Want Help Raising Slugs

[Otterwoman]

I'm looking for some good info on raising slugs. I did a search here and didn't come up with anything. I also tried google, but it seems the world is bent on eradicating slugs, not raising them. Any good links, tips, methods, or slug jokes? Thanks.

 

[pete]

What have you tried so far? I'd guess that the requirements wouldn't be too far from a lot of caudates, except that you need to encourage lots of fungal growth.

 

[xMIDNIGHTx]

I found this simple site.

http://www.petsnails.co.uk/care/

It has basic care on snails and slugs but I saw it touched on reproduction. I hope this has some helpful info!

Mitch

 

[pete]

I was thinking about this some more. I think it could be a fun project, maybe I'll have to see if I can find some slugs. I would envision an enclosure with a soil substrate, and some rotted wood for cover. Then I'd imagine keeping a small pile of fuzzy rotten high-sugar fruit in a corner, or you could try feeding them yeast. I don't know how fast they'd reproduce or which species would be optimal. When I had two garden snails, they laid about 50 eggs in a batch, but who knows how that relates to your slugs.

Edit: Actually, thinking of my snails. I once inquired on this site for information. http://petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi Perhaps they may be more capable of answering your question.

 

[Otterwoman]

The summer before last I collected them and they lived for a while but then suddenly all died. Then this past summer I read about snails, thinking snails and slugs were the same animal except one had a shell, and I had a tank with snails and slugs. The slugs lasted for a while and then all died, the snails I still have alive. I had a tank with some soil, leaves, a couple sticks, clay pots and pieces of rocks, and fed them carrots. Now the snails have a minimal tank: clay balls with 1/2 inch of water and two rocks, a bowl that every two weeks I change out some pre-sliced carrots, and that's it. They are not the same to raise!

About that snail forum, xMIDNIGHTx, OMG! Is there a forum for everything??? I'm checking it out now. Thanks!

 

[Otterwoman]

Well, I finally hit the jackpot when I searched "pet slug" instead of my previous searches, "slug" and "raise slug" and "raising slugs."

 

[pete]

Slugs and snails are pretty much the same creature. However, the dietary preferences between species can vary a great deal. I'm not sure that carrots would be the best food for slugs. Where do you find your slugs? If they're the garden pest kind then you likely can feed them vegetables and fruit. If they're the kind that live under rocks, you may need a diet of rotting plant/animal material. You could set up a tank with different food sources and see where they congregate/ what they chew on.