was lazy due to work. Came back to the site 1 week before "harvest" and the plants were gone.
initially i thought people came in and took the plants. Because of the drought most of the bushes dried up so you could see the paths made by animals.
Seeing as the plastic snail cages were barely touched and there was no roots in the ground and no soil disturbance it looks like some animal like a mouse ate it a couple days after transplanting, not a massive loss, ill learn next time