# Ramshorn Snail Behavior?



## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So a quick question about this snail I have, do ramshorns burrow a lot? I find this guy buried in my sand a lot. I have him keeping the algae in my 5 gallon in check with my betta. I'm worried that he burrows a lot because my betta is picking at him when I'm not looking or something. I'm just not sure if this is behavior caused by fear or if it's just something they do?

To be honest, I don't know much about snails. He was a hitchhiker on some plants I got a while ago and I couldn't bear the thought of killing him off or anything like that. It wasn't his fault he got into my tank, really. And I did have algae to spare...:-D so I ended up just keeping him. So any help on this would be great. If this is a behavior he's doing out of fear, I'll just move him back in with the betta I know for sure was never bothering him.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Ramshoen snails do not burrow or sift sand substrates (mts aka Malaysian trumpet snails do though). I've kept a lots of ramshorns snails and think you suspicion about the betta pecking it is the most likely cause. I've had 3 bettas that will eat snails (and just as many that won't). I've never seen my ramshorns burrow, they have always been out in the open cleaning leaves or glass till they get munched on and become empty shells laying on the substrate until the siphon get them (cue "circle of life" music).


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Ramshoen snails do not burrow or sift sand substrates (mts aka Malaysian trumpet snails do though). I've kept a lots of ramshorns snails and think you suspicion about the betta pecking it is the most likely cause. I've had 3 bettas that will eat snails (and just as many that won't). I've never seen my ramshorns burrow, they have always been out in the open cleaning leaves or glass till they get munched on and become empty shells laying on the substrate until the siphon get them (cue "circle of life" music).


So my snail has been moved twice...and he is still sifting through my sand. I'm a little lost as to why. I never officially confirmed he was a ramshorn(I just assume so since the person he hitchhiked from has them), and I finally got a picture of him today.










He's about the size of a dime. :-? Is he even a ramshorn snail? And if he is and is sifting, is he just a weirdo?


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## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

I've got a couple of ramshorn that sift too. Not all the time - but often enough that I'll go look for them and they'll be partially buried. Some of the ones that do were in a snail-only section until just yesterday, and were still sometimes half-buried. There was no fish to pick at them, so I know that wasn't the issue.

So, while probably not common behavior, it *does* seem like it's something they might do occasionally. I never notice it in my gravel tanks, but I do see it in the sand ones.


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