Most species of G.A.L.S. produce clutches of hundreds of eggs in one laying. One should prepare them selves and know what to do when this happens.
Unless you are willing to do a lot of research regarding breeding and deal with culling of the youngster snails, and the task of finding them new good homes, it is advised to dispose of all eggs or only hatch a number of snails you are willing to keep. If this is not done and all or a large number of eggs are hatched it is very easy to become over run with snails who in turn start inbreeding.
Unless you are willing to do a lot of research regarding breeding and deal with culling of the youngster snails, and the task of finding them new good homes, it is advised to dispose of all eggs or only hatch a number of snails you are willing to keep. If this is not done and all or a large number of eggs are hatched it is very easy to become over run with snails who in turn start inbreeding.
NOTE :
Sometimes when a snail reaches adulthood they will lay 'tester eggs'. These are typically a clutch of 1-5 eggs, & are usually infertile.
DISPOSING OF EGGS / HATCHLINGS
Disposing of eggs & hatchlings might sound cruel at first thought, but since snail contraception does not currently exist & with so many snails being born & placed in the pet trade it is essential that only well bread healthy snails are kept in the trade. Bad breeding can lead to many genetic problems that could effect the health of thousands of snails, leading to sick and unhappy snails that die young, leaving behind very sad owners.
There are three ways to safely dispose of snail eggs or hatchlings:
There are three ways to safely dispose of snail eggs or hatchlings:
FREEZING EGGS / HATCHLINGS The eggs / hatchlings should be placed in a bag or container, & then placed in a freezer at temperatures below freezing for 48 hours. This will ensure that the growth process of the cells inside the egg stops. Hatchlings will slowly fall asleep as the temperature cools & eventually pass. The eggs / hatchlings can now safely be placed in the general waste bag / compost bin or buried. Alternatively you can thaw the eggs/hatchlings & use as feed. |
CRUSHING EGGS / HATCHLINGS The eggs / hatchlings should be placed in a plastic bag and then crushed using something heavy like a rolling pin or a large rock / brick. One must ensure to do this quickly & thoroughly to avoid unnecessary pain. Before placing in the general waste bag / compost bin or burring them it is still advised to freeze the crushed eggs/hatchlings . This is to make sure they are surly dead, & they do not escape into the wild. Alternatively the crushed eggs/hatchlings can be given as feed. |
GIVING EGGS/HATCHLINGS AS FEED The eggs / hatchlings can be fed to several animals. Crushed eggs / hatchlings can be fed back to the G.A.L.S. This is extremely beneficial especially for the parent snail that laid the eggs. They are an excellent source of protein. Eggs/hatchlings can be fed to various other animals (list below). In fact many snail keepers will give/sell their snail runts to other exotic animal keepers, this way keeping the circle of life active & nothing is wasted. |
NOTE:
Eggs from snails that are small in size or have any deformity should not be hatched, to stop the bad genetics from continuing.
SELECTING EGGS & RUNTS
When breeding snails one needs to remember that culling is important. In the wild G.A.L.S. have many predators, only around 5 snails from 200 eggs will survive to reach adult hood and breed. When an animal is forced by evolution to make so many eggs, a large number of them are inevitably going to be runts. And this is not a problem in the wild as these runts are eaten before getting to adulthood and never breed. But if not culled, in the pet trade the runts could grow old enough and be bread, resulting in small, malformed G.A.L.S. With usually a short life span.
Stage 1, Eggs. If the thought of culling hatchlings and young snails bothers you then maybe culling while still in eggs might be easier. The largest eggs are more likely to hatch bigger and healthy snails. So only keep the bigger eggs. And only keep as many eggs as the snails you are willing to keep. |
Stage 2, Hatchlings (1 - 7 days old) The larger snails are typically the ones with the best genetics. Therefor one should cull the smaller snails. |
Stage 3, Younglings (1- 4 weeks old) The larger snails are typically the ones with the best genetics. They are the ones that are eating the most, more active & growing. Shell shape is also important. That this age genetic issues with Snail shells could already be obvious. Therefore one should cull the smaller snails and the ones with bad looking shells. |
NOTE :
Remember only keep as many snails as you are willing to house. It's better to have a few less snails & hatch more next time they lay, then having to many & not knowing what to do with them.
CARING FOR EGGS
G.A.L.S. Eggs should be removed from the parent snails. The eggs that you decide to keep should be placed in a small tub with air holes. The eggs should be placed on top of some substrate & covered with some moss for moisture.
The time it takes for eggs to hatch depends on the species and how long the snails have held onto the eggs for. Hatching can take anywhere a few hours to 8 weeks. Eggs should be disturbed as little as possible.
Eggs should be kept at the same temperature as the adults. This could mean a totally new set up or one can place the tub containing the eggs inside of the tank with the adults.
CARE FOR HATCHLINGS
Once the babies G.A.L.S. Start to hatch it will be best to remove the hatchlings to a separate tub. This is to avoid the newly hatched snails from eating the eggs that have not hatched yet.
Baby snails will normally burrow for a couple of days as their shells harden and to rest while they regain their strength after the hatching process.
Baby snails will normally burrow for a couple of days as their shells harden and to rest while they regain their strength after the hatching process.
Hatchlings will need to eat a relatively large quantity of food for growth. It is advised to feed highly nutritional food including protein. A varied diet is crucially important at a young age, to avoid the snails from becoming fussy eaters when older. As always a calcium source should always be provided for the G.A.L.S.
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It is advised to distribute food and calcium source all over the enclosure where the babies are, so as to make it easier for the babies to find food. The baby G.A.L.S. Can spend a lot of energy to find food, and thus spreading the food will make it easier for them. Baby G.A.L.S. Can eat all of the same food the adults can without any need for special cutting/slicing or mashing.
RE-HOMING YOUNG G.A.L.S.
Young G.A.L.S. should be at least 2 cm / 1 inch in shell size before re-homing. They should be happily eating / pooping / growing. If you do not cull your runts, then you should not be giving away/ selling your baby G.A.L.S. as pets.
When finding new homes please make sure to provide the new owner with the following necessary information:
We also advice you to link them to this website.
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Within many EU countries it is possible to post snails.
Many G.A.L.S. Sellers will ship to most countries where there are no custom restriction on snails. This has become very common practice. If you decide to ship snails please follow these packaging instruction to give the G.A.L.S. The best chance of survival through the post. |
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