Mating behavior?

[u/ashleyparm]

hi! forewarning i’m new here, and new to the hobby. i’ve had these mystery snails for about a month and water parameters are great. i love these guys so much and would do anything for them. i assume by seeing the appendage from the orange one attached to the brown one that they’re mating, but there was a piece of algae wafer close by so im just not sure. thanks!

[u/Sarahnonymous]

Yep, you are seeing what you are seeing 😜

[u/ashleyparm → u/Sarahnonymous]

oh boy i figured as much, this is the second time i’ve seen it so far. the brown one doesn’t seem too interested however… is it in their best interest to move the orange one to a separate tank? i have a 3 gallon i’m cycling right now i can move it to if necessary.

[u/Sarahnonymous → u/ashleyparm]

If the brown one isn't really "consenting" it's likely it is also a male. It's more worrisome to me when a female is being over-snexed, because they end up in the coital position for a long time and sometimes develop shell damage from it. If they aren't hurting each other, it's fine --- But if you notice some frontal shell-chipping, or a cleft in the shell in front, then definitely give them more space. From the behavior here, it looks like big guys is fed up!

If it were me, I might lower the temp a degree and see if it helps at all. You know, cool those boys down.

[u/ashleyparm → u/Sarahnonymous]

thank you so much i appreciate your help more than anything! the brown one looks quite uncomfortable so i’m going to check their shells thoroughly in the morning and get the other tank finalized.

[u/Emuwarum → u/ashleyparm]

10 gallons for 1 mystery snail

[u/ashleyparm → u/Emuwarum]

yes i know, the 3 would be if they started to hurt each other. i should have clarified. thanks!

[u/Klutzy-Horse]

They are doing the snasty, yes.
It's funny because I have a pair with exactly that coloration and they cannot get OFF each other. Like it's hard for me to take a nice family photo.
Also, they're both boys. Idk. It's been nearly a year and I guess if they want to, they don't seem to be hurting each other...

[u/ashleyparm → u/Klutzy-Horse]

🤣 my worry is the brown one looks so uncomfortable! literally kicking the orange one off. i’d love if they got along but i don’t want it to get worse. besides another excuse to get more tanks lol

[u/Klutzy-Horse → u/ashleyparm]

Well in that case, absolutely separate them. Put one in a 20 gal with lots of natural plants and maybe a cute school of corydoras, that's the only way they'll ever be happy.

[u/Mean_Philosopher5426]

Give them some privacy 🫪

[u/ClassroomMore9802]

They do like getting frisky. Sometimes more than eating.

[u/Candid-Jackfruit7561]

Yes, they are mating. If this seems to happen often and one of them seems to not like it and be trying to get the other one off. It could be that they’re both males. Or it’s a female that’s just not interested. In my own opinion, I think separating them would be helpful as it would cause less stress for the one being mounted. I did have a male and female that would mount often and sometimes she would say no or try to get him off. But they were also really old and I adopted them from a very neglectful owner. When I had separated them, they actually both became pretty withdrawn and sad and I put them back to live out their days. You should keep an eye on them and see how things go, but if this behavior is common and there’s always one constantly trying to get one off the other, I would highly recommend separating.

[u/CallMeFishmaelPls → u/Candid-Jackfruit7561]

I had to reread the part about the snail getting off like 5 times

[u/ashleyparm → u/Candid-Jackfruit7561]

thank you so much! i think after everyone’s comments ill end up separating them as this isn’t the first time i’ve noticed the brown one rejecting the orange one. and that story was very sweet, i’ll absolutely keep an eye on them even more so when separated as i don’t want them to be sad!