The Achatina snail laid eggs in the aquarium, what should be done

It can be both exciting and a little unsettling to discover that your Achatina snail has begun to lay eggs in your aquarium. Because snail eggs hatch quickly, there can be an unanticipated rise in population. You may be wondering what to do next after reading this.

Whether your goal is to prevent overcrowding in your tank or to raise the baby snails, knowing how to handle these eggs properly is essential. You can maintain the health of your aquarium and effectively manage the situation by taking a few easy steps.

This post will walk you through the actions you need to take to make sure your aquarium stays in balance while taking care of the eggs your Achatina snail has laid.

What to do with eggs

If there are too many eggs in the Achatina clutch, or new snails are not needed at all, there is a need to control their numbers. It is very important to prevent uncontrolled reproduction of these mollusks, given that snails are very fertile. Many of their species are capable of reproducing offspring several times a month. At the same time, each clutch can contain up to 300 or more eggs. Leaving all the eggs is not a good idea from the point of view of humane attitude to nature. Snails will not be able to live and develop normally in an overcrowded terrarium. And it will be simply impossible to provide them with proper care. Finding so many people willing to shelter a mollusk, even an exotic one, at home will also not be easy. Especially considering that this will have to be done very often. When an Achatina snail has laid eggs in an aquarium, the best decision would be to get rid of them at this stage, before the babies hatch from them. After all, there is a big difference between freezing eggs and living mollusks. If you decide to leave the offspring, within the next 3-4 weeks the snails will need to be placed in caring hands, given their ability to grow very quickly. If this is not done, they will need a new spacious terrarium. The snails will become very cramped in the old one. The amount of food consumed by Achatina per day will also increase. Therefore, when leaving offspring, you need to be absolutely sure that you can find a home for it. The African snail feels good in a terrarium with transparent walls. A spacious aquarium or a plastic food container will also suit it. In transparent containers, it is quite easy to see the mollusk clutch, even if it is on its bottom. Once a week, you need to lift the container and inspect its bottom to notice the eggs in time.

Types of eggs

  • A normal fertilized egg (most of them) with a snail embryo has a dense shell. Its color varies from white to yellowish.
  • A fat egg rather resembles a translucent caviar with jelly-like contents. Instead of a shell, it has a thin film. And its purpose is to provide nutrients for future small snails. The number of fat eggs in one clutch usually does not exceed 1 – 2 pcs.
  • Unfertilized egg looks like a normal one, but there is no embryo inside. Most often, they are laid by Achatina, living alone, without a partner. The number of false eggs does not exceed 10 pieces. for Achatina and 1 – 2 pieces. for Archachatina. If the mollusk has a pair, its next clutch will be full-fledged.

Actions to eliminate the clutch

  1. If this happens, first of all, do not panic.
  2. Using a tablespoon, remove all the eggs from the ground, and put them in a plastic bag.
  3. After this, tie the bag tightly and send it to the freezer for a day.
  4. Then throw all the contents into the trash can along with the bag. It is imperative to freeze the eggs. So that the hatched mollusks do not begin to reproduce in the wild.

Achatina eggs are prized as a delicacy in some nations (snail caviar). They can also be dried and used as adult food after being frozen.

Culling

Cull the eggs if you must reserve some of the progeny for future breeding. Some of them may be too small or shaped strangely, which suggests that the embryos inside are weak and suffering from developmental problems.

The clutch’s initial offspring will grow up to be robust and healthy. As a result, the remainder are frozen and they are allowed to grow.

Be ready for the following if the Achatina snail has produced a lot of eggs and it would be a waste to freeze them.

Insufficient room hinders the snail’s growth. Its shell may not grow at all, or it may grow slowly. Its deformation is also a possibility.

Snails are notorious for their cannibalism. Simultaneously, stronger and older mollusks start to devour the weaker ones, which is incredibly cruel to permit.

Achatina under confined spaces undergo extreme stress. They consequently start to grow in spurts. Such a snail’s shell is covered in scars.

Defective members of the Achatina snail species are produced through intentional breeding, whereby all offspring are raised without any culling. Then, these mollusks could end up in someone’s hands and breed mutant gene-carrying progeny. There’s a natural culling process in nature. Only the strongest snails survive; the weaker ones are devoured first. Such people can live for no more than a year at home. They shouldn’t be left in the egg stage as a result.

Making feed

You can use the snail’s eggs as a supplement for other mollusks if it has laid any. To accomplish this, you must perform the following actions:

  • Achatina eggs are washed from the remains of the soil, placed in a plastic bag or plastic container, and sent to the freezer.
  • After 2-3 days, they are placed on a battery for drying. After 1-3 days (large eggs dry more slowly) they should begin to crumble. This will indicate the completion of the drying process.
  • Some snail breeders dry the clutch without freezing. Dried eggs should be ground and given to snails in any quantities as an independent feeding. Or as part of a calcined mixture.
  • To prevent the Achatina snail eggs from spoiling during the drying process, they should be provided with normal ventilation.

It is strictly forbidden to feed snails such things if they start to turn dark, grow mold, or smell bad.

What happened? What to do?
The Achatina snail laid eggs in the aquarium. Carefully remove the eggs to prevent overpopulation and protect other species.
Eggs are stuck to the glass or decorations. Gently scrape them off using a plastic card or similar tool.
You"re not ready to care for baby snails. Dispose of the eggs humanely or give them to someone who can care for them.

It’s crucial to take immediate action if you discover Achatina snail eggs in your aquarium. You can either remove the eggs to control the snail population or, if you’re interested in breeding, carefully monitor and care for them, depending on whether you want to keep them or not.

Keep in mind that Achatina snails can proliferate quickly, so it’s imperative to decide quickly. If you decide to keep the eggs, make sure their surroundings are conducive to their healthy development—free from predators and with the ideal amount of humidity, for example.

You can effectively manage your aquarium and avoid unpleasant surprises by paying attention and making wise decisions.

It’s critical to remove any eggs your Achatina snail may have laid in the aquarium as soon as possible because they could hatch and overpopulate the tank. If you would prefer not to deal with any more snails, dispose of the eggs or carefully move them to another container if you wish to hatch them on purpose. To prevent more instances of your snails laying eggs, be sure to keep an eye on their surroundings.

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Elena Grishina

Ecologist and aquarist with a special interest in creating balanced ecosystems in aquariums. Main focus — ecosystems that require minimal human intervention. I support a natural approach to aquarium care, where each element plays its role, helping to maintain harmony in a closed ecosystem. I promote sustainable aquarium keeping and respect for nature.

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