stunted or genetically small ?

[xyz]

I have four albino fulica from a batch of about fifty, from two adults that laid at the same time, the rest where perfect, now all sub adults at about 5-6cm and perfectly normal with nice big shells and markings, but these four have shells at about 2-3cm, and their shells are very light in colour, I will post pics when I have time. they appear to be perfectly healthy and I am wondering if perhaps they are simply stunted, IE, stopped growing when young because they were ill or something ? or if they have a gene that has kept them small ? I am going to keep them and try and breed from them to see what happens.

[Rachel]

sometimes albinos have slower growth in my experience. i don't know if it is because they are albino but a large amount of albinos i have bred have been smaller than their "normal" siblings. i don't think its anything to worry about, but mabye try giving them extra cuttlefish just in case.

[xyz]

The rest of the brood all grew normally, and fast ! these are not a few albinos amongst normals, and they are not lacking anything in their diet. They are at least 1/3 smaller than their siblings and it is not slow growing, they look as though they stopped growing ages ago. I am hoping I will be able to breed very small "jades " from them,( smaller than a garden snail ) if they are fertile, and of course if they produce small offspring, anyone into genetics out there ? what are the chances ?

[whodoesntlovesnails]

thesnailsanctuary said:

sometimes albinos have slower growth in my experience. i don't know if it is because they are albino but a large amount of albinos i have bred have been smaller than their "normal" siblings. i don't think its anything to worry about, but mabye try giving them extra cuttlefish just in case.

hmmmmmmmmmmm, puzzling.