo to start growing which could take months, and after these conditions are met they will take the usual 4 - 8 weeks to hatch, for this reason it is best to never disturb the substrate or fully clean the tank. I also believe it is best to leave the eggs where they were laid as the snail usually knows what the correct place for them to hatch will be and there is always a better hatch rate with eggs that are left undisturbed. Scientific papers state that Megalobulimus lay between 2 - 12 eggs but I believe this is over a season rather than at a time as the most eggs I have seen in a clutch is 2.
Lifestyle
Habits in wild : Active all year round apart from 3 months of winter, likes rain gather amongst trees and roots.
Diet : Any thinly sliced fruit of vegetables to mimic wild diet of plants and leaves. Calcium can be given by cuttlefish although crushed oyster shell is taken more readily.
Lifespan : Unknown, believed to be over 20 years.
Related species : Megalobulimus oblongus and subspecies
Scientific info
The “moustache” that is a signature of the Megalobulimus species is named the buccal fringe its purpose is unknown but the snails can be seen feeling their way around a tank with the moustache moving each frill independently to the rest.
I am currently keeping mine in a 4/5 foot viv with a substrate of calcium sand and vercumilite mixed they are kept at room temperature which seems to keep them happy and sliming i have also kept them in a dry season and recently put them into their wet season which has resulted in their breeding and bloating
One of my megas has 3 eyes
i will update this thread everytime i have new information to add and i will also add pictures at some point if anyone else would like to add their experiences and help the megalobulimus keepers it would be greatly appreciated
regards
Eric
this is information i have gathered on the above species through my own research and experiences aswell as others experiences
Intro
Megalobulimus oblongus haemastomus is a hardy species of snail which originates from Uruguay in South America. They are social snails but can only be kept with their own species as they have a stress defence mechanism where they excrete bubbles which seems to only happen when other species are kept with them. It can be kept at room temperature up to 28oc but I find room temperature with no additional heating gets them more active. As a species they seem to cope well with being posted through cold periods. Breeding is not common in captivity although there are a few people who have been able to get eggs and hatch them, so captive bred snails are not available at present. In recent years it has came to my attention that this species is becoming increasingly rarer in the wild due to only laying a few eggs each rainy season so it is now more important than ever to stop importing these and more effort must be made to help the people that own these snails to get them breeding.
Shell
Shell Shape : More elongated but smaller than the nominate species.
Shell length : Up to 10cm.
Shell colour : Appears white in WC adults although this could just be due to wear as CB juveniles are brown in colour. A bright pink lip appears on the opening of the shell when adult which grows with age.
Breeding
Sexual maturity : Is believed to be reached at around 3 years of age
Mating : Mating occurs during seasonal changes, so if you wish to breed Megalobulimus you will have to put them through a period of dryness for a few months where you don’t mist the tank at all then go into a period of spraying everyday and include a water bowl. After mating the snails seem to bloat slightly and are allot less interested in food and more interested in staying burrowed for days at a time even after being sprayed.
No. eggs : Usually 2 x 3cm eggs that seem to lay in a dormant state until conditions are right for the embryo to start growing which could take months, and after these conditions are met they will take the usual 4 - 8 weeks to hatch, for this reason it is best to never disturb the substrate or fully clean the tank. I also believe it is best to leave the eggs where they were laid as the snail usually knows what the correct place for them to hatch will be and there is always a better hatch rate with eggs that are left undisturbed. Scientific papers state that Megalobulimus lay between 2 - 12 eggs but I believe this is over a season rather than at a time as the most eggs I have seen in a clutch is 2.
Lifestyle
Habits in wild : Active all year round apart from 3 months of winter, likes rain gather amongst trees and roots.
Diet : Any thinly sliced fruit of vegetables to mimic wild diet of plants and leaves. Calcium can be given by cuttlefish although crushed oyster shell is taken more readily.
Lifespan : Unknown, believed to be over 20 years.
Related species : Megalobulimus oblongus and subspecies
Scientific info
The “moustache” that is a signature of the Megalobulimus species is named the buccal fringe its purpose is unknown but the snails can be seen feeling their way around a tank with the moustache moving each frill independently to the rest.
I am currently keeping mine in a 4/5 foot viv with a substrate of calcium sand and vercumilite mixed they are kept at room temperature which seems to keep them happy and sliming i have also kept them in a dry season and recently put them into their wet season which has resulted in their breeding and bloating
One of my megas has 3 eyes
i will update this thread everytime i have new information to add and i will also add pictures at some point if anyone else would like to add their experiences and help the megalobulimus keepers it would be greatly appreciated
regards
Eric