How long do they live???

[tonergirl]

Can anyone tell me what the average lifespan of an Apple Snail is? I know it all depends on optimum water temp. and availability of food sources but say at a continuous 29 degrees celcius and plenty of food could anyone give me a guess at how long they would live??

 

[fishycat]

taken from applesnail.net: How old do apple snails get?
The apple snail's life expectancy mainly depends on the temperature of their environment and the general life conditions. At lower temperatures, the apple snail can get over 3 years old and records of apple snails of ten years old have been reported. Lanistes nyassanus has an estimated life span of 5 to 10 years in Lake Malawi, Africa.
At a temperature of 25°C, they will only live 12-16 months. At higher temperatures, the snails are more active because their metabolism increases with the temperature, but this also speeds up their life cycle and thus shortens their life expectancy.
So you can elongate your snail's life by lowering the temperature. A general rule: keep the temperature between 18 and 28°C (65-82°F).
It is suspected that at least some apple snail species need an aestivation period in the mud to avoid burning-out.


You may want to keep them in a cooler tank...

 

[tonergirl]

Thank you so much for the information fishycat! I will definitely turn the temp down a bit and I will also bookmark applesnail.net, after I read up on it first, LOL!!

 

[BettaFishMommy]

i believe breeding behaviour is also a factor in lifespan of apple snails. i raised 7 generations and it seemed the ones that bred more frequently didn't live as long.

 

[tonergirl]

i believe breeding behaviour is also a factor in lifespan of apple snails. i raised 7 generations and it seemed the ones that bred more frequently didn't live as long.[/QUOTE

I think you may be right about that because 2 of my original snails died recently and between the 2 of them, they must have laid dozens of clutches!! I couldn't believe it!! It seemed like every time I'd open the lid to feed them, VOILA, more eggs!! :help: :lol: I never thought I'd be a snail person but I sure have grown attached to them! Appreciate your help guys...