Meet Sally the Snail.
She lives on our windowsill.
Muffin discovered her busting a move across the road one day in December.
Not a common sight in winter when snow blankets the frozen ground!
Concerned for her safety, she brought him inside and placed her in a jar. It wasn't until the next day that I noticed her. Well by then she had warmed up nicely and was hungry!
I couldn't put her outside as it would have likely shocked her system and she may have froze or died... or something. AND - I didn't know where to put her. After a little research, I discovered that snails hibernate during cold weather or periods of drought. They will burrow into the ground or seek shelter in a crevice. Which, didn't really solve my problem... as hibernation is a slow process, I couldn't just stick her out in the freezing cold! (I know... I'm a softy!)
So, I decided to leave her in the jar with some food by the window where it was cool. After a few days I pushed her glass right up against the window and stopped putting any water in the jar. She then went into hibernation... for a good few weeks until I had to try and clean the stuck on, dried up spinach leaf that had literally melded with the glass. A little bit of warmth... and some humidity caused her to wake up! She's now working on replenishing herself for another long sleep.
Her favorite food - carrots!
And if you think that's weird, wait till you see the other very strange pet my Muffin has been keeping downstairs... next time!
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