Horace on a runner bean leaf with raspberry
I've been looking after another casualty for the past week. Meet Horace. I found him on our kitchen door after following the silver trail he'd left behind on the carpet. We had various bits and pieces in the garden that needed to be taken to the council tip and we think he'd been brought in on them and knocked off in the process.
Part of his shell had been damaged but luckily his internal organs were intact, so I was hopeful that he would make a good recovery. I've read that snails store deposits of calcium that can be used in the event of damage. I thought at this stage it would be unwise to release him back into the garden in case he got an infection in his wound or became dried out. So into a plastic container he went along with a selection snail goodies.
Sure enough, within a couple of days a film began to grow over the damaged part of the shell. It's now quite tough and protective. Today, Horace is ready to leave intensive care and return to his natural environment. I'll take him down to the bottom of the garden where the ferns grow and it's nice and shady. He can then find a comfy spot to sleep in and rest while his body continues the healing process.
