This might explain why "she" hasn't been laying eggs? Are my snails gay?

208

That’s…. Definitely what it looks like, that’s absolutely a male snail. Good for him for knowing his preference ig

54

u/Mongrel_Shark Aug 31 '23

Its acting weird. Climbing the same bit of glass then falling off. But not like normal snal base jumping whick is mostly right way up and kind of graceful. Its falling upside-down much faster than usual and landing with its penis out. Upside down like this. Haven't seen it release yet, but twice this morning the rapid decent has caught my attention. Had help it get up after taking this picture. I'm wondering if all the snex has harmed it.

45

u/Mikahmillion Aug 31 '23

How old is he? That kinda just sounds like old age.

41

u/Mongrel_Shark Aug 31 '23

Not very old. Was 20mm when I got it about 6 weeks ago? Its growing fast. Maybe 30mm now. I have another one I got 2 weeks later. Must be nearly full grown. Sleeps heaps more. Hes quite a lot bigger. The one pictured is a major adventure snail. Does lots of parrasnailing, parkor and base jumping etc etc. Might just have a new game? Who knows what they thinking. Seen them do lots of weird stuff lol.

57

u/z1212chick Aug 31 '23

If he’s acting weird, he may be being overbred. I’d suggest separating them if you can.

76

u/NoSkinNoProblem Sep 01 '23

The mind is willing but the flesh is spongy and bruised

20

u/yumeryuu Sep 01 '23

Me want SNU SNU

6

u/ixstynn Sep 01 '23

This just made my day

3

u/MassHobbyist Sep 02 '23

Death by snu snu

42

u/Mikahmillion Sep 01 '23

I’m thinking he may be getting messed up by (for lack of a better phrasing) the other snail trying to shove his junk up in a nonexistent hole for so long, you should separate and see if he improves. eventually overbreeding (even though they’re not exactly making any babies) can cause erosion of the shell and eventually a mantle collapse, which is always fatal in aquatic snails.

27

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 01 '23

Ok sound like I need to separate them to be safe.

4

u/Brilliant_School_107 Sep 03 '23 edited Sep 03 '23

Not sure if this was mentioned or anything yet, but I noticed my mystery snails were pretty influenced by the temp in their tank. A cooler temperature I’d see less mounting and when the water temp was warmer it happened alottt more.

5

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 03 '23

Thats an excellent observation. You're the first in these comments. I'm getting another tank setbup today. Its not rwady yet. Dropping temp is a grwat idea. Works with a few otjer things going on too.

2

u/Brilliant_School_107 Sep 03 '23

Glad I could help! hope it works things out for that poor bottomed snail 😂

3

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 03 '23

Hes not looking great since I posted this. Been getting lots of rest alone. Water quality and food is good. All I can do is wait and hope he feels better soon. While I prepare my second aquarium for this guy and a few other social problems in my main tank. Currently got 4 male guppies with one female, thank lps. Also 2 large goldfield that tear chunks of each other lately. Really looking forward to giving everyone some much needed space.

→ More replies

7

u/diabolicfam Sep 01 '23

All anomal species have gay encounters,they know it's the wrong hole they don't care.. their more fluid then humans ..

2

u/Mikahmillion Sep 02 '23

Ives also heard of mystery snails trying their luck with particularly round rocks, they aren’t very picky, but the one on bottom is totally gay.

1

u/BigIntoScience Sep 02 '23

I don't think the snails know how gametes work, actually. It's just more beneficial to them to try to mate with partners that won't result in offspring than to be picky about partners and pass up opportunities to reproduce.

19

u/Tentacle_bukkake Sep 01 '23

I hope I’m wrong, but it kind of looks like mantle collapse. That flared shape it’s making, it looks like it’s having trouble gripping the substrate. The fact you said they’re mating a lot, and now it’s acting weird and falling a lot. As silly as it looks with it’s male bits hanging out, and it’s not about to mate, in my experience that’s a male snail in distress. Again, hope I’m wrong!

6

u/_GenderNotFound Sep 01 '23

There is no "he." Snails are hermaphrodites. I refer to my snails by "he" because it's just easier that way but they have both male and female reproductive organs. Just a really weird/interesting snail fact.

