Do snails always reproduce?

[jaimoe]

I have 1 snail in my 20 gallon and I'm trying to decide if I should get rid of him or not. I've heard they can get out of control, but there is only 1 so I figure it ought to be right. Snails don't do that asexual type of self reproduction do they?

 

[Teelie]

Odds are it won't reproduce on it's own so you're safe.

 

[jaimoe]

Thanks! I know it sounds like a silly question but I thought I read somewhere that snails can do some kind of self-reproduction like amoebas or something.

 

[Teelie]

I think some can but most are either hermaphrodites, which means male and female but not self fertilizing or single sex, being just male or female. Depending on the species, they can be live bearing and produce a few young at a time or produce 1000's of eggs though usually it's somewhere in the middle and only under good conditions.