Is my snail going to lay eggs??

[missjamielouise]

Hello everyone.

I bought 2 snails 7 days ago I was told they are 8 months old (I can't be sure) I've named them Josephine and Frank. Anyway, Both snails were very active but 2 days ago Josephine hasn't been out of her shell much. Frank is still active so it's not a problem with food or conditions etc.

A few nights ago Josephine had a bulge on the right hand side of her head/neck. I googled it and it looked like the area they lay their eggs from. Since then she has been hiding away in her shell and has only come out to eat. This morning when I got up she had dug herself a hole in the corner of the tank which neither snail had done before.

Is this normal behaviour before laying eggs? HELP! I'm worried she's ill or not happy

[Evil Angel]

she could be laying eggs as that does sound like she's making laying spot...
Try to leave her alone, if she is laying she will stay in the hole for a day or 2 then lay and come back up looking for food.

However, most snails spend the whole day buried, as they are a night-time animal, so should be asleep most of the day anyway! So maybe she's just found a good sleeping spot?

But in general there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her, she sounds like she's just doing normal snaillie things

[sarahs0snailies]

Her behaviour sounds normal to me, she might be looking to lay eggs over the next few days but do keep an eye on her. My snail sleeps during the day and is very active at night so she might be snailing around when you are sleeping and nipping back to bed before you get up

[missjamielouise]

Ok, I'll keep watching and see if anything changes. Thank you.

[shaydeesnail]

I wouldn't worry too much if your snail digs and doesn't lay eggs, my snails are just "coming of age," walking around the tanks with their genitals out and digging different kind of holes to the ones they sleep in, they may just be practising

[pinkunicorn]

They're still young and may be coming of age indeed. But, keepan eye out for egg caches appearing buried in the soil just in case!

Snail activity is variable and along with the 24-hour cycle many seem to have cycles of a few days of activity and feeding followed by rest days. As long as the snails eat and poop they're doing well. I've noticed that my achatinas like to poop while buried in the substrate, which makes observing well-being tricky though...