> From: Chad Mayer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 17:07:19 -0500 > > Hi all. Got a question: I recently acquired (!) slugs in my klemmeri >viv