Female apple snail mounting a male?

So i made a similar post about this awhile back but i just want to come on to ask clearer questions.

Im trying to mate my 2 apple snails.

One is very large, maybe about golf ball size and my other is significantly smaller. I kept them seperate for awhile to try and sex them. My smaller one has been frequently laying egg clutches so im 100% sure shes a female. Theyve all proven to be infertile so far though.

My other has never laid eggs and im sure i can see the peen sheath (censored the acual word lol) on the left when looking under the shell.

I put them together in my 15 gallon twice now and each time my egg laying female will mount the presumed male. Why? Everywhere i look on the internet is says females never mount. But she's 100% the one on top and has layed lots of clutches. So i just cant understand?

Ive put them together again and i tried to put the male on top (held it close and let him uncurl his foot etc under the water) but as soon as he latched on she bit him?? I was kinda surprised. He seems fine and theres no visible wounds.

Anyway, i let them be after that and once again shes on top just hitching a ride. Why? Does anyone know? I just want some baby snails

Any advice or knowlege is appreciated! Thanks

 

There's no real answer to this, she may have bitten him because she's not ready to mate, she may be riding the shell to keep out of his way, who knows, one thing is for sure is that when she's ready to mate she will do so, I'd just leave them together and let them get on with it

 

Is it at all possible you have two different species of snails. Could the smaller female actually be a mystery snail instead of being an apple snail? I don't know enough about snails to know if they will cross breed if that is the case.

Does she eat your healthy plants? My mystery snails don't. From all I've read it seems apple snails will. That is actually the only way I would be able to tell them apart. For a while I thought my mystery was apple snail because my plants were disappearing. Come to find out it was the rabbit snails eating them. I removed the rabbits and plants stopped disappearing.

 

Is it at all possible you have two different species of snails. Could the smaller female actually be a mystery snail instead of being an apple snail? I don't know enough about snails to know if they will cross breed if that is the case.

Does she eat your healthy plants? My mystery snails don't. From all I've read it seems apple snails will. That is actually the only way I would be able to tell them apart. For a while I thought my mystery was apple snail because my plants were disappearing. Come to find out it was the rabbit snails eating them. I removed the rabbits and plants stopped disappearing.

Good point! Im not sure exactly, but I know the smaller female previously ate plants but that was when I'd just got her and was getting a handle on how much food she needed so i wasnt giving quite enough but now that ive worked it out she's stopped. My bigger one doesnt seem to eat plants as far as i can see so im not sure! But perhaps they are different?

 

Both apple and mystery snails do have BIG appetites. It is very possible both will eat plants if they have no other option. Maybe apples won't eat plants if they are well fed so there goes my way of kinda telling them apart

The fact that she bit him when you tried to force mating leads me to believe you may very well have 2 different species of snail but of course that is just an assumption.

I expect to start having to remove clutches of eggs from my tank soon. I know all of my snails are mystery snails since they are all brothers and sisters. I've seen mating behavior so eggs are not far behind. They are now 7 months old so I am sure they are old enough.

Since you want babies you may have to try to get a few more adults. Getting more than one is the only way I know of to assure you get both male and female. I just lucked out with Miss Sneller and ended up with a female that had been with a male at some point. She was about the size of a nickle when I first got her. She had grown to the size of a quarter by the time she started laying eggs.

 

Both apple and mystery snails do have BIG appetites. It is very possible both will eat plants if they have no other option. Maybe apples won't eat plants if they are well fed so there goes my way of kinda telling them apart

The fact that she bit him when you tried to force mating leads me to believe you may very well have 2 different species of snail but of course that is just an assumption.

I expect to start having to remove clutches of eggs from my tank soon. I know all of my snails are mystery snails since they are all brothers and sisters. I've seen mating behavior so eggs are not far behind. They are now 7 months old so I am sure they are old enough.

Since you want babies you may have to try to get a few more adults. Getting more than one is the only way I know of to assure you get both male and female. I just lucked out with Miss Sneller and ended up with a female that had been with a male at some point. She was about the size of a nickle when I first got her. She had grown to the size of a quarter by the time she started laying eggs.

I think you might be right...trip to the local lfs for me then!