Lovesick snail practises egg laying?

[etana]

Hey,

I'm 99.9% sure that nobody has mated with anyone in my GALS tank. In fact my Taavetti should be the only one there who even could (he sure seems really lovesick, getting huge bulges on his cheek when he makes eyes at the other ones, like "ohh I wish you were just a little bit older"). However today I found a single egg near where Taavetti was sleeping! 

Taavetti was in a position that didn't allow me to peek into his breathing hole, though I will when he lets me.

How common is this? Is the poor guy so eager to experience snail love that he practises all aspects of it already, even egg laying?

[cliath]

I think that can happen, I've heard a few times that snails that have been on there own for their whole life, laid a very small clutch of eggs. But they usually don't hatch, I think.

[muddydragon]

Yup they can lay test eggs which s normally just one or two he's just practicing . Taavetti wants to be a mummy

there has been talk in the past of self fertilisation, i'm a bit dubious about this since they can store sperm so long and potentially mate when quite small so i don't know if people just got snails that had previously mated. I don't hear much eithe way as not many people keep snails on their own

[tangowhiskeygirl]

This is interesting! We're currently keeping only one snail who was too young to get pregnant when we got it. But I recently found a single baby snail in the tank together with it. Maybe we've both had Christmas miracles Etana!

[etana]

Thanks for the comments guys.

I still haven't found that big old fulica for Taavetti, to be his friend and mate. I really need a strike of luck because snail sellers aren't active in Finland at this time of the year due to the weather (maybe more Christmas miracles could happen? ). But at least I know Taavetti will appreciate it when I finally do. <3

I looked into his breathing hole, he's definitely not full of eggs.

Hopefully he can't see that two Arianta are mating right now in the next tank. He could get jealous!

[Zorst]

Ahh I do feel for poor love stick Taavetti, you'll have to keep the eggs n find out if they are viable or not.

On the egg front here the other snail finally laid its load of eggs n we now have 16 eggs. My eldest rug rat is delighted, so these eggs we'll keep and see if they hatch. But I've already told her the next lot will be frozen as I don't want to be inundated with an army of Bulldozing Giant snails lol.

We'll look to sell some of the young if they do hatch and survive next spring / early summer when they have grown a bit and the weathers warmed up. Until then I'll be stocking up on plenty of extra substructure for the baby bulldozers to practice tunnel making with lol.

Zorst

[etana]

Zorst, that comment was just cute overload! I keep thinking of the mini baby bulldozing snails, practising tunnel making and turning small things over. Aaaawwwww.

I didn't keep Taavetti's first lone egg, but if he lays more I will keep them and see what happens. I doubt he's self-fertilising though because little Tauno seems to be just an iota away from being mature, despite his size.
Well, that is unless Taavetti is totally sick of waiting for Tauno to help him out in becoming a mom, anyway, and doesn't believe in big old surprise snails appearing in the tank.

Who knows though. There's still time before Christmas.
* puts up 'wanted' classified ads for old fulica at Finnish websites *

[Zorst]

Ahh the visions of 16 baby Margie bulldozers keep me laughing every time I think of them . Man I'm going to have to invest in some more tanks n peat real soon .

Good idea looking for some more to keep him company.

Zorst

[etana]

Btw, do GALS rest more when they're pregnant? Taavetti has been sleeping much more lately than before, and yesterday, after he hadnt't moved for 2 nights and 3 days, I checked on him. He came out of his shell immediately when I picked him up, bless him. He was fine, looking fatter than last time, and I attempted to peek into his breathing hole. He didn't open it fully though. I could tell he was not full of eggs, but I think I saw a round thing that I hadn't seen before. Maybe. Hmm.

My small snails always look mega fat right before they lay, I suppose because eggs move through their body to the front.

I'll be posting what Taavetti does next. Right now he's sleeping, again.

[muddydragon]

i generally don't see much evidence of them carrying eggs (larger or lazier) other than being able to see them through the pneumostome.

[etana]

Hmm, that's good to know. Thanks.

[etana]

Okay, now, many days later, Taavetti is still "resting". He seems to only move around to change sleeping places. I've put him on food a couple times, he feels around it but doesn't eat - he just snails off and goes back to sleep. His growth spurt is also certainly over, the others are catching up to him in size fast (except for little Tauno).

I last saw him poop 2 days ago, looked like he'd been eating soil at least.

He comes out of his shell immediately if I pick him up, sticks hard to my hand and caresses my fingers. Also if I put him near running water, he puts his head right into it and dances afterwards.

I don't see anything wrong with him, other than some super sticky slime near his breathing hole, and a few of those springtails(?) (yeah, my exams are over soon, I'll get that magnifying glass out) walking on him; those bugs seem to gather in bigger numbers on food, poop and water anyway.

Yesterday he briefly deep retracted when I put him on food, but came right back out when I patted on the edge of his foot.

Is this how big snails take a rest period normally? Or is there something I should look for in him? I don't know if he's been laying more practise eggs (cleanup/egg hunt day is coming tomorrow), but if he has, would post egg laying exhaustion look like this?

I've seen post egg laying exhaustion in my small snails, basically I find them next to egg clutches completely out of their shells, unconscious, their bodies all limp, and placing them on high-protein food helps - they'll happily eat it when they wake up. That's all I know from experience though.

[Zorst]

The Margie Bulldozer's who laid these 16 eggs pretty much slept for a good week. They ate a bit when I woke em up n enjoyed there bath but decided sleeping in the flower pot was far more important than even tunneling which is there fav past time bar eating lol.

