Mystery Snail Clutch Help

cassiejx8

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Aug 25, 2007
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Ok. I am trying to successful hatch a few mystery snail clutches (First time didnt work out to well). I have four mystery snail clutches and I'm not sure what to do. They were shipped from a breeder. They are in their 3rd week. I have noticed that most mystery snail clutches hatch in 10-12 days. There are also white mold looking spots on the clutches. (normal?) I opened one and it was a dud. When I opened it, it smelled really, really bad (normal?). Should I leave them or open them? Any advice wouold be greatly appricated. Thanks.

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The moldy look indicates that they are nearing hatching, it's normal. Do not break them open, yet. I usually leave mine were they are laid and have a wonderful success rate. I have never tried hatching them like this so I will let the experts do that. I can always tell when i need to "GENTLY" open my clutches because they become sofeter to the touch. Good luck, I hope you are prepared for all those babies, their bioload is enormous:)
 
The clutches only ahve a few white shots and they are still hard to the touch. ABout how much longer do you think til they hatch?
 
If they are in their 3rd week it should be perfectly fine to open them and see if any babies are viable. Mine typically hatch between 9-12 days (with being incubated). I usually gently crush/break them into a breeder trap. Typically you can tell they are ready when they have an all over blueish moldy appearance (the snails are almost visible). How have you been keeping these since you received them?
 
The middle clutch looks the most ready, its hard to tell from the picture. Regardless, I would think its more than safe to say its ok to open them now.
 
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