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Post by lotsofsnails on Aug 6, 2008 19:24:41 GMT
One baby hatched after 18 months, after the egg was laid (was one from the first eggs, I had removed from the tank, short time, after I got them). wow thats amazing. its hard to believe that the contents of the egg can feed the embryo for that long.
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Post by AlienSnail on Nov 15, 2008 20:14:54 GMT
My Megas have always loved water, mine regularly bathe. I find this to be quite convenient as you can add a little liquid calcium to their water if your Mega doesn't take cuttlefish-bone. I've found mine lazing around in the water for a few hours at a time. To add to Eric's earlier information on Diet .. From personal experience I have found that my Megas get pretty enthusiastic about carrots, sweet potato and cucumber cut into thin strips, and for leafy veg they go for spinach and little gem lettuce. They appear less fussy than some other snails. Habitat/Social Preferences: It is important to note that Megalobulimus live well with their own species, but suffer stress in communal tanks with other species. These are gentle snails that do not harm other snails, but when kept with other species they will become less and less active as time goes on, and will froth, a sign of stress.
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goose
Juvenile
James gave the huffle of a snail in danger and nobody heard him at all
Posts: 58
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Post by goose on Nov 17, 2008 15:51:59 GMT
My baby certainly prefers thinly sliced food and eats a wide variety. Tried him with a small amount of banana recently which he seemed to relish. He spends a large amount of time sitting on his cuttle.
The part in this section about the shell colour is interesting. My baby is about 4 months old now and has a brown shell. However I have noticed recently that on the older part of his shell the brown veneer is peeling off like a thin layer of varnish leaving a paler more robust layer underneath. I wonder if this peeling is a normal process which produces the lighter shell colour of the adults?
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Post by AlienSnail on Nov 17, 2008 19:36:11 GMT
Yes that's a good point. I've seen pictures of these snails with their shells partly brown, and I also had one with brown pacthes that peeled off the shells. I can hardly tell my Megas apart now as they have all gone pale.
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Post by welsh on Nov 17, 2008 21:19:58 GMT
its funny now you say that my megas have all gone pale too, one espically was rather brown
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Post by mikaela on Oct 24, 2010 20:35:39 GMT
I know this is an old post but does anybody know someone that is selling these? Thank you
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Post by AlienSnail on Oct 24, 2010 21:02:39 GMT
Not right now. Unfortunately they will be rarely up for sale. They were once very common but unfortunately they are fast being wiped out in the wild. Sadly there has been an invasion of Achatina Fulica, kept as food for the locals, but they have escaped. Efforts to rid the countryside of A.fulica have also had a bad effect on the M.oblongus. Being as M.oblongus only lay a few seasonal eggs their numbers are not recovering, but are dwindling fast. Efforts are being made to save them... it's too early to say if this will be successful. It's all very sad. Therefore you are unlikely to see fresh imports of these snails. They rarely breed in captivity, though it has been known. Good luck in getting some, they are sought after but rarely sold.
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Post by AlienSnail on Oct 24, 2010 21:09:06 GMT
To add to earlier information.
The peeling of the outer layer of the shells - this is a natural and common occurance. Apparently when they burrow in the wild this accounts for some of the peeling of the outer layer of the shell. Many older snails have white shells because of this.
Breeding. Mine laid eggs when I introduced running water into their tanks. Therefore I would summise that their bfreeding season in the wild is the rainy season. If you would like your M.oblongus to breed it may be worth making sure they have plenty of water.
If anyone has tips on successful breeding please share, it is becoming increasingly important to try to breed these due to their rarity. They are fast becoming an endangoured species.
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eric2
Juvenile
Posts: 122
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Post by eric2 on Nov 15, 2010 12:57:04 GMT
i have some things to add to this thread on my day off my two megalobulimus are suspected of being pregnant as they are swollen hardly fitting in their shells and have put on a hell of allot of weight i am also collaberating all the info i have learnt since the first bit was wrote back in 2008 to make a more in depth guide
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Post by AlienSnail on Nov 16, 2010 18:56:28 GMT
i have some things to add to this thread on my day off my two megalobulimus are suspected of being pregnant as they are swollen hardly fitting in their shells and have put on a hell of allot of weight i am also collaberating all the info i have learnt since the first bit was wrote back in 2008 to make a more in depth guide Ah good luck there Eric, hope they produce little Megas
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eric2
Juvenile
Posts: 122
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Post by eric2 on Nov 17, 2010 11:28:00 GMT
this is what i came up with its based on the original post if you think anything needs changing or added please let me know
Intro Megalobulimus oblongus haemastomus is a hardy species of snail which originates from Uruguay in South America. It can be kept at room temperature up to 28oc but I find room temperature with no additional heating gets them more active. copes well with being posted through cold periods. Breeding is not common in captivity although there are a few people who have been able to get eggs and hatch them, so captive bred snails are not available at present. In recent years it has came to my attention that this species is becoming increasingly rarer in the wild due to only laying a few eggs each rainy season so it is now more important than ever to stop importing these and more effort must be made to help the people that own these snails to get them breeding.
Shell Shell Shape : More elongated but smaller than the nominate species. Shell length : Up to 10cm. Shell colour : Appears white in WC adults although this could just be due to wear as CB juveniles are brown in colour. A bright pink lip appears on the opening of the shell when adult which grows with age.
Breeding Sexual maturity : Unknown but is reached a lot later than most GALS. Mating : Mating occurs during seasonal changes, so if you wish to breed meaglobulimus you will have to put them through a period of dryness for a few months where you don’t mist the tank at all then go into a period of spraying everyday and include a water bowl. After mating the snails seem to bloat slightly and are allot less interested in food and more interested in staying burrowed for days at a time even after being sprayed. No. eggs : Usually 2 x 3cm eggs that seem to lay in a dormant state until conditions are right for the embryo to start growing which could take months, and after these conditions are met they will take the usual 4 - 8 weeks to hatch, for this reason it is best to never disturb the substrate or fully clean the tank. I also believe it is best to leave the eggs where they were laid as the snail usually knows what the correct place for them to hatch will be and there is always a better hatch rate with eggs that are left undisturbed.
Lifestyle Habits in wild : Active all year round apart from 3 months of winter, likes rain gather amongst trees and roots. Diet : Any thinly sliced fruit of vegetables to mimic wild diet of plants and leaves. Calcium can be given by cuttlefish although crushed oyster shell is taken more readily. Lifespan : Unknown, believed to be over 20 years. Related species : Megalobulimus oblongus and subspecies
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eric2
Juvenile
Posts: 122
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Post by eric2 on Nov 24, 2010 13:53:14 GMT
just a bit of scientific information i have found the "moustache" of megalobulimus is known as the buccal fringe
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eric2
Juvenile
Posts: 122
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Post by eric2 on Jan 28, 2011 18:18:48 GMT
i have been looking for this video for a while with no luck so if anyone knows how to get their hands on a copy it would be much appreciated as it does seem very informative
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eric2
Juvenile
Posts: 122
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Post by eric2 on Jan 28, 2011 18:41:17 GMT
i have found more info again relating to the above film it is more detailed with information though
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Post by muddydragon on Jan 28, 2011 23:08:34 GMT
you've probably already tried this but incase you havent: have you tried contacting the university? they might know of something (whether they will look is another matter) i wouldn't be suprised if it was buried in the bowls of the building forgotten. good luck
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