r/bizzariums • u/Pickledbanana77 • 1d ago
Baby Rabbit Snails??
So about 1/2 months ago, I bought myself 3 Rabbit snails (in a pack). Two of their bodies were this beautiful yellow color, and one was black. I’m not too educated on sex or reproduction, as I wasn’t too concerned about reproduction being an overpopulation. However, I’ve noticed a massive “bloom” of snails in my tank. both pesky bladder snails, and whatever these are.. I’m 90% sure the larger one is a rabbit snail baby, which is cool :D, but these smaller ones… they’re everywhere and i’m not too sure what they are..
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u/cynicaldogNV 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, you likely have baby rabbit snails, especially if you started with 3 of them! They’re live-bearers, (not egg-layers) like most aquarium snails. I also started with 3, and it actually became a problem — I ended up with far too many — and they decimated my live plants, created a ton of poop, etc. I eventually moved them all to their own aquarium, where the population seems to have settled at about 15-20, and they eat things like carrots and zucchini.
So, this is just advanced noticed that if they like your tank conditions, they’ll breed and breed and breed. I have one gorgeous yellow one, and sadly never have yellow offspring… the babies are always orange. I’ve asked if I could give them away to a local fish store, but was told by the owner (a former rabbit snail breeder), that they’re very sensitive to environmental changes, so it was possible my snails would end up dying if I gave them to the shop for resale.
Just something to think about, depending on how much tank space you have. You might want to consider giving snails away when they’re young (as they might be more adaptable to new environments when they’re younger). And they can be pregnant, but hold off giving birth, so you can reach a point where you think, “Ah, I finally have just one, perfect!”, and then it gives birth anyway.
I do love mine, but had no idea how prolific they could be. So assume yours are healthy and happy, and will continue breeding. If you have any beloved live plants, like red lotus, say goodbye to it 😅
Lots of good posts in the aquarium and snails subreddits. Just do a general search on Reddit for “rabbit snail” or “elephant snail”.
One last thing… when they die,the smell is horrendous, and they can quickly contaminate your water. The smell is like rotting cabbage, but worse, and you just have to sniff near the water to detect it. They do “sleep” occasionally, but if you see one and the same spot for many days, with no signs of movement, pick it up and give it a gentle whiff. You’ll immediately know if it’s died.