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Post by catriona on Feb 1, 2010 22:01:22 GMT
I have two giant African land snails which I've been keeping in separate tanks for about a year and I've just found two eggs in one tank. They're about two centimetres long, they're a yellowish colour + I found them in the metal shelter in the tank. I didnt know snails could self fertilize! I'd like to keep one or two babies but i don't know what to do if he lays loads more eggs. How long do they take to hatch? I'm not sure if I should keep them in the tank with him or if there's less chance of them surviving if I do. Would it be better to keep them in the shelter or put them on the soil - the shelter's warm but it can get very dry?
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Dusk
Achatina tincta
In ur viv stealin ur snailets
Posts: 665 
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Post by Dusk on Feb 1, 2010 22:39:24 GMT
If the eggs are that big, the snails are an archachatina species - margies perhaps? In which case they usually lay 3-8 eggs at once, so you're unlikely to be overrun with them and they're usually easy to rehome.  I'm usually inclined to leave the eggs where they are, but in this case they might be better off buried in the soil to keep them warm and damp. Were the snails adults before you started keeping them seperately? |
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danikat
Achatina achatina
Posts: 85
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Post by danikat on Feb 1, 2010 22:47:43 GMT
They probably will lay more eggs at some point. If you don't want to keep them the best thing is to remove them ASAP and freeze them.
They don't take too long to hatch but I don't think it'll happen if they get too dry. The best option is to bury them in a warm area of the soil.
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Post by catriona on Feb 2, 2010 16:35:35 GMT
They were about one year old when I put them in seperate tanks but that was a year ago. They can't keep eggs inside them for that long can they?
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Dusk
Achatina tincta
In ur viv stealin ur snailets
Posts: 665
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Post by Dusk on Feb 2, 2010 16:53:03 GMT
No, but if they mated before that, it's possible they stored the sperm until they felt like laying... or it could be self-fertilisation, it's hard to say Could be either. |
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Post by catriona on Feb 2, 2010 21:55:23 GMT
The white bit at the side of his head (i think that's where the sperm comes out) looks a bit whiter and sort of sticks out a bit more than normal. So maybe that means he has self fertilized.
Would he lay any more eggs now or would he lay them all at once? I haven't found any more.
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