The mating of two snails is possible but extremely painful for both snails, so it’s not necessarily encouraged. For two snails to mate, one snail aggressively fights the other looking for attention harming both snails in the process. Eventually the pursued snail will give in and involuntarily receive a ’love dart’ full of sperm. [2] X Research source You might see a little white dagger-like thing sticking out of the snails body. Do not attempt to remove this as it could harm the snail even more. The love dart is the equivalent of having a thumb-sized needle in your stomach. To prevent mating, keep an eye out. You might see a snail with its male genitalia out (penis). This is identifiable by the long white stick-like thing close to the shell. Move the snail to a different terrarium until it has fully retracted; this could take a few hours, in some cases up to a day.
Snails need air! They’re not that much different from us! If you put them in a plastic container, make sure you pop some holes in the top. Keep the temperature moderate and comfortable too.
Apples Apricot Banana Blackberry Grapes Kiwi Mango Melon Nectarines Orange, Papaya, Prickly pear, Peach, Pear, Plum, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tomato, Lettuce, Broccoli, Spinach, Cabbage, Cucumber, Green beans, Mushrooms, Peas, Potato, Sprouts, Sweet corn, Turnip, Watercress, and non-seasoned, raw meat. Don’t forget the water![5] X Research source Most snails are nocturnal. If you turn on the interrogation lights at night, they’ll immediately go to hide in their shells. If you’re looking for a good show, they’ll be the most entertaining in early evening, at night, and in the wee hours of the morning. Sprinkle them with water if you want to excite them a bit![4] X Research source
They love damp and dark. You may miss the act of their breeding unless you take up nocturnal habits yourself. Unfortunately, there is not much more you can do other than creating a hospitable environment.
The eggs will start to hatch in 1 to 4 weeks onward in some species but it is genes and possibly species dependent, with additional factors of how long they have been stored internally and the ambient and soil temperature. Eggs do not necessarily hatch uniformly and this is more noticeable in species that have a long gestation period (perhaps 4 weeks). The first (usually an uppermost member) to hatch can be 10 days or more in front of the main group, with some taking noticeably longer. [6] X Research source
