Which to keep Tiger or Reticulata?

[goose]

Hi guys - am new to this forum so greetings everyone. I used to keep GALS (seems like they would have been fulica sp) when I was younger and have been bitten by the bug again! Great website. Have spent a lot of time reading all the info on this site and others and am trying to decide which species to keep. The tigers look amazing but have read that they are harder to keep and aren't very active - would really like something that doesn't stay in its shell constantly! The other species I like are the reticulatas - so if anyone out there can help with their experiences of these 2 species' characters etc I would be very grateful. Thanks in anticipation!

[Kevin]

Neither species are really difficult to keep, both prefer very humid, warm conditions, ive noticed tigers are much more likely to be active late at night than most other species, they're the 2 largest species of GALS, so both species would need quite a large tank, or storage container.

[LisaLQ]

I found my retic liked drier conditions, much like the fulica. In the more humid tank, with my margies, his shell growth was rubbery and soft, as soon as I swapped him to the drier tank, his shell hardened up and he grew very quickly

Personally I think the easiest snails to keep are immaculatas (although not the two-tone). Some smithiis or pantheras would be great And they're pretty too:

[goose]

Thanks for the help so far - yep I guessed the tigers and retics are pretty big - I have a large set up ready and am only looking to keep 2 (famous last words I know, I 'll probably get hooked and want more!) Will look up more on the smithiis and pantheras too.

[Kevin]

lisalq said:

I found my retic liked drier conditions, much like the fulica. In the more humid tank, with my margies, his shell growth was rubbery and soft, as soon as I swapped him to the drier tank, his shell hardened up and he grew very quickly

Thats interesting, I was under the impression they prefered humid conditions, i keep my ones fairly humid, my 3 largest ones have probably the strongest shells of any of my snails, they are like seashells. Where they are found in the wild, Zanzibar, the humidity is fairly high. Indiviudual snails may be different though? ive read that fulica prefer dry conditions, but ive seen them kept very humid and do just as well.

[LisaLQ]

Yes, I guess they're all individuals. Some of my fulica loved the more humid set up, some of them refused to eat and buried themselves, I guess I just have fussy beggars

Here's a pic from back in April - if you look carefully you can see at the top of his main whorl, it is one solid colour, and where it joins the next whorl, there's been a split there. All that solid coloured shell was grown in the humid tank - and stayed rubbery and soft until we moved him to the drier one, which is where he grew all the lovely new shell from there on (from the black stripe onwards).



He's currently with Kathy but I dont know what kind of set up she keeps him in - drier or more humid. If/when he comes back, he'll go back in with my fulicas or get his own set up with a friend.

Sorry for hijacking the thread there - back on topic - I'd recommend a reticulata over a tiger, as from my experience with Monty, they are much more outgoing. My tigers sleep all day and only come out when I'm in bed ;D

[goose]

Wow Lisalq your reticulata looks beautiful - his shell looks like it healed up fine - I definitely want an active snail - anyone have active tigers? Maybe it is just down to the individual snail? If I had retics I would probably like one normal pigment and one albino - all the babies seem to have gone though

[Moracai]

I don't keep Reticulata's so can't compare with my Tigers. But I feed my tigers each night about 6pm and give them a spray at the same time. They get up and moving then, and stay active after their dinner and are still wandering around by the time I go to bed at 11- ish.

[felix93]

I find both my Tigers and Retics need wetter environment than fulicas. I have got NON- active Tigers, very friendly Brixton Tigers that come out whenever I pick them up, and reasonable active baby Tigers. Retics (all my albinos and brown one) are pretty active too and they can really eat! So I suppose it's a personal choice whether you like to keep Tigers or Retics, but obviously Tigers need even bigger tank.

[LisaLQ]

Didn't Paul say that retics can get very big, almost as big as tigers? So tank wise it would need to be similar sized.

[goose]

I have a 60 cm long exo terra terrarium I was thinking of using - 45 cm wide and 45 cm high - would this be big enough for 2 adults or would I need something bigger?! I think it would make a neat set up but I don't think they do anything bigger than that. Have seen a lot in the forums about Brixton snails - guess they would all be adult though - would like to start with babies ideally.

[LisaLQ]

It'd do while they were babies, but as adults they'd need a bigger tank. You can make great tanks out of plastic storage boxes, or pick up a second hand aquarium fairly cheaply

[Arno]

Personally I think that size will be good for 2 adults(Brixton sized),as they will almost never reach the size they would in the wild.

[LisaLQ]

It'd be a bit cramped, even with smaller Brixtons, I'd think? My quarantine tub is bigger than that

Actually, I'd best measure it...

edited to add - my quarantine tank is 52cm x 40cm. Didn't measure height cos I forgot!

I have two small tigers and one big fella (even he's only 16cm-ish)in there, but it wont be their permanent home, it's just for ease of bare tanking/quarantine. I couldn't keep them in it permanently, it's cramped as it is. They'r moving into their 5ft viv with the margies asap.

[goose]

I'll maybe have to look on ebay for a bigger tank then Anyone else keep tigers or retics and can compare them for me?

[felix93]

IMO, if you are getting baby Tigers or Retics, I think it's better to start with a smaller tank first although you can have a big tank, you will hardly find them in such big tank if they are only about 2 - 3 cm in shell length. When I first got my baby Tigers & Retics, I put them in reasonable size plastic boxes and some of my baby Tigers are still in a big plastic box, not even in their permanent tank yet. You can then gradually switch them to a bigger tank when they grow bigger. My CB Retics are not fully grown although mature enough to mate and the shell length is approx 12cm. The biggest of my WC Tigers shell length is approx 19cm.

PS If you go for the temp plastic storage box atm, you can get hold of one for about £7.00 from Wilkos or any DIY shop.
Hope this helps.

[goose]

Yes thanks - if I manage to get my babies then I will probably keep them in the exo terra since I already have this until they get too big and then look around for something larger - B&Q do ginormous storage boxes at the mo so will have a look at those!

[LisaLQ]

I've got one of these (did have two but gave them to Kathy, got one back off her though!):
www.plasticboxshop.co.uk/index.asp?function=DISPLAYPRODUCT&productid=134

That'd be big enough for 2 tigers, I've kept 2 or 3 margies in it before.

[Val]

pandatazz said:

Neither species are really difficult to keep, both prefer very humid, warm conditions, they're the 2 largest species of GALS,

I would have thought that tigers and margies were the 2 largest species. Are reticulatas larger than margies then?

Val

[section8angel]

I think it's been said that retics can get to the same length as tigers but not as wide.

[Kevin]

valerie said:

pandatazz said:

Neither species are really difficult to keep, both prefer very humid, warm conditions, they're the 2 largest species of GALS,

I would have thought that tigers and margies were the 2 largest species. Are reticulatas larger than margies then?

Val

yeah, reticulata can get larger than margies.

[Val]

WOW!! I hope my albino ones from Sabine grow that big.

Val

[Paul]

valerie said:

I would have thought that tigers and margies were the 2 largest species. Are reticulatas larger than margies then?

Technically, at the time Bequaert wrote his book reticulata were considered ever-so-slightly longer but not as bulky if you see what I mean. But reticulata and achatina are the two biggest, followed by a similar scenario with albopicta and margies.