Edit: it appears i was mistaken. It has been brought that mystery snails are in fact not hermaphrodites. The strangeness increases.

13

u/rmw060609 Sep 01 '23

Mystery snails are female or male

6

u/Loose-Chipmunk7568 Sep 01 '23

What sort of snails do you keep? I have GALS which are hermaphrodites and can, rarely, self-fertilise. Which is fun. M

2

u/_GenderNotFound Sep 01 '23

I have grove snails and am hoping for some snail babies

3

u/Helpful-Ad-9193 Sep 01 '23

wait i’m very uneducated when it comes to snails i would’ve thought that was the air tube thing?

3

u/Mikahmillion Sep 02 '23

You can see the siphon, it’s the one with little yellowish bumps. on the other side is the snenis, it’s right behind the poop chute. snails are weird man.

5

u/Helpful-Ad-9193 Sep 02 '23

snenis😭 i cant and ok makes sense ty!

2

u/takoyakigirl Sep 02 '23

SNENIS lol

1

u/White_Rose_94 Sep 01 '23

I thought all snails were hermaphrodites?

3

u/Mikahmillion Sep 02 '23

Most species yes, but mystery snails are either male or female, while they do have the option the switch genders if the ratio of male to female in the surrounding area is inadequate.

2

u/AdmirableKryten Sep 02 '23

All land snails, aquatic snails are like 50/50 hermaphroditic or dioecious (two-sexed).

1

u/White_Rose_94 Sep 03 '23

I learned something new today, thanks.

105

u/flex_birb2 Sep 01 '23

1) Snails love snail sex and it's very likely they're pansexual. making a generaliztion, I don't snails really care if any snail is a girl or a boy, they just like snex

2) while mystery snails are not hermaphrodites, they can switch sexes

3) Maybe that snail is a bottom lol!

36

u/massofballs Sep 01 '23

I’m learning so much about snails at 7:04 am

11

u/the_kitkatninja Sep 01 '23

this is so real

8

u/boonies4u Sep 01 '23

I can't blame anyone but myself for the appearance of this post in my feed.

7

u/_GenderNotFound Sep 01 '23

Oh they aren't? Hermaphrodites?

6

u/flex_birb2 Sep 01 '23

Most snails are but Mystery snails are not :) https://a-z-animals.com/blog/male-vs-female-mystery-snail/ not the most reliable source but check it out! :)

3

u/_GenderNotFound Sep 01 '23

Cool!

7

u/superhappythrowawy Sep 01 '23

OH NO WAIT, HES JUST A BOTTOM

1

u/Otherwise_Horror_792 Jan 13 '24

A bottom the weaver

52

u/[deleted] Aug 31 '23

The Apple snail family will mate anything, regardless of gender or even species. Lol

19

u/M_R_KLYE Sep 01 '23

So like most males.. But with shells? XD

16

u/Wildlife_Jack Sep 01 '23

Yes, unlike most males, apple snails carry their own protection

4

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '23

Yes that's a fair appraisal. Pmsl

4

u/FlamingRevenge Sep 01 '23

What does pmsl mean? Punt My Snail Lover?

4

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '23

Piss myself laughing;)

19

u/untot3hdawnofdarknes Sep 01 '23

Sexuality is a spectrum. He's at least bi

19

u/justafleabagfrommars Sep 01 '23

chants gay snails! Gay Snails! GAY SNAILS!

20

u/Weembo1020 Sep 01 '23

Snay snail snride (gay snail pride)

7

u/GUPS87 Sep 01 '23

This feels illegal to look at lmfao.

3

u/Weembo1020 Sep 01 '23

Snail sexual is totally valid

19

u/FlorisLDN Sep 01 '23

While not hermaphroditic, mystery snails can change sex. So maybe you have two snail dudes now... sitting in a tank not five feet apart.

12

u/Blopez1001 Aug 31 '23

That is most definitely a he. Lol. He has a penis.

11

u/carrot_29 Sep 01 '23

Homosnexuals

2

u/RambleJar Sep 01 '23

Homosexusnails

7

u/virt360 Sep 01 '23

I WANT YOUR GAY SNAILS

6

u/dontfckwithspiders Aug 31 '23

Is that the elusive snick hanging out at the bottom right?

2

u/LilBird1996 Sep 02 '23

His right or our right?

