How many batches from one mating?

[aerliss]

I have MOAR BEHBIES!

*cough*

While digging around for eggs today, I found not only a batch that my nemoralis, Julian, had just finished laying (poor guy, he was probably resting and I went and dug him up and then froze his children!) but also another cluster, buried right at the bottom of the tank, in the very centre.

They were in the process of hatching! So, so tiny! I was as careful as possible once I realised they were snailets and not just eggs. Some have started moving around the little tub I've got them in so I think most are okay.

The thing is, I think they are also Julian's. They are very, very small. Much smaller than the last few batches from the eobania and/or aspersa. Actually they're substantially smaller than the batch that Julian had just finished laying... go figure. I've not noticed the eobania or aspersa burying themselves in that spot so they were either very quick about it, or both sets of eggs came from the nemoralis. And as I've mentioned in another thread, he does tend to go 'AWOL' now and then XD

Soooo (sorry, excited by the tiny cuteness of them) has anyone ever looked into how many batches can be laid from a single mating? Is it likely that both sets came from the nemoralis?

Guess we'll know for sure when they're a bit older XD

BABIES!

I need another tank >_>

[Paul]

Jul 28, 2010 23:10:30 GMT aerliss said:

Soooo (sorry, excited by the tiny cuteness of them) has anyone ever looked into how many batches can be laid from a single mating? Is it likely that both sets came from the nemoralis?

It's really hard to say - how many times do they mate when we don't spot them? They can store sperm and possibly more than one snails'. In my experience of Helix apsersa and Cepaea they tended to lay two clutches, 2-6 weeks apart. But they could easily lay more in a season. I reckon a single snail produces a faily consistent size though, so they sound like they could be from different snails.

[aerliss]

2-6 weeks apart... and I've read elsewhere on one of Cepaealover's threads that Cepaea eggs take about 2 weeks to hatch, so that sounds about right; if the one batch was being laid as the first were hatching.

*bounces* They are the smallest snails I have ever seen!

I think I need to put myself to bed...

[lee2211]

Well, from my own observations my Ceapea has laid 3 batches of eggs. I haven't seem him mating at all with his other tank mates, but I have no idea what they get up to when I'm not looking.

I should think it'd be very difficult to tell how many from one mating, because how do we know the eggs were laid from the sperm of that peticular mating? As Paul said they can store sperm, for up to years I've heard, so there doesn't seem to be a reliable way of knowing how many from one mating.

I find though that my snails lay once every 1/2 weeks. So roughly twice a month, on a regular basis.