Rabbit Snail or Elephant Snail?

Hazel-Rah with Emily and Sue hitching a ride

As I was leaving the dentist’s office yesterday, one of the hygienists’s addressed me as Zinnia’s mom.  Then she asked me how my snails were.

I thought about mentioning my snails when I was having my teeth cleaned, but decided to stick to the dogs, donkeys and sheep.

“Don’t get me started” I said then told the hygienist how I had witnessed my Mystery Snails, Socrates and Pearl mating.  She said to bring pictures next time.  And of course, I have pictures of my snails on my iPhone, but it felt too much to me like a grandmother who can’t help showing everyone pictures of her grandchildren.

I talk to few people who are really as interesting in snails as I am.

And I bless my blog because I can write about them and post as many pictures and videos of them that I want and anyone who isn’t interested can just skip it.

So if you are interested….

…my Rabbit Snails are very active these days.  Since, they’re snails, it may sound strange to hear that they move slowly, but in comparison to my Mystery Snails, they really are slow.

And they’re not as elegant either.

While my Mystery Snails and Nerite snails glide around with ease, my Rabbit Snails, make every movement look like a struggle.  As if they’re carrying an impossible weight on their back that they have to slowly hoist up with each step.

And as if their long shell isn’t enough, today, my nerite snails, Emily and Sue were hitching a ride on  Hazel-Rah’s back.

I’ve read that they’re called Rabbit Snails because their faces look like Rabbits.  I don’t see it myself. But they’re also known as Elephant Snails, which makes more sense to me.  You can see in the photo below Abrah’s trunk-like face.

Abrah, my other Rabbit Snail looking more like and Elephant Snail to me.

And then there’s Peter Rabbit Snail.  Still so tiny and not always easy to find.  Yesterday I saw him making his way out of an empty nerite shell.  The perfect place for a baby snail to safely nap.

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4 thoughts on “Rabbit Snail or Elephant Snail?

  1. Your snails are fascinating! Are they in your aquarium or in with your betta fish? I have a black orchid betta fish and I named him Ori. I have thought about ordering some snails online as our pet store does not have them. Are they hard to raise? I got compost worms two years ago for Christmas. My husband and I exchange unusual gifts sometimes.

    1. What a great gift compost worms are! I love that! And you can put a snail in with your betta. Ours are in the big tank and do really well. Some of them don’t live long, but they are easy to raise and keep. They are great for cleaning up and if you don’t have enough debris from plants or fish for them you can get algae tablets for them to eat. I hope you get some!

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