Aggression?

[Hannah-Bird]

I'm a relative novice at snail keeping; I've had one of my snails for about a year and a half, but I only got the second a few weeks ago. They're both Cepaea nemoralis, and since I've introduced the second to the tank they've been pretty aggressive towards one another. They mostly get along fine by avoiding one another, but whenever they get near each other they start rasping at the other's face. Lenore, the older of the two is usually the one chasing Wendell. They stick out their radulae and really look like they're getting hurt by the nips sometimes. Is this normal? Is it okay? Should I stop it at all? Is it some pre-mating thing? Thanks for any help!

[coyote]

Hi Hannah-Bird During courtship snails will nuzzle each other with their mouths, which may cause one or the other to retract momentarily. However, I have also seen genuine aggression (in an overcrowded tank), and there was a subtle but distinct difference in the behavior.

It's hard to say in your case, but I'd assume that, if both are no longer juveniles and the tank is not overcrowded, the behavior is probably courtship. You may be looking forward to a clutch or two of eggs in the near future.

[Hannah-Bird]

Thanks, Coyote! They seem to be getting on well these days, so it would seem that it was affectionate in nature.