It’s easy to neglect giant African landsnails. Unlike our other pets, they don’t whinge and jump around when they want something: they are the epitomy of decorum. If conditions aren’t to their taste, they withdraw into their shells, seal up the entrances, and remain in a state of suspended animation until things improve.
What with one thing and another, I haven’t fed them for about a month, and they have been patiently waiting to be woken up for breakfast. I do this by soaking them in a dish. Contact with the lukewarm water gradually wakes them up, and they emerge and wallow and drink until they’ve had enough, then ooze their way toward dry land.
I made a sandwich while they were waking up, and wandered off to eat it and browse the web. When I returned, they were more than ready to get out of their bath, and Hieronymus had found my margarine tub. I’m glad I’d remembered to put the lid on.
I expect anyone who’s had dinner at our place will never want to do so again! If it’s any consolation, I did sterilize the plate afterwards.
Based in Scotland, my boyfriend Bunty and I open our door to unwanted pets and try to enrich their lives with freedom and wonder. The upshot is that we are greeted every morning by butts in our faces, ripped wallpaper, and an ear-splitting cacophony of demands for breakfast. That means they love us, right?
Tea Time at the Zoo 
OK as if the beetle in the armpit wasn’t enough, we now get snails on the dinner plate. And not just any snails, these ares some kind of mutant giant snails.
Kind of neat in a gross sort of way :)
Someone I met once referred to them as “face-huggers”.
Will happily eat off your dinner plates even if I’ve seen snails on them. Only sterilise them if you really feel it’s necessary. I’d love to be there for one of your snail waking up times.
Jigme
That’s the sort of attitude I like to see. :)
I thank you for the funniness.
Do come round for dinner sometime.
What do you feed them?
Salad. They mainly go for iceburg lettuce and cucumber.
Those are so cool looking! Huge but cute! I love the term *face hugger*!! And I would come over for dinner any time. It’d be so much fun to see all your animals!
You’d be welcome.
Incredible! Why bother washing the plate: snails are edible. Love the zoo every day more. B
Precisely my thought, but I thought I wouldn’t mention that.
Haha, yes, they are edible. But apparently one can sometimes get salmonella from them, hence the careful plate-cleaning.
There’s an impressive amount of variation in their shell colours!
It relates to their age and how much calcium they eat. :)
And I thought I had challenges with the cat and dog–yikes! How neat. Of course, my German shepherd has taken to “rescuing” the land tortoises…three during our last walk…never mind they don’t need rescue. Great blog!
Thanks! Sounds like a dutiful dog you have there, bless it.