Snails are popular low maintenance pets and even the subject of business in many countries, including Nigeria. But before you learn how to rear snail for profit, you need to know how to take care of snail eggs!
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1. Life cycle of snails
Like any other creature on earth, a snail has a definitive life cycle that every potential snail breeder needs to know about. The snail life cycle includes four stages:
- Adult snails lay eggs.
- The eggs are hatched.
- Snail babies gradually turn into sub-adult snails.
- Sub-adult snails become adult snails, which can be identified by a mark on their shells.
2. How do snails reproduce?
The reproduction process of snails is one of the most fascinating facts about these creatures, but few people actually know how it works. The most important thing to know about snail reproduction is that most snails are hermaphrodites, which means they have both male and female reproductive organs.
Snails can reproduce through the mating process, but some breeds actually self-fertilize and don’t need a partner. If the fertilization has been successful, the eggs start growing inside the snail until they are ready to come out.
How often do snails lay eggs? Depending on the breed and the conditions, a snail can reproduce as frequently as once a month. And how many eggs do snails lay? An average snail will lay over 80 eggs per cycle.
3. How to take care of a snail egg
One of the most important aspects of learning how to rear snail at home is taking care of snail eggs. In most cases, the eggs won’t require any special care, but there are some things you can do to ensure successful hatching of as many eggs as possible.
Since most Nigerians rear snail ends, that is exactly what we’ll talk about today. The truth is that snail eggs need as little interference as possible, especially if the individual eggs have reached over 10mm in diameter.
However, if your snails laid eggs everywhere on the ground, they need to be transported into a safer location. To do it, simply scoop the eggs with a bit of soil and put them where you want them to be. Cover the eggs with more soil or a glass cover with airholes to preserve the warmth and moisture required for hatching.
4. How to hatch snail eggs
Snail egg hatching is a natural that requires little to no activity from you. Nevertheless, there are a few things you need to know in order to get the desired result from the reproduction cycle:
- How long do snail eggs take to hatch? The snail eggs hatching time depends on the breed, but most snail eggs take between 2 and 4 weeks to hatch.
- Snail eggs are very delicate and need to be protected from the elements, other animals, or even adult snails who will often consume the eggs.
- The eggs can dry out very quickly, which is why they need to be regularly sprayed with pure water and covered to prevent the moisture from getting out.
- As soon as the snails are hatched, they will eat their shells to get some essential nutrients for development. Professional snail breeders recommend taking the baby snails shortly after hatching and moving them to a different location, as once they finish eating their own shells, they can start consuming the unhatched eggs.
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