Post by malacophile on May 21, 2013 0:25:04 GMT
I've been keeping slugs and snails for some time now, and there have been more than 4 generations of each born under my care. Naturally, all of them were initially caught from the wild. For the first 2 generations, there was notable aggression between species. L. valentiana and the two Deroceras. They were distinctly unfriendly to one another. And all my slug species would harass the various snails from time to time. This took the form of lunging and biting, usually for no apparent reason other than that the victim was of a different species. I saw none of this behavior in interactions between same-species individuals.
By the third generation, aggressive behavior had diminished significantly. Different species of slugs began to huddle with one another and biting was rare. The snails were still harassed, but to a much lesser extent. Instead of biting, the slugs would merely crawl on them.
In the most current batch of adults and their young, aggression is nonexistent. All species of slugs get along with each other and I've even seen them "tailing" each other, the follow-the-leader behavior that many slugs exhibit when they wish to mate. I've yet to see them actually mate, but they really appear to be courting each other.
Even the snails, who are no longer bothered by the slugs, seem to have changed. They slide up to slugs, touch them with their eyestalks and kiss them. When I first saw this, I thought the snails must have been biting, but I was mistaken. The action was too slow and gentle to be aggressive. If the slug moves away, the snail follows and continues the action. The slugs don't respond aggressively or like they're scared or in pain. Often times, they will sit there and allow it. I've also seen slugs "tail" after the snails as if they wish to mate.
It seems to me that, after several generations of living in such close quarters with each other, the slugs and snails have developed a liking for one another that goes beyond mere tolerance. I'd love to hear anyone else's thoughts on this subject. PinkUnicorn, as one of the few other slug keepers on here, would probably also have some interesting insights, but I haven't seen her around in a while.
By the third generation, aggressive behavior had diminished significantly. Different species of slugs began to huddle with one another and biting was rare. The snails were still harassed, but to a much lesser extent. Instead of biting, the slugs would merely crawl on them.
In the most current batch of adults and their young, aggression is nonexistent. All species of slugs get along with each other and I've even seen them "tailing" each other, the follow-the-leader behavior that many slugs exhibit when they wish to mate. I've yet to see them actually mate, but they really appear to be courting each other.
Even the snails, who are no longer bothered by the slugs, seem to have changed. They slide up to slugs, touch them with their eyestalks and kiss them. When I first saw this, I thought the snails must have been biting, but I was mistaken. The action was too slow and gentle to be aggressive. If the slug moves away, the snail follows and continues the action. The slugs don't respond aggressively or like they're scared or in pain. Often times, they will sit there and allow it. I've also seen slugs "tail" after the snails as if they wish to mate.
It seems to me that, after several generations of living in such close quarters with each other, the slugs and snails have developed a liking for one another that goes beyond mere tolerance. I'd love to hear anyone else's thoughts on this subject. PinkUnicorn, as one of the few other slug keepers on here, would probably also have some interesting insights, but I haven't seen her around in a while.
