|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 12, 2016 6:23:17 GMT
They are hatching!!! I can see super tiny shells at the cepaea side of the tank. The Helix A. Are still in the eggs i think. But they are bigger snails and the batch came few days later so i expect them so take some more days. Here are the pics. Not that sharp because i only have a phone camera + the lens kept focusing on the water drops... The Helix A. eggs: And the Cepaea N. baby's
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 12, 2016 12:35:05 GMT
I placed some painting tape over a lot of the holes because i really do think they can go trough it. I left some open at the top. I placed the tape on the inside so they can't get stuck on the sticky side.
|
|
|
Post by Borini. on Jul 12, 2016 17:45:13 GMT
Congratulations on your success. You'll sit in awe at the amount of life in your terrarium!
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 12, 2016 17:52:42 GMT
Thanks They are still in the soil for now. I read somewhere that they can stay there up to a week. I'll just let them do their thing as they would do in nature. Do snails grow fast? They are sooooo super tiny now!
|
|
|
Post by Borini. on Jul 12, 2016 18:43:59 GMT
That's the best course of action, leaving them be. It differs between breeds but I believe yours will grow fast, off the top of my head.
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 12, 2016 18:48:01 GMT
I really hope they don't go trough the air holes. Most are sealed with paper tape but the top ones are still open because they need air obviously. If they grow a little i will be happy with that. I placed some cucumber there and sepia in case they might dig out of the dirt looking for food.
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 13, 2016 7:09:13 GMT
The Helix a. also hatched last night. They are a lot bigger than the Cepaea. I hope they don't harm them (or eat them by accident). There are 2 of the Cepaea already digging their way up.
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 13, 2016 11:45:44 GMT
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 13, 2016 17:38:11 GMT
Small question. I just did a quick count and i think i have over 20 cepaea baby snails now. Obviously i'm not planning on keeping them all. I also have about 10 Helix a. baby's. I was wondering at what age they could be released. Is it best to release them where i live? I don't have a big garden, just a small garden in front of my house but i do have a LOT of snails. There is a forest not that far from my house, maybe they would be more happy there? Are they going to be fine if they are raised captive and then go into the wild with predators?
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 14, 2016 8:05:58 GMT
There are weird critters in my baby snail tank. A small insect that is translucent like them is running around. It's not a mite cause i've seen mites on snails outdoors and it doesn't look like that. There is also a colorless small worm that sticks to the side of the tank. They are both with my baby cepaea snails. I have totally no idea how those might get in my tank. I used coco fiber soil from the old tank of my grown up snails and nothing from the outside came in there. I want to take out that worm but i can't because i will disturb the baby's doing so. The little bug like thing is fine but the worm worries me. Maybe it's that heartworm parasite or something?
|
|
|
Post by Borini. on Jul 14, 2016 18:50:42 GMT
The worm is probably a type of nematode. Their eggs are airborne, and can thus come from anywhere. There are far too many species to count, and identifying them would be difficult without an expert. I've had them before when my tank was too moist. I reduced the wetness and they soon vanished. I'm unsure if the species in your tank is harmful to the snails (chances are they aren't harmful - so don't panic). Is it on the snails physically or on the glass? RE: Releasing. If you plan on releasing CB snails I would begin feeding them vegetation found in your chosen area, i.e. your forest. Of course the mortality rate will sky rocket after release - but this is nature. You will be giving them a good start - most in the wild would fail to reach maturity. RE: White creature. It could still be a mite. Can you distinguish it under a magnifying glass? It does not sound like Riccardoella limacum, so that's a relief. This is Riccardoella limacum - which would feed on the snail's blood. When you offer such humid conditions with an abundance of food, its inevitable that you'll get some unwanted visitors. I would imagine the creature is doing more good than harm. If the snails appear agitated by it, then measures should be taken. I released predatory mites that were packaged with prey mites a few months ago into my terrarium. They're both thriving, not agitating the snails, and contribute to the little eco-system.
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 14, 2016 20:18:56 GMT
Well i'm only planning to release them when they are a bit bigger so maybe chances are higher that more of them make it. I'm gonna pick about 2 of them to keep and the other will be set to the wild. I thought about the forest because i think it's more safe for them. The white bug was longer in shape than these white mites that are more round. I've seen the mites on a snail outside but this critter didn't look like it or like the ones in that picture. The white bug is also in my baby snail tank, not with the big snails. It doesn't seem to bother them and the critter seems quite shy. The moment i moved a bit of dirt it took off into the soil. Same with the little worm by the way. It did look a bit like a nematode, i did some search on little white worms. It has been on the side of my plastic tank. At first i thought it was some slime till i saw it move a bit. Now the baby tank is pretty humid because i wanted to keep the eggs as humid as possible so they wouldn't dry out.
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 15, 2016 12:15:30 GMT
The first snails are appearing on the surface. The Helix a. seem to develop faster than the Cepaea. They came out of the eggs the last but came up the first. All Cepaea are still munching on their eggs and hanging beneath the dirt in a clutch. They did grow a bit to my surprise! They were super super tiny a day ago and i could swear when i looked this morning that they are bigger!
|
|
|
Post by eibhlin on Jul 16, 2016 9:50:47 GMT
Oh my... i have about 30-35 Helix snails How do i keep those till they are big enough to release? With the Cepaea counted in i have like about 50 snails!! FIFTYYY!!!
|
|
|
Post by Borini. on Jul 16, 2016 15:22:58 GMT
Yes, it can be overwhelming - but congrats! I know you are in mainland Europe and not the UK, but we have ideal tubs that can be used for snails at stores such as Wilko (for any guests reading).
Check Ikea, you'll be able to pick up storage tubs of various sizes, and just drill some holes in. It wont look the most appealing but will happily house the snails if your main/showpiece terrarium gets overcrowded.
|
|