horrr0r
Achatina achatina
Posts: 75
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Post by horrr0r on Sept 23, 2015 12:03:21 GMT
I keep seeing my fulica hatchlings, mostly 10 days old, eating their own feces. The food I put in (apples and carrots) is being eaten too, and the eggshells have been completely gone/eaten for several days, but I faintly recall reading something about hatchlings eating their mom's feces.
The hatchlings have never seen an adult before, I removed the box they were laid in out of the main tank, and haven't put them in ever since.
Do they need to eat their mom's feces, is that why they are eating their own? Is it just their mom's, or any adult of the species? Should I move the mom in with them, or them into the main tank?
I'm afraid of them getting slimed over/suffocated by the foot of a large snail, I'm afraid of them having more of a chance to get sick in that environment (the tank has a few baby leatherleaf slugs and 15 snails, 2 of which are pretty big, a few of which only just started getting their striped markings, and the rest in between). And I'm afraid of them being bothered by the very large amount of springtails in the tank (globular and the thin beige ones - I hate them, there are so many).
So what do I need to do?
Oh, also, why do they keep falling off the walls and ceilings? I always hear the sound of them falling and hitting the ridge (there is a ridge around the perimeter/where the walls meet the substrate) or the plastic lid food dish or little plastic hide. My boyfriend thought they lose their grip when they fall asleep, or possibly fainting from not enough air circulation (the air holes but very tiny because they share their space with baby B. similaris and A. gracile, who will fit through bigger holes)?
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mangoandlemon
Achatina tincta
Animals are not a choice for me. They are a lifestyle!
Posts: 671
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Post by mangoandlemon on Sept 23, 2015 15:05:49 GMT
What is the temperature in the tank? If it is a multi species tank it may be to hot/cold for them.You should look into a heat mat. The ideal temp for a fulica is 21c to 23c. Be careful though as the heat mat may suck up the moister from the substrate. A hygrometer may be useful for helping you know how moist it is. If they are falling off the walls I would think they need more protein, such as boiled egg, soaked dog treats, meal worms, tortoise food,sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,and oats. Seeds need to be soaked first. You are right about the ventilation, you may want to consider separating the small species so the others are happy. From petsnails uk '' It must be large enough to accomodate them, with good ventilation''. I would not worry about other snails squishing the smaller ones, as they are quite careful about them. Also I doubt the sping tails would bother them, but you could order some predatory mites to kill them if you feel the need. MangoandLemon.
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horrr0r
Achatina achatina
Posts: 75
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Post by horrr0r on Sept 24, 2015 7:25:59 GMT
What is the temperature in the tank? If it is a multi species tank it may be to hot/cold for them.You should look into a heat mat. The ideal temp for a fulica is 21c to 23c. Be careful though as the heat mat may suck up the moister from the substrate. A hygrometer may be useful for helping you know how moist it is. If they are falling off the walls I would think they need more protein, such as boiled egg, soaked dog treats, meal worms, tortoise food,sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,and oats. Seeds need to be soaked first. You are right about the ventilation, you may want to consider separating the small species so the others are happy. From petsnails uk '' It must be large enough to accomodate them, with good ventilation''. I would not worry about other snails squishing the smaller ones, as they are quite careful about them. Also I doubt the sping tails would bother them, but you could order some predatory mites to kill them if you feel the need. MangoandLemon. It's definitely not too cold, I'm in hawaii if anything too hot. It's usually super humid too, the air is moist because it rains multiple times a day. Temp is maybe 26 during mid day and 24 at night, and sometimes hotter. But if bit gets hot we usually put the AC on set at 22. I don't know how to keep them cool when I'm not here, though :/ the mom was wild caught in this climate, outside which is more sunny and humid but has a slight breeze. I've often thought of putting the adult tank outside for this reason, but I'm not sure if it'll be better or worse, so I think im going to order a thermometer + hygrometer to be sure. How often should they have protein sources? I've always been bad with that, it's something I need to learn to feed more regularly to my grown GALS as well as introduce it early on to the babies. I sometimes give my adults soaked fish food (Hikari seaweed extreme) that's 33% protein (content-wise) but that's usually just a tiny smear on the tip of a spoon. Also, do you know anything about the babies eating the parents poop to get gut bacteria or something? Or am I remembering this wrong? Haha Thanks!
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mangoandlemon
Achatina tincta
Animals are not a choice for me. They are a lifestyle!
Posts: 671
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Post by mangoandlemon on Sept 24, 2015 13:08:00 GMT
Yes the babies do eat it to get some gut bacteria. I give my snails protein once a week, and they are fine with it. Your welcome!
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