2

u/dontfckwithspiders Sep 02 '23

Our right, the whiter looking tube.

5

u/Chessolin Sep 01 '23

Same thing happened to me. Thought I had a male and female, turns out it was two males and one was apparently a bottom

6

u/melancholypowerhour Sep 01 '23

Nature is gay and I love it 💗

5

u/Aggravating_Lead_616 Sep 01 '23

WAIT THATS WHAT MY TWO OLD MALE SNAILS WERE PROBABLY DOING

3

u/Alchurro Sep 01 '23

You now have rainbow snails. Congrats 🏳️‍🌈

4

u/BigIntoScience Sep 02 '23

Every two-sexed species that's ever been studied for same-sex mating behavior has turned out to show it. Both because sex is often fun, and because from an evolutionary standpoint it's often better to try to mate with a partner who won't result in babies than to ignore a partner who might. In species that provide childcare, having same-sex couples is a particularly good thing, as they generally can't obtain offspring of their own and will thus be available to adopt orphaned ones.

("generally" because gay male swans are known to mate with a female and then shoo her away once she lays eggs, which is a sweet deal for her- she gets to continue her genetics without any childrearing needed.)

In other words, yeah, the snails might be gay, because it turns out a ton of nature is. It's natural, and fascinating.

3

u/EmbarrassedHam Sep 01 '23

Gay snails 🐌

3

u/zackworsification Sep 01 '23

mystery snails can change sex when they feel they need to, but it looks like they’re just getting a little freaky

3

u/Silly_Two9754 Sep 01 '23

I don’t think I’ve ever heard the question “Are my snails gay?” Please take this 🐌 as a token of genius for the question itself 😂👍

3

u/labia69420 Sep 01 '23

Yes, all snails are pretty gay

1

u/An0n4485 Sep 01 '23

I thought all snails were hermaphrodites (both genders)?

2

u/Honestly_Vitali Sep 01 '23

Not all. IIRC mystery/apple snails have sexes.

1

u/NondenominationalLog Sep 01 '23

Am I just missing the joke? Cuz how has no one given the actual answer? 😭 Some people have given helpful info about the mating habits of mystery snails. But to answer your main question: that’s not a penis. It’s a breathing tube

1

u/merrybimbo Sep 01 '23

i’m so glad someone else answered this seriously bc i thought i was going insane

1

u/NondenominationalLog Sep 01 '23

Me too! I was like this is the aquatic snails sub.. y’all do know what that is right??

2

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 01 '23

There is a snorkel and a penis in the picture

2

u/NondenominationalLog Sep 01 '23

Well then don’t I look silly? Guess I was missing something!

2

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 01 '23

Lol all good. First time I saw a snorkel I was thinking thats a really long wang.

2

u/Badbadger72 Sep 01 '23

Prison rules

2

u/sleepingwithdastarz Sep 01 '23

Yes very gay

2

u/CheeseBussy420 Sep 01 '23

not the gay snails

2

u/PlaneShark Sep 01 '23

I thought snails had both parts?

2

u/OnceUpxn Sep 01 '23

most do but mystery snails do not

2

u/RambleJar Sep 01 '23

Why do they look like banana peels

2

u/Critical-Grape7815 Sep 01 '23

They just don’t feel like it lol … mystery snails are not a hermaphrodite species. But whenever they feel like it , they can change their sex and have sex 😂But it still requires a male and female to reproduce . So no worries 😉

-1

u/Critical-Grape7815 Sep 01 '23

And that’s not a penis , that’s the air tube . Check your water levels . If your hands are clean ( from soap / hand sanitizer etc ) take your snail your and put in a bowl of water and feed it something to see how she reacts . Mystery snails are very playful sometimes s well , roll around etc . But seriously- check water levels .

1

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 01 '23

Have another look at the image. Snorkel and penis both visible. Maybe do more snail research before giving advice 😉 appreciate your concern though. 😊 My water quality is very good for snails. I've been hoping for eggs and doung what I can to encourage it. Now I just need a female snail lol. Don't stress the snails are happy. They took a break from gay snex for the last 24 hours and are currently munching algae for breakfast.

0

u/Critical-Grape7815 Sep 02 '23

Did not pay attention to the visible penis / see it now . I’ve had mystery snails for years I was just trying to give advice . I have many snail baby’s all healthy and happy . I literally didn’t see the 🍆.

