2xw's slug thread

Hi! finally something i know about.

These things ARE pests and WILL eat anything, however obviously not something with too much salt in it.

The tank should be pretty damp too, not damp as in make it humid, just damp.. like youd get under a rotten log. They are pests, but also detritivores.

I feed all my slimy things mostly cucumber and lettuce, and also bits of apple. Its kinda like a trial at the beginning to find out what they really like.

A favourite of my giant Achitina Fulica loves bread soaked in beer (believe it or not). They really enjoy a drop or too of beer, and make really random patterns on the tank, but only give them a drop, unless you want an alcoholic snail. (and obviously itd dry em out)

Some will also eat meats such as mince, for instance sometimes ive fed a snail a small piece of pizza, obviously with as little salt as possible.

I think i can attribute its very old age to its diet, cos according to some websites they are only supposed to last 5 years and mine is at least 10!

Its a really old thread dude

sorry didnt look at the date

I can split it into your own slug thread, 'cause you obviously have a pet one.

My dad always used beer to trap them in the garden. I guess it's ok in moderation then?

Yeah, just a few drops, or bread soaked in beer they seem to love, i dont know why but when young it makes them kind of turbo-grow, they like the yeast or something.
Ive never figured why eating meat though... figured they were vegetarians,

They are a pretty ood pet to be fair, easy to look after and clean, and fascinating to watch.
I would recommend one.

except to our american cousins obviously.

Why not recommend them to those of us in the US? Oregon has huge native banana slugs that I've helped take care of for a local BugZoo.

I was talking about achitina fulica, which are illegal in the united states. These are a voracious breeding land snail, sorry to go off topic ever so slightly.

Bananna slugs sound fantastic, i love the variety, although mostly all the gastropods have the same diets and behaviours... for instance the only real difference between slugs and snails is that slug are more manouvreable because they have no shell.

OH, ok -- the African land snail? Yeah, I think I remember hearing about that being illegal. I never bothered to look up what species you were talking about.

Yeah.. theres two.. east and west african, the west being slightly smaller and with a pink tip to the shell.

And yes, these snails easily produce 200+ young at a time, which grow quite quickly and are voracious eaters of anything, so they are not allowed into the US... i guess the climate is slightly different, i doubt theyd live long in britain.

Give me half an hour or so and ill put some smallish pics up

okay so he/she isnt wanting to come out now but in a few hours when i come back in (i have to go out now) ill post some pics up here. Or somewhere. Anyways ill take some pictures