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Post by mangoandlemon on Oct 24, 2015 15:39:56 GMT
Perhaps he's practicing?
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Post by etana on Oct 24, 2015 17:18:33 GMT
Perhaps. Aw I hope he does have babies soon, I'm sure he'll let them all hitch hike rides on him as he lets the baby Tigers do that too.
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Post by jolovessnailies on Oct 24, 2015 18:55:25 GMT
I think he will make a wonderful daddy love, I too hope something happens soon.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by etana on Oct 25, 2015 19:15:29 GMT
I completely agree, he'll be just great I'm back from my little trip, no hatchlings but even more eggs around the tank. Some are without egg shell, some are hard and perfect, but I doubt they're viable. I'm keeping them all though, time will tell. Usually the shell-less ones disappear pretty soon as someone eats them for a snack. Man these balteata guys take their breeding very, very seriously. It's great to watch but I really hope they succeed!!
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Post by jolovessnailies on Oct 25, 2015 20:23:30 GMT
Good luck love, I am a little concerned about mine as there are no eggs yet, I have made conditions perfect for them or I think I have, I don't know what more I can do. Please keep us posted Etana hun.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Zorst on Oct 31, 2015 8:32:32 GMT
With all this practice hopefully soon some eggs will hatch. I have some more bulldozer eggs I found yesterday , so there also buried in the corner of the large tank. Fingers crossed for some new babies there.
The baby Immac's I adopted went to a new home with my 3 older Immac's the other day, they have a nice big tank at the vets in the waiting area to give people waiting something to watch. I think its great the secretary / vets assistant had giant snails previously so had a free tank and was wondering what to do with it. I offered her some snails so she was glad to take them for the tank and they will be well looked after at the vets. Plus we get to see them once in a while.
Zorst
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Post by etana on Oct 31, 2015 9:28:37 GMT
Congrats for the eggs and for finding such a nice new home for the snails Still no balteata hatchlings, I'm thinking they're so far still all practise eggs, though the number of them is quite strangely big. Also, Mauno and Maija do this weird dance that makes me wonder. A couple examples: Maija will spend a half an hour going over to Mauno who's sticking to the glass, and as she moves she's dripping watery sweat-like slime. Then finally she will kiss and pat his shell gently and sweetly, from tip to front. Mauno gets a huge bulge - and then tells her no! She'll then go away, dig a hole and sit in it for hours. The next day when Maija is sleeping, Mauno will ever so slowly and carefully move a millimeter at a time towards her, finally close enough to touch, place his shell against hers and just sit thinking with a very serious face - and then quietly go away before she wakes up. Right now I think Maija has sealed herself in again for the second time in a short while. I do have to rule out dietary problems, I'll have to feed her more super lunches with spirulina and other highly nutritious and very healthy stuff. I also wonder if they know the tank is a bit too small for breeding right now, as some snails don't breed if there's too much population. I am getting more tanks later this month so we'll see how it goes. And Jo, don't worry about it, just see that your snails are active and eat well and the tank is not cold. With fulica you'll very likely end up with more eggs than you ever wanted in the first place anyway.
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Post by Zorst on Oct 31, 2015 16:07:02 GMT
My thoughts after many hours of watching the Bulldozers is that she just needs some down time so personally I wouldn't be to worried about her at the moment. Egg making and laying are tough on a snail, she just needs some rest bless her.
Re the eggs I've found that some can take forever to hatch, often long after I thought they should have hatched. I cheat and lamp my snails eggs after about 2 to 3 weeks the same way you check chicken eggs to check if they are viable.
Zorst
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Post by jolovessnailies on Oct 31, 2015 20:57:41 GMT
Thanks Etana love, they are certainly warm and cosy in their home as the heat is strong when I do the feeds and water changes in the morning. They are all eating really well too, sometimes I have to put more in at night at they have eaten it all and I think they should eat as much as they like as they are youngsters.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by etana on Oct 31, 2015 21:18:19 GMT
Yeah Zorst, I won't dig her up for a while, let the girl sleep for a bit. That's very good Jo, and yes you're right, no reason to not give food to growing snails. You will find that when the growth spurts are over, there may be days that they eat very little or nothing at all, but that's nothing to worry about as long as they get up to bathe and whatever else little snaily business there is to do. Mauno is having a very strange evening. He sits in a corner, his face against the wall, and when I last checked he'd pushed out 3 eggs. Next to him was Gaius, making hilarious grumpy faces at me when I looked, LOL. I hope all is okay.
