Am I obsessed? :P

[Evil Angel]

When my snail collection got out of hand before, I rehomed them all and gave up keeping snails for a while, but then my boyfriend, seeing how bored I was without my snaillies to care for, suggested I start again, and try to keep just a couple different species.

So, I planned on keeping Marginata Clenchi, Marginata Suturalis and Maginata Ovum.

But I bought:

Reticulata
Clenchi
silver Suturalis
acromelanic Ovum
beige Ovum
albino Ovum
Egregia,
Edaurdi,
beige Tigers

And am now adding:

albino Tigers,
fulica,
fulica jade
fulica rodatzi
fulica jadatzi

and am saving up for:

dark fleshed tigers
papyracea adelinae
marginata marginata
albino purpurea Quinea

I'm drowning in tanks, and the heat mats and feeding are costing a small fortune, and my partner keeps telling me off for loving them more than I love him lol

But I have such a love for the snails I just can't stop! Nothing makes me happier than owning these beautiful creatures and spending half my day feeding, tank cleaning, and watching them

I know I'll probably have to draw the line somewhere, like before I own so many I could open my own invert zoo, but for me, the money and effort I put in are so worth it, and although I realise I may have a bit of an obbsession, at least my family know what to get me for birthdays and christmas: more tanks, heat mats and sphagnum moss ;D

[brunni]

I don't see where the problem is ?
Whats a "acromelanic Ovum" ? That's a new one on me !

[aimee]

God damn you, I've just googled adelinae and now I MUST have some!

[latebloomer]

If you are obsessed you are not alone! I started with 2, its up to 21, I want marginata ovum or suturalis acromelanic or leucistic either or both, but am always too late (sob) so far. They are albino body with darker eyestalks brunni. I am waiting in an agony of anticipation to see if have managed to reserve snails I want desperately. Obsessed? Why not?

[Evil Angel]

Acromelanic is the gene behind siamese animals, it makes certain areas of the body darker, so acromelanic snails are a slightly cream colour, but with brown head and eye stalks! Some people refer to it in snails as 'leucistic', but that's not correct as leucistic is a gene that makes flesh a pale yellow.

I've come across so many beautiful snails on my quest for more to add to my collection, I have so many, but also so many I still want to add! What on earth happens if I'm never content? And I end up with so many that I'm finally able to take over the world with my own person snail army lol ;D

Must also add that I am selling just about everything I own to be able to get new snails, they are a dangerous addiction lol

[latebloomer]

My son says at least I am not always looking at horses for sale now (good luck with that) and snails are less likely to cause injuries!

[sarahs0snailies]

There's nothing wrong with loving your snails and wanting to keep lots of different types Only you know what your financial and physical limit is and in my opinion there is only a problem if you can't afford to keep them and give them the best life possible. Your snails are obviously very much loved and well cared for

[ilovegals7]

Thats a whole lot of snailige! but ovisily you put a lot of time and effot into keeping them so i see nothing wrong
You keeping them

[Evil Angel]

Haha they probably have better lives than I do!

Most of my collection are babies at the moment so I can keep my number of tanks down at the minute, I currently have 5 tanks holding all my snails, but once they start getting bigger I'll have to up it to 9 tanks.

My partner isn't into GALS and see's my tubs as purely eye-sores, and he's getting a bit annoyed with me, whenever a parcel arrives its either 'Oh not more snails!' or 'What have you bought this time...?' lol

But as sad as it may be, I've actually found something I'm really passionate about, and while the snails are hard work, costly and taking over the house, for me, it is all so worth it.

There are loads of species I would still like to own, but there is only 1 I feel I really need to make my collection complete, it will bring me eventually to 10 large tanks.

My partner probably will kill me, but I'm hoping he knows how much my snaillies mean to me and at very least pretend to be ok with it haha!
But he's always moaning because they 'all look the same', and because they like burrowing I'm just keeping 'a pet hole', and he's always trying to talk me into selling them all and buying a bearded dragon or something else he considers cool lol.

I probably will stop at 10 species, I don't think I have room for anymore tanks than that really, so keeping it sensible, seems a good number to me
Especially as I have kids, guinea pigs, fish and aquatic snails to look after too lol

[pinkunicorn]

Did you steal my life or something? I could have written all that.

Except I don't have that many snails. I've more slugs in numbers. Snails are catching on though. Next I need some pancake slugs and velvet slugs. And very much need some L.cinereoniger slugs. And I'd kill for some banana slugs.

My partner doesn't mind snails and even brings me individuals he finds if they are in dangerous locations. He even brought me four Arions once so he can't hate slugs as much as he says. He says they're smelly. The only slugs I've noticed have a little smell to them are the Arions, I think it is their special slime gland on the tail producing some pheromones because I've not seen it in others. Aside from that the tanks smell of earth which is not bad! Only bad if there is a dead animal or food rotted.

Can't help it, I love my slimers shelled and shell-less both. Little silly slimeyfaces. There is 4 tanks in constant use now plus two small boxes for my miniature babies and garlic snails. Fifth box is a smaller tank I've used for separating animals if needed, like another leopard that was gnawing her tail a bit. I worried it was Odie's misfortune all over again but she got better and has even grown new skin on the gnawed tail (which reminds me I should post about this in the old topic in case it's of help to others). But there will be more tanks soon: still need to pick the huge tank from a friend (I need a car and a driver to get it home) for the leopards, and the tigers and fulis will need their own tanks once they are bigger. One fuli baby is already bigger than my remaining aspersa adult though the rest are growing slower. And all the new slugs I want need tanks... well there is space in my study. Perhaps I will get a few stackable storage boxes for species that need more space and the smaller ones stay in the PetPals and similar on the shelves. I better rename the room from office/study to the Invert House like in zoos.