2

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 02 '23

Its not a normal situation for it to be out. Thats why I posted pics 🤣 I've caught the big one waving his in the bubbles when I turned the light on in the morning 🤔😂

1

u/Critical-Grape7815 Sep 02 '23

Guess he wants a femaleeee 🙈😂😂

1

u/CambionChild666 Sep 01 '23

My females did this when they were over bred by my male I had two females to one male they eventually passed away after laying back to back clutches. I only have the male now and I hatched all of their babies as I'm breeding my mystery snails.

1

u/DrachenDad Sep 01 '23

Are my snails gay?

Um... Snails are hermaphroditic

1

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 01 '23

Not this species 😉

1

u/Re1da Sep 02 '23

Wouldn't that automatically make all snail sex gay tho? If there is just one sex (hermaphrodite) in a species they can only mate with individuals of the same sex. So its always gay, it just leads to babies lol

1

u/DrachenDad Sep 02 '23

Not really.

1

u/diabolicfam Sep 01 '23

90% of ALL ANIMAL SPECOES ARE GAY..elephants wolves turtles they all have sex with each other people think they only do it to mate but every single male animal has had homoerotic encounters regardless if they were relieving or giving..

1

u/BigIntoScience Sep 02 '23

Every species that's been studied for same-sex behavior has shown it. It's an individual thing, though, it's not every single individual of every single species.

1

u/ChampionCharacter222 Sep 02 '23

All snails are hermaphroditic they shift between male and female roles as desired

1

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 02 '23

You might want to tead up on apple snails. Great link in the group bio.

2

u/ChampionCharacter222 Sep 02 '23

Honestly I have little knowledge on aquatic snails only land snails, I had simply assumed it rained true for aquatics as well! My bad, I did some digging to further my knowledge on this immediately after posting my comment and learned land-oriented prosobranch snails, as well as many water snails, are dioecious, meaning they can be either male or female. The apple snail and the tiny New Zealand mud snail, for example, are dioecious. So thank you for letting me know about that! Assumptions make an ASS of U and ME 🤣 I’m trying to do less of that!

1

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 02 '23

Me too. I have a raging google addiction and 275 tabs open.

I always respect someone that can learn and admit a mistake. Not necessarily in that order 😊

I learned way more about snails pan-snexuality in this post than I intended 😅

1

u/ChampionCharacter222 Sep 02 '23

🤣🤣🤣 pan-snexuality I love it 🤣🤣🤣

1

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 02 '23

Now my brain is doing things with new words and the rocky horror song 🤣😂🤣

1

u/Artoo_Geek Sep 02 '23

Looks like what they use to breathe with, the male parts don't stick out. Females can retain sperm for many months, may not feel there is comfortable space outside of the tank to lay her clutches.

1

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 02 '23

Lol your not the first one today to provide incorrect info🤣☺️ Have a look at the link in group description. The picture I posted with snorkel and penis visable. Or one of the other commenters that came back to correct themselves after saying the same. Your efforts to reduce the spread of misinformation will be appreciated by many. 😎

1

u/JoanGorman Sep 02 '23

Aren’t snails hermaphrodites…?

1

u/Mongrel_Shark Sep 02 '23

Not all snails. More info available via link in group description or by googling.

1

u/Olds78 Sep 04 '23

Land snail are hermaphrodites so they both become pregnant during mating. Not sure about aquatic snails but I assume that is the case

1

u/Otherwise_Horror_792 Jan 13 '24

What……….if the female was on top……?

1

u/Mongrel_Shark Jan 13 '24

I've since gotten a female. She does ride this male around a bit, cleaning his shell. But the snails I had at time of this post where later confirmed as both male. So I named them Ronsy and Daxy after the letterkenny characters.

1

u/Otherwise_Horror_792 Jan 13 '24

Okay goddamn I’m 13 spare me the details dear god r/eyebleach r/brainbleach r/bleach please anyone!

1

u/Mongrel_Shark Jan 13 '24

Oops lol. Definitely don't watch Ronsy & Daxy on YouTube for at least another 5 years.

This might explain why "she" hasn't been laying eggs? Are my snails gay? Help