Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania gemmifera)
Rabbit snails can differ in appearance; they have a cone-shaped shell that ranges from delicate porcelain-like to heavily sculptured surfaces.
Depending on the type, their main body will be brilliant orange or yellow, distinguished with a dark shell. The shell can be various black or brown colours; it may exhibit some dots, lines, or textures to form an overall elegant appearance.
They have long floppy antennae alongside a long rabbit-like face and a coarse, wrinkled texture of their skin. They are a great addition to any community tank and help remove some algae and food remanence.
There are six variants of Rabbit snail, these include:-
Black Rabbit Snails, Gold Rabbit Snails, Red Rabbit Snails, Orange Rabbit Snails and Dark Chocolate Rabbit Snails.
As with all types of snail, they should not be housed with any botia loach.
| Quick Facts | |
| Scientific Name | Tylomelania gemmifera |
| Other Names | Elephant Snail, Poso Snail |
| Family | Pachychilidae |
| Genus | Tylomelania |
| Origins | Indonesia |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Aquarium Level | Bottom |
| Difficulty | Beginner - Intermediate |
| Shoaling | No |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Reproduction | Egg-Layer |
| Lifespan | 1 - 3 years |
| Water Parameters | |
| Water Type | Freshwater |
| Temperature | 76 - 84 ℉ (24 - 28 ℃) |
| PH | 7.4 - 8.4 |
| GH | 6 - 15 |
| KH | 4 - 8 |
| TDS | 200 - 400 |
Videos
Gold Rabbit Snail
Habitat
Rabbit snails originate from the beautiful mountain lakes of Sulawesi, Indonesia, mostly restricted to Lake Poso and the Malili Lake system.
Other Snails of interest
Diet & Feeding
Rabbit snails will eat just about anything edible offered to them and if given the opportunity in large quantities.
While not the best algae eating snail available in the hobby, they will consume some and scavenge any leftover food lying around the aquarium, making a helpful, clean up crew.
They have been known to develop a taste for some aquarium plants when there is insufficient leftover food available; Java fern appears to be the most likely casualty in these scenarios.
Calcium supplementation is always a must to ensure their shells remain solid and healthy, which can be achieved by including boiled Broccoli from time to time.
Sexual Dimorphism
Male and female Rabbit snails are identical, so it is unfortunately not possible to determine the sex of these snails.
Breeding
Rabbit snails breed slowly, unlike other snails, producing just a single offspring monthly on average.
Rabbit snails start breeding when they reach around 1.5 inches; You will require a minimum of 3 snails to have the best chance of ensuring you have both sexes. They need to be well-fed to induce the breeding process. Once thriving, it will take 4-6 weeks before the Rabbit Snail will lay a singular egg similar in appearance to a pearl and will hatch within 1-2 hours.
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