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Post by jolovessnailies on Nov 1, 2015 20:00:14 GMT
Thank you for that Etana love because you know me very well already, I would be worrying if they weren't eating as much. Pretty much the same tonight and I really hope there is going to be enough room for everyone once they've grown up, as I have no more room to put anymore hides and it is a bit of a first come first served thing. Two were having a cuddle last night but I couldn't see any bulges but then my eye sight isn't very good. They certainly seemed to be having a kiss at least which was lovely.
Oh dear, mind do that sometimes, sit on their own with their back to everyone and I wonder what is wrong. Perhaps Gaius was trying to make him laugh with his funny faces and cheer him up LOL!!
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by etana on Nov 2, 2015 19:42:47 GMT
You're welcome Aw snaily kisses are so nice, so soft and gentle. Sounds like you may catch them making love sooner or later! Two of mine were kissing this morning too, no bulges here either but it was very sweet anyway. Snails look so thoughtful when they sit like that, facing the wall. Mauno has done it ever since he was a baby, and Mommy Halonen will also go into a corner and just stay there. Funny thing is that when she goes to a specific corner to be alone, nobody else goes near her - but if she rests anywhere else, there is bound to be someone leaning against her big shell. I haven't seen Maija for days now so I think I'll dig her up tonight just to see that she's ok. This morning their tank's coir looked more bulldozed than it ever had before. I laughed that I don't need to stir the coir because the snails do it. I wonder if any of them had been looking for Maija or if they were just being creative and productive.
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Post by etana on Nov 2, 2015 19:57:40 GMT
Found Maija, she has a very thick seal but otherwise seems just fine. I put her back in the tank without doing anything specific to wake her up, I trust she will come back out eventually. Especially since everyone else in the tank is active so I don't have to worry about the conditions.
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Post by jolovessnailies on Nov 2, 2015 20:56:31 GMT
Thank you Etana love, there have been more snuggles today but that is all unless I have missed something. I think that is really interesting about Mauno because they seem to like being with each other and yet she obviously gives out some sort of communication that she wants to be left alone. Some of mine sit on their own sometimes but it isn't usually for long. They will bury themselves too which shows I probably don't have enough hides but I just don't have the room for any more, snailies would have no space to move around if I put anymore in what with food plates and bathing pools etc. I am glad Maija is OK love, when I see mine buried I always wonder whether to disturb them or not. In the Hermit Crab world it is a definite no-no, if a hermie bures himself he is to be left well alone until he surfaces. Are you supposed to stir the coir love? One thing I wanted to ask, I spilt a pet bowl full of water in the tank today and it is quite wet, will this be OK or do I need to change it please? I am always worrying in case I haven't the conditions just right for them.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by etana on Nov 2, 2015 21:18:35 GMT
Yeah, right now as we speak both Mauno and Halonen are in the corners of their respective tanks again, and Halonen doesn't have any other snails near her on a 10 cm radius. I wonder if she's like "Mommy is very, very tired, see you all later". Glad to hear there's been more affection, keep us posted on that. Usually egg checking will cause the coir to be stirred, so there is no need for further stirring aside from that. It's been discussed that snails are best off not awakened from their normal sleep during the day, and hibernating wild-caught snails know what they're doing so there's no need to wake them up. With snails who don't hibernate but seal their shells shut anyway, you have to figure out why they do it. Sometimes they just want a bit more rest, sometimes they do it to survive a problem with the conditions. Burrowing may be completely normal, or they may do it to feel better. So, what are the temperature and humidity levels in your tank? Just asking to rule it out. I know you are looking after a bunch of Margies right now and they're huge diggers by nature. You don't need to change the coir where the water spilled. Take a bucket and squeeze the affected coir one handful at a time until almost no water comes out of it (a drop or two is ok). Then put the coir back into the tank.
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