It’s quite typical for some predatory animals to prey on themselves, especially with animals like fish. It could be due to the lack of resources, a fight over territory, or simply chance. But if you’ve been noticing empty assassin snail shells questioningly popping up, it’s either they are dying naturally or there could be a potential predator killing and eating them.
Assassin snails do eat themselves when situations get tough. When there is a critical lack of resources, they may begin to target their kind and eat them up, especially the hatchlings and juveniles. However, assassin snails are not intentionally cannibalistic; they wouldn’t eat their kind when there are other options. As long as they are fed, they will not turn cannibalistic.
Whether you’re a breeder or you’re simply a pet owner, discovering that your assassin snails are dying is pretty worrisome. Either way, this discussion will delve deeper into revealing all the answers you need to solve this troubling mystery.
4 Reasons Why Your Assassin Snails Eat Themselves
Although assassin snails are not considered cannibalistic, they can still prey on themselves to a degree which leads us to ask why they do so.
1. Lack Of Resources
When resources are extremely low, your pet predators will begin to pick on smaller snails of their kind and eat them. The problem with this is that assassin snails grow feeding habits, and the first time would suddenly become reoccurring to the extent that a routine forms. If you’re looking into breeding assassins, this is why you must feed them accordingly.
2. Environmental Distress
Most snails hate to change their environment, and could even die on getting introduced to the new one. The stress of environmental changes can affect the behavior of your assassins including what they choose to eat. Some owners have recorded their predatory snails refusing to eat prey but instead would graze on algae or simply choose to starve. In other cases, they recorded assassin snails eating themselves, finding the empty assassin snail shells as proof.
3. Overcrowding
If your tank is too small for your assassin snail to move around, they will become extremely stressed and may start preying on themselves as a result. Assassin snails are mostly solitary animals, so a crowded environment will stress them and bring about negative behavior. Other factors like extreme or incorrect tank water parameters are also triggers for assassin snail stress causing them to eat themselves.
4. Limited Prey Availability
Assassin snails are predatory by kind and are driven by their nature to hunt and kill. When the aforementioned points come into play coupled with the scarcity of prey, assassin snails will turn on themselves hunting down the vulnerable ones first. While killer mollusks may find eating themselves to be the last option, they will not hesitate to utilize that alternative when the time arises.
Effective Ways To Stop Assassin Snails From Eating Themselves
If you have just come across an empty assassin snail shell, there’s every possibility that more will surface if there’s a serial killing assassin snail at large. If you care about your little buddies here are the tips you need to keep them from eating themselves:
Keep Your Pets’ Home Comfy To Reduce Stress
The water parameters define your water’s chemistry and how healthy and comfortable your pets living in it will be. If the parameters are correct, your snails will be less stressed and the tendency to prey on themselves is reduced.
The more stressed they are from problems like temperature fluctuations, a drop in alkalinity, or an increase in ammonia, they will become easily tense and can begin to attack themselves in the heat of the problem. If you make sure the parameters are stable and correct at all times, the likelihood of your tank becoming a cannibal feast is low.
Below is a table showing you the standard and safest water chemistry for assassin snails:
| Parameters | Ideal Range |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 70 – 80 (°F) |
| pH | 7.6 – 8.0 |
| Ammonia (NH3/NH4+) | 0 |
| Nitrite (NO2-) | 0 |
| Nitrate (NO3-) | 0 |
| Copper (Cu) | 0 |
| Water hardness | 150 – 300 ppm |
| Salinity | 0 |
Do Not Overcrowd Your Tank
Overcrowding simply means that everyone will get in the other’s way, and could be eaten. This is usually caused by over-feeding or a temperature rise that puts the snails in the perfect situation to breed. The more they breed, the more populated your tank is, and before you know it, empty shells will start to show up.
A rule of thumb is to assign a snail to a gallon. So, if you have 10 assassin snails, a 10-gallon aquarium will do. However, you must tweak the size of your tank decor; if you have driftwood and voluptuous plants, you’d need an extra few gallons to contain every individual comfortably. That way, every snail stays out of the way of the other.
Feed Your Pets Properly
Assassin snails are carnivorous animals and rely heavily on protein-based diets to survive. If you have mistakenly been feeding your killer snails algae, it could be the reason why they prey on other unusual tank animals such as their species. Your predatory snail’s diet should involve items like prey or feeder snails, shrimp, blood worms, raw fish, and fish pallets. This way, your pets wouldn’t resort to annihilating their species.
Use The Correct Substrate
Your killer snails prefer a sandy substrate for them to bury themselves in, and an absence of such will lead to them feeling stressed and restless. With time, the restlessness and stress can cause them to become aggressive toward their kind, attacking and mistaking them for food.
Do Assassin Snails Fight Themselves?
Assassin snails are peaceful creatures and would only attack to kill and eat. They are not territorial or too defensive, and like many other snails, take solace from hiding inside their shells. So, assassin snails don’t fight. If you ever see your snails glued to each other in a situation resembling combat, they probably are mating or at least, attempting to.
Are Assassin Snails Territorial?
Assassin snails are not territorial species. They can settle into any spot as long as they are not bothered. Since they do not have a sense of territory, they can easily exist with territorial tankmates like some aquarium fish without a hassle. As long as it is not a hunting fish like bettas or loaches, they should be fine living together.
Will Assassin Snails Eat Their Eggs?
Killer assassin snails do not eat their eggs. Although they are carnivorous and will spend a good amount of their time scouting for food, their eggs are thankfully not on the menu. Assassins lay single eggs scattered around the tank on surfaces, which could be difficult to locate by potential predators. However, the adults can eat hatchlings and juvenile assassin snails if they’re starving. So, it’s best to keep them well-fed if you’re looking into breeding your snails.
What Do Assassin Snails Eat And How Often?
Assassin snails rely on a carnivorous diet to survive. They need to eat protein-based foods such as live prey, bloodworms, decaying matter, and proteinous pallets like fish or crab food.
They eat daily but can be fed every other day to stabilize the water chemistry they live in. Since they feed on other animals, the bits and pieces can build up and spike up the ammonia levels which will then make the tank toxic. However, it ultimately depends on how often you’re willing to carry out water changes for your snail’s aquarium. The more you do, the more stabilized the water parameters are keeping your pets healthy and safe.
