# Our Giant African land snail had babies..all by itself!!



## Blissfullsilence (May 7, 2010)

Now I know they say GALs can hold on to sperm and use it later but we have had Spike for almost 4 years now so it's been that long since he (we decided he was a boy when we got him lol) has been with other snails, can they really hold on to it that long I wonder? I also read that sometimes they can self fertilise, which seems more likely to me, In which case Spike is a mummy and a daddy... freaky. 

I was totally not prepared for babies, I was cleaning the substrate when I came across the eggs and some already hatched babies in two separate clutches, at first I figured they couldn't be alive surely, but they are!! I looked at the little babies with a magnifying glass and I could see them moving around hehe. So I carefully put them in a plastic tub with some substrate and food and cuttlefish, I will keep them moist and warm, is there anything else I should do?

Now the problem, one lot of eggs I can handle, but what on earth will I do if Spike keeps laying? Freezing them seems so heartless =/ but I guess it's the only option in the long run, I really hope this was a one off =/ He started digging again straight after I took out the other eggs.


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## TheMetaphysicalNinja (Aug 18, 2009)

Blissfullsilence said:


> Now I know they say GALs can hold on to sperm and use it later but we have had Spike for almost 4 years now so it's been that long since he (we decided he was a boy when we got him lol) has been with other snails, can they really hold on to it that long I wonder? I also read that sometimes they can self fertilise, which seems more likely to me, In which case Spike is a mummy and a daddy... freaky.
> 
> I was totally not prepared for babies, I was cleaning the substrate when I came across the eggs and some already hatched babies in two separate clutches, at first I figured they couldn't be alive surely, but they are!! I looked at the little babies with a magnifying glass and I could see them moving around hehe. So I put carefully put them in a plastic tub with some substrate and food and cuttlefish, I will keep them moist and warm, is there anything else I should do?
> 
> Now the problem, one lot of eggs I can handle, but what on earth will I do if Spike keeps laying? Freezing them seems so heartless =/ but I guess it's the only option in the long run, I really hope this was a one off =/ He started digging again straight after I took out the other eggs.


Heyy, How old is he roughly? Only, if he's not much older than 5ish, I'd doubt it's sperm from being with others, and most likely his own :lol2: 
What sp. is Spike? might be able to help you out with the babies. 
if you want to keep the babies, best thing to do is exactly what you've done, separate them so they dont get smushed lol, then just treat them as fragile adults, food/heat etc. 
He probably wont keep laying, it's unusual for them to self fertility anyway, so one clutch is probably going to be the lot lol. 
'fraid the only option if he does though (and you dont want them) is to freeze the eggs 
: victory:


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## Blissfullsilence (May 7, 2010)

Well I guess he is not much older than 5, he was only little when we got him, about 3cm. He is a Achatina fulica. Not one of the sought after species but I love him <3


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

It doesn't happen very often but it does sound like self fertilisation is the answer here. In 10yrs and thousands of snails, many different sp. ive only had it happen 3 times all were A. fulica.


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## Blissfullsilence (May 7, 2010)

Crikey I didn't realise it happened that rarely.


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## birdie86 (Aug 17, 2009)

If he had babies on his own it is highly probable it is not a fulica but an immaculata


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

birdie86 said:


> If he had babies on his own it is highly probable it is not a fulica but an immaculata


explain how you came to that conclusion, please?


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## cloggers (Mar 13, 2010)

woah four years is pretty impressive 
freezings the only real way you can get rid of them, unless your like me and have a lot of people to take them and my local rep shop will take them aswell : victory:



Pleco07 said:


> explain how you came to that conclusion, please?


immaculata- immaculate conception?
but i dont think thats what he meant :blush: just my observation


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

cloggers said:


> woah four years is pretty impressive
> freezings the only real way you can get rid of them, unless your like me and have a lot of people to take them and my local rep shop will take them aswell : victory:
> 
> 
> ...


:lol2:


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## Blissfullsilence (May 7, 2010)

We have kept them all by the way, we are going to get them to a decent size then try and home them all, luckely it wasn't a large clutch, and he hasn't laid anymore yet


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## saint (Jun 19, 2010)

*Hello!*

All land snails are hermaphrodites:gasp:, producing both spermatozoa and ova. I think that this could be why your snail reproduced by itself. I hope this helps.: victory:


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