Eobania Vermiculata

[Romulus]

Hello

I am a relatively new keeper of snails and although all seems to be going well I need some advice.
My EV have laid eggs. I was expecting them to be in clutches but they're pretty much laid in near surface and all over the tank.
Having searched here and there I cannot find a reason why that should happen.
I read that usually eggs are transferred in a separate container but I cannot do that without spoiling them.
My questions are:
1) Is it ok to leave them be where they are and perhaps move them after they've hatched?
2) Am I correct in thinking that they usually hatch after 10 days of being laid?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated 

R

[brigliadore]

My EV have always laid in a single little egg clutch (pile). Usually if they are dragged all over the tank either they got interrupted while laying (I have done that to my cepaea many time) or just weren't happy for some reason with the first spot. You can gently pick them up with no problems. Just try and scoop a tiny bit of the soil under the egg. The eggs are sticky and will also sometimes just stick to your finger and then you can transfer them. They might hatch if left alone, though out in the open and not covered means they might dry out more, be eaten, or disturbed in a variety of other ways and generally not hatch.

Snails can hold the eggs inside for a some time waiting for the right moment to lay them. So hatching could be 1 day all the way up to a few weeks. Two weeks is pretty common.

[Romulus]

Thank you Brigliadore.
As of today, said eggs have not hatched. I can see some against the glass underground but they don't seem to show any sign of life.
:-(

When laid, do they grow or change before hatching?
Should I do anything particular in future? Do they need anything specific in soil?
Are earthworms dangerous s to eggs?

X

[brigliadore]

when laid they will be the kinda snow white color and a bit opaque looking. As they develop they will become more grey white and you can see what looks like a snail in them, esp very close to hatching. Eggs can take up to a month to hatch, so I wouldn't give up hope just yet. if they have not hatched after a month you can scoop them out and throw them away. Some batches are just a dud. I have had more then a few that I had high hopes of hatching, only to have nothing come of it. One thing about snails is they lay lots of eggs. So esp with your vermiculata, you will have another clutch to hatch out soon.

Were you keeping that corner fairly well moist? Not drenched in water mind you, but the eggs do need to be kept from drying out. They don't need anything specific in the soil. I don't know if earthworms will eat the eggs, but other wise i am not sure they are that harmful to them.

[Romulus]

Hi B
Thank you.
They have hatched, god knows how many!
I opened the lid to sort the tank and adults and found it full of what looked like tiny greyish seeds. It took me 10 minutes of wondering to establish they were the baby snails.
Furthermore, I lifted the tank and looked at the bottom to find there are about 4 clusters "properly laid".
After more pondering I resolved to transfer all the adults that weren't digging and leave youngs and eggs in the main tank until they get a bit more robust and visible!
I removed the tray and scattered the food, thinking the tray may turn into a pool and drown them.
Prior to the hatchlings etc. I used to grind calcium (cattle fish bone) on the soil, now I'm wondering whether that's ideal for them to build shell or lethal as it might choke or dry them out. How long does it take for them to grow to a size that makes them at least clearly visible?
Not sure what else to do. Please help this novice.

[brigliadore]

EV grow fast but it will still be a month or so before they are a more decent size. I have mine in a small tank (a zoo med Bugarium) as they get tired easily and a small tank is easier for them to find food in. Mine have just a half a cuttlefish bone in one corner. They go and munch on it as they like. Do be careful about water. I had a small tupperware lid for the food in mine and when misting the water collected in the rim and a bunch drowned trying to get in/out of the lid. So now the lid is turned over so there are not any rims. Likewise they can drown in very wet food so be careful of things like mushy sweet potato for the first couple weeks. Mist daily. Offer new and different food often. And dont be worried about their being 50 babies as there will only be half that in a few weeks :-)

[Deleted]

Hello, Quick question I was hoping you may know. I just obtained two EV's and I was wondering the type of habitat you keep yours in (soil, temp, moisture) and also what you're feeding them? One of mine seems to eat and is active often but the other I barely ever see come out and I have yet to see it eat.

[brigliadore]

Sorry to be slow on the reply. I wasn't checking the site for a bit.

EV like a habitat just like any snail. They tend to stick on the side of the tanks so care a bit less about plants (fake or real) or tunnels or tubes like some of my other species do. They prefer snail mix and veggies over sweeter stuff like apples and fruit. At least compared to my cepeae and other species. I keep mine at room temp, which for my work tanks is like 73 all the time. My tanks at home range from 60-66 in the winter and 70-78 in the summer (thats just the temps I keep my house at). They do great. I mist them down daily. They are pretty low fuss.