That is to say, I have two aquatic snails that I love, and nurture, and with whom I share a relationship. A relationship with a snail? Yes!
The larger of my two snails, Jasper (aka Jap), is a Golden Apple Snail, or pomacea bridgesii. He's very big, and comes by it honestly. Apple snails get their name from the fact that they routinely grow as large as an apple!
The smaller of my two snails, Sienna, is a (false) Ramshorn Snail, or marisa cornuarietis (also a variation of apple snail--true ramshorn snails look virtually identical but are a different breed). She's quite small and very timid, at least with me. With Jap she's quite aggressive, often hitching a ride on his back when she's feeling particularly lazy. Because Jap is at least twice her size, he often lays claim to the food first, so hanging on his shell is a good way for her to get a few morsels as he discards them.
Now, I refer to them as "he" and "she" without any real proof of their gender. It's very tough to sex a snail, because their reproductive organs are pretty well hidden deep within their shell. You can get a general idea which is which if you see them mating-however, this is not always easy, because Marisa snails will attempt to mate with anything. And rarely, apple snails will spontaneously change gender!
Aquatic snails make tremendous pets. They're messy, but beyond that, very easy to keep in captivity. Like fish, they require a decent-sized tank (I keep my two in a 5 gallon, and even that is a tiny bit tight) with good filtration and aeration. A tank lid is a must because they are avid climbers and will escape from the tank if given even the tiniest opportunity.
They like to play, and depending on the snail's personality, you can train them to play games with you. Jap, for example, plays several games with me. His favourite is to hook his vacuum-like sucker mouth on to the tip of my index finger, and let me swoosh him around in the water. He also enjoys brief out-of-aquarium forays in the palm of my hand, where he happily munches on a big piece of fresh veggie or algae wafer.
Aquatic snails lay eggs in a clutch of anywhere between 200 and 600 eggs. Not all the baby snails will survive the hatching process, but the majority will, which means that if your aquatic snails reproduce you'll need a VERY big tank to handle the offspring!
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