How long ago did he become like this was it straight after laying his egg or later? If he's waking up when you go to wake or move him that's good just keep periodically putting him on his food. He'll eat something, I made a snail mash n when the bulldozers were ready they ate every bit of it. I just made sure they have some of there fav foods in the mix and around them.

Let us know how he is.

Zorst

[etana]

Um, he definitely became sleepier after laying the one egg, and he was sleepy a couple days before it, too. Thinking of it, he has definitely eaten other things than soil on some days since then, but much less than before laying.

Maybe the egg hunt will reveal something. Sounds suspicious that a single egg would make him that tired when they're supposed to survive laying many. Unless it was a milestone in growth and the all around changes in him are tiring.

I'll post if I find more eggs or something else changes. Thanks Zorst.

[Selena]

I also have a snail who have produced two eggs and no more. one of those eggs was sticked on the wall and the other lay in the waterdish. it was also a period that often these bumps appeared. Eggs never came out.
But i have also heard: after just one pair a snail could lay eggs a several time. I do not know if there could be a long period between mating and laying eggs resulting from the same fertilization?

[etana]

Yes, snails can store sperm for months, even a year I think. With some species it's been proven in labs that they might mate with many different snails, but they can choose how many babies they have for each snail in one clutch. Cepaea, for example, can do this. It's very fascinating!

My Taavetti often has a bump on his cheek, but he's just lovesick (and maybe also really, *really* happy to see his food, cuttlebone, bathtub and friends, lol). He definitely wasn't mature enough to mate when I got him, so he's not carrying old sperm - it was very obvious when the day came that he crossed that line.

[Selena]

Its very interesting, i was also very suprised about all the different ways of oviposition by specie. Some snail bare even living babies and some lay 100 eggs at a time and some of them just 6, but very big ones (2 cm) or snails which fertilize itselve. Now i have red this thread about test eggs, i did not know that before.

haha i also saw that bump appearing when i do something they realy like. Par example: a shower or fresh food. haha i was already wondering if there could be a connection. I touched that bump once (accidentally of course while giving him a shower)and he absolutely hated it! it was so terrible for him, he immediately withdrew into his shell, as if he was in mortal danger. How will I ever dared to do that!! so don't try at home ';-)

[etana]

Wow, who lays 2cm eggs?!

Poor snail and his sensitive bump. Awwww hahaha.

Anyway I stirred through the soil today, and I didn't find any eggs. I guess it is possible that Taavetti has hidden them super well and I just missed them, but I doubt it (unless he's managed to put them under the plants, under the root or something crazy like that). Meanwhile, Taavetti has woken up on his own 3 or 4 times today, he's sleeping in a different place in the tank every time I look. Hmmm.

[Selena]

some of the archachatina species laying eggs of that size. I'm still impressed about that.

I don;t think snails are able to hide there eggs like you discribed. but you never know, maybe he actually is hiding and trying to distract you by moving it selve all the time. haha
Some of my snails are acting weird those days as well. Maybe it is full moon? When it is full moon, my cats (par example) are very hyper and weird all night long. Maybe snails to?

[etana]

Ah right, they do grow up huge, so a 2cm egg is possible for them.

Snails often dig holes for egg laying, and my GALS tank plants are growing in the soil itself so it is in fact possible he's been able to lay under them.
Yesterday he eventually dug a hole in the corner of the tank and went in so deep, only the tip of his shell could be seen. It looks like he didn't come out of it at night.

I have no idea about snails and full moon, though I have noticed their sleep routines are quite different from mine.

[Selena]

maybe he is kind of phantom pregnancy. More animals have that, they act like they going to have offspring, but they haven't for real. because he dug a hole. Snails who lay eggs also dug a hole and stay in it for 24 hours and lay eggs in that hole.... right? maybe he is still practicing.
i'm curious if you find more eggs in his hole, after he left.

[etana]

Oh! I honestly have no clue if snails can get phantom pregnant. I've heard of that in dogs.

Taavetti didn't lay eggs in that hole, but then again he digs a lot of holes anyway just to sleep in them. Yes, my small snails dig holes for laying and it takes them hours to dig, hours to lay, and even after that they lie there unconscious for ages, poor little fellows.

He's still not eating, now he's not even pooping, but he doesn't look ill at all. I bathed him in a green tea bath and he seemed to like it. I suppose he's just having a break in between growth spurts and will eat when he's ready.

[Zorst]

As long as he seems happy healthy n active just keep offering him fresh food until he eats.

My tiger snails been asleep for about a week now, he's briefly snailed about a bit n is now asleep again, he's not been eating but I'll give him a few more days n then wake him up, bath him n give him a good feed.

Zorst

[etana]

Yeah the thing is, he's happy and active on my hand (and that's when I see nothing wrong with him). In the tank he only sleeps, and moves to sleep elsewhere.

I hope your Tiger snail is okay. Mine's had two days of continuous sleep now too, but he's done that every now and then all along, so I'm not worried yet.

At least my little Tauno and my balteata Mauno are very active at nights, eat their new cuttlebone like it's going out of style, and feed lots too. Mauno is having a huge growth spurt (and maybe Tauno is having a little one, poor slow growing snailie). If everyone was sleepy and not eating, I'd be worried about my tank conditions.

[muddydragon]

sometimes when they reach adulthood they can just become lazy i wouldn't worry too much as long as he is eating and occasionally active (or maybe it's that teen aghhhhhhh mornings! sleepy age).