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Post by kookosmeloni on Oct 14, 2014 9:14:40 GMT
Yeah, that scruffy one is his mom
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Post by kookosmeloni on Nov 24, 2014 17:08:59 GMT
Today, when I was cleaning the snail tanks, I found at least 30 of my jade babies dead due to a huge fruit fly invasion. Unfortunately I also lost my little Frankie, which is a shame. The flies had been laying their eggs in the snails' food and so the little maggots started eating the babies alive- I managed to save half of the little snails and put them in a really secure little box. I think I just need to be more careful from now on.
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Post by etana on Nov 24, 2014 17:16:08 GMT
Whaaat? Fruit fly maggots eating snails? I've never heard of that before. Really sorry to hear about your loss! RIP little Frankie & the others. This makes me worry a lot though, I was thinking fruit flies were harmless to snails, just annoying to humans. I really need more info on this.
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Post by kookosmeloni on Nov 24, 2014 17:54:00 GMT
I really thought so too, until now- The snails were really tiny tho, so maybe that was the issue.
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Post by morningcoffee on Nov 24, 2014 19:37:32 GMT
I've never heard of this either. Are you sure that that's what happened?
Fruit fly larvae don't feed on meat at all, and neither do fungus gnats. So either the larvae in your tank were a totally different type of insect, or it was something else entirely that killed your snails.
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Post by muddydragon on Nov 24, 2014 21:27:09 GMT
Tiny snails can have large numbers of deaths for no apparent reason, quite often it's just one of those things. With being so small, small environmental changes can cause their deaths with larger snails can tolerate (lack of humidity or being too wet are two very common causes). I wouldn't put it past some fly larvae to eat an already dead snail mind which could give the impression that they were the cause. Don't suppose you have any of the larvae still about and could get a good close up photo? (or a good drawing?) to see if perhaps they're something more sinister? What makes you think it was the larvae specifically? (edit: Sorry don't mean to sound like the spanish inquisition there with all those questions , just trying to get to the bottom of it all)
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Post by kookosmeloni on Nov 24, 2014 22:40:56 GMT
It could've been something else that killed the snails, but the larvae were definitely eating the snails. One could also see something that resembled a web of some sorts inside the empty shells... So they were probably fungus gnats? I might have some of them about and could try to get a good pic, but if I don't I could try and fish up a pic from the internet. The only thing that really bothers me is that how and/or why did the flies decide to lay their eggs on only the other baby box and not the other one at all, since there were about 60 babies(some of them were meant to be food for my reptiles) and only half of them were dead. Also, Frankie was in neither of the boxes with the babies, but had a tank of her own. At least she was healthy and a few days before she died, she just stopped eating, but this is really common. Many of the snails also stopped eating calcium.
This is so confusing for me :'D
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Post by muddydragon on Nov 26, 2014 9:37:32 GMT
hmmmmmmm. when i first bred some jadatzi i kept the babies seperate from the parents and i lost a load of very very tiny babies and noticed to a web-like growth in the dead babies shell (almost certainly a fungal mycellium). i had no fly larvae or anything. I endedd up washing EVERYTHING really thoroguhly including each individual living baby (and we're talking feshly hatched sized fulica)and putting fresh substrate in and that was it no more died and no more signs of it.
I think it is far more likely the babies in both cases were killed either by a fungal infection or jus tone of those sudden maass deaths of tiny babies which allowed fungi to take hold and then in your case fly larvae. I think the fly larvae are just there afterwards.
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Slimies
Jan 19, 2015 13:10:40 GMT
via mobile
Post by kookosmeloni on Jan 19, 2015 13:10:40 GMT
Goddammit... Now the big ones are going. It could've just been the age, but Soini was only about two years old. I have no idea what's wrong with the snails. I was a bit surprised to find my big guy dead, he didn't smell that bad, so I guess he hadn't been dead for too long. And so far the dead ones have been the jades. Sorry... I'm just a bit shocked. I mean, I started cooking, that's how much I cared for him. I just have nothing to say right now. Sorry, I'm a mess right now.
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Post by etana on Jan 19, 2015 15:25:11 GMT
Awwww Kookosmeloni... So sorry to hear about your loss.
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Post by muddydragon on Jan 19, 2015 15:36:35 GMT
i'm so sorry to hear this kookosmeloni. If it makes you feel any better jades and jadatzi line snails often (not always) seem to have shorter lifespans probably due to heavy inbreeding.
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mangoandlemon
Achatina tincta
Animals are not a choice for me. They are a lifestyle!
Posts: 671
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Post by mangoandlemon on Jan 20, 2015 22:26:19 GMT
Sorry for your loss.
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Zorst
Achatina tincta
Posts: 734
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Post by Zorst on Jan 20, 2015 23:18:51 GMT
So sorry to hear about kookosmeloni, I recently lost my large Tiger snail so do sympathies.
Zorst
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2015 17:16:34 GMT
Beautiful snails!!! That is good for a phone camera!
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