# Can you tell a male from a female apple/mystery snail?



## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Any physical sexual dimorphisms?

I have two of them.
I saw one insert a tenticle into the other but not sure if the other is a female.

thanks.


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## Purrbox (Jun 1, 2006)

http://www.applesnail.net/content/anatomy.htm


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

yeah, I saw that one but nothing on the outside of their bodies that let me know their sex. I guess you can't tell by looking.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Just read some more.. Appearently, they can change sex. Go figure.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Yes....they are hermaphrodites. This goes for any snail or slug, and even earthworms. What you saw was an exchange of a sperm packet to another.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

DonaldmBoyer said:


> Yes....they are hermaphrodites. This goes for any snail or slug, and even earthworms. What you saw was an exchange of a sperm packet to another.


These guys are technically not hermaphrodites.. They're either male or female not both... however a male can switch to be a female over time and I guess visa versa.


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

DonaldmBoyer said:


> Yes....they are hermaphrodites. This goes for any snail or slug, and even earthworms. What you saw was an exchange of a sperm packet to another.


They are male or female.

here is the link with how to tell.

http://www.tronchaser.com/~cindi/ss.html

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v113/terribryant/Sex of your snail/?

I have to tell you that it is a pain in the A$$ waiting for them to open up enough for you to see though.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

you can sorta tell from the outside
http://www.applesnail.net/content/anatomy/reproduction.php


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## p3purr (Nov 6, 2006)

This will show you pics of applesnail reproduction. It's from applesnail.net

Is that what you saw your snails doing? If so than you have a male and a female. They will lay clutches when conditions are right. I suggest you make sure the entire top of the tank is covered because the female can "fall" out of the tank sometimes when she's depositing clutches. Also lower the water in the tank a bit so they have room to get their entire body out of the water.

If you read the first line on the above linked to page it reads:
"The apple snail has separated sexes (dioecious) and is NOT a hermaphroditic snail."
It also goes on to say:
"A sex change from male to female (proandry) has been described for some Pila and Pomacea apple snails. In case of Pila snails, the male needs a preparatory aestivation period to become a female, while the Pomacea snails can change sex at all times (at least in certain species). During this sex change, the testis change in colour and decrease in size. The frequency at which this sex change occurs is not certain and not much literature is available about this subject."


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

p3purr said:


> This will show you pics of applesnail reproduction. It's from applesnail.net
> 
> Is that what you saw your snails doing? If so than you have a male and a female. They will lay clutches when conditions are right. I suggest you make sure the entire top of the tank is covered because the female can "fall" out of the tank sometimes when she's depositing clutches. Also lower the water in the tank a bit so they have room to get their entire body out of the water.
> 
> ...


Just because you see two snails "mating" does not mean that you have a male and a female. It only tells you for sure that the one on top is a male. Male apple snails are known for trying to mate with any and every other snail in the tank even if it's another male. So don't rule out the chance that the snail on the bottom is not a male snail. Because you just will never know for sure unless you see her laying eggs or find his/her sex the way it says to in those links.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

will5 said:


> Just because you see two snails "mating" does not mean that you have a male and a female. It only tells you for sure that the one on top is a male. Male apple snails are known for trying to mate with any and every other snail in the tank even if it's another male. So don't rule out the chance that the snail on the bottom is not a male snail. Because you just will never know for sure unless you see her laying eggs or find his/her sex the way it says to in those links.


Yeah, that's what I figured too. That's why I asked 
But one of them will turn into a female one day.


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

mistergreen said:


> Yeah, that's what I figured too. That's why I asked
> But one of them will turn into a female one day.


Just because they can trun into a female does not mean they will. *only in rare occasions do the males change sex and it would be even more rare for a female to change into a male. * So don't count on it.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

hmmm.. I see lots of mating but no eggs so far.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Well, I have 2 males.. Both have an extra larger tenticle, if you get my drift.
I'll try to find a female for them.


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

mistergreen said:


> hmmm.. I see lots of mating but no eggs so far.


i can't rember but i think it took mine a month or two to get settled in to my tank be for all three of my females decied to lay thire eggs. Then by the end of the third days i had 4 clutches.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

mistergreen said:


> Well, I have 2 males.. Both have an extra larger tenticle, if you get my drift.
> I'll try to find a female for them.


I think the tenticle was just their siphon.. I decided to flip one over and peek inside the shell.. I didn't see a penis sheath so I guess I have one female.. And assuming the other guy is a male.
K. I'll wait another month. These guys are not very prolific.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Well, looks like i'll have baby snails soon... I had a feeling the snail was going to lay eggs soon when it kept going above the water line.


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

Congrats on the eggs.

If you leave them where they are at to hatch you will get a lower hatch rate but if you make a diy hatchery seen here- http://www.applesnail.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12647
you will have a much higher hatch rate and it should only cost you around $5 to build.

Oh and here is a link whee you can look and get an idea of what colors you might get.
http://www.angelfire.com/va/myevolution/snails/applet/color_cross.htm

And one so you can see the colors that they are talking about.
http://www.angelfire.com/va/myevolution/snails/bridgesii.htm


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