African land snails have developed a bad reputation because of their tremendous appetite. If you get a group together they can demolish entire crops in less than a day - and have even been banned in America in case they escape into the wild. If you choose to make one be sure you keep a close eye on him so he doesn’t break loose and start munching on all the plants in your home (p.62, Read, 2010).

Brigitte Read’s blog is Roman Sock.