Pets or Pests

Ok, I may be struck by lightning for this. I'm surprised I didn't after writing just the title.
For some reason me being home has given us some kind of immeasurable freedom to adopt pets.
In the process Drew has added to her list a lot of "first" pets.
   

You already know about Pax (which really doesn't fall under the "pest" category).

Pax was actually her 2^nd pet but 1^st puppy.

Then there is Ariel the gold fish coming in 3^rd










and my favorite… the SNAILS, Zack, Princess Slimy and Sleepy.

   

   
   



YES!!! You read that right…SNAILS!!!



 




 
 
Now are you beginning to understand the title?


   
At first I thought, how much harm can they do?, they are probably really easy to take care of, and most importantly and how can I say "no" to a little four year old desperate to have a pet.



Besides, not many kids can say "my first pets were snails".

I guess there is the rare "my first pet was a chicken" which Frankie can say.











My kids definitely know how to choose interesting pets.



Although we are down to only one snail, she, Princess Slimy, is trying to beat the record of living for 15 years with the help of Grant! (don't ask me why).With my luck she will beat it! Every time I think she has died and gone to a better place, Grant manages to revive her. 

I know they are also Heavenly Father's creatures, but to all there must be an order. I don't mind them being alive, just not in my house but I guess for Drew's sake I must love them as much as she does.




As for Ariel, she went to join her long lost relatives living at the pond in my sister's front yard. (thanks Pinky)


Anyone have a snail farm needing an additional guest?

We did learn some interesting facts about snails.  I've bolded my favorite.

 

• A snail can crawl across a razor and not get hurt thanks to their thick slime. (There goes that plan)

• The largest land snail ever found was 15 inches long and weighed 2 pounds

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  Some snails have been known to live up to 15 years. (With my luck Princess Slimy will beat this record)

• Snails are hermaphrodites which means they have both male and female reproductive organs. (Which means I'm screwed if Princess Slimy decides to get freaky with herself).

• Snails travel in irregular paths, often traveling in a circle.

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  Snails rely on their sense of touch and smell when finding food because they have poor eye sight.
  
  

• Snails cannot hear. (It makes me feel better knowing that they didn't hear me say "DIE you dumb thing!")

• Snails are nocturnal.

• The fastest snails are the speckled garden snails which can move up to 55 yards per hour compared to 23 inches per hour of most other land snails.

• Garden snails evolved from sea snails 600 million years ago.

• The garden snail is cooked and eaten as a delicacy called escargot.

• May 24th is National Escargot Day. (Party, my house!)