Mystery Snails - Hermaphrodites?

[Jennifer Iles]

Hi all,
I recently bought 2 mystery snails hoping to get a male and female, the shop attendant told me that they are hermaphrodites, however information I have found online contradicts this, so thought I would ask the question here, Are mystery snails hermaphrodites? Or can you get male and females?

 

[Essjay]

Mystery snails (apple snails) come as males and females.
This website no longer exists but we can still access it via Wayback Machine, it just takes longer to load the site https://web.archive.org/web/20180502212717if_/http://applesnail.net/
Click on anatomy in the side menu, then reproduction in the top menu.

 

[Jordan_Deus]

Nope, blatant misinformation by the lfs.

Mystery snails need a male and female, after mating the female can store sperm for up to 3-4 clutches of eggs. Eggs are laid above the water and need to stay humid in order to hatch. They hatch anywhere from 2-4 weeks depending on humidity and temperature.

If your tank space allows I'd recommend starting with about 8 and waiting for them to mate. Sexing them is possible but takes patience and a keen eye.

Also, very important to keep them in harder water with a ph above 7 and a calcium and veggie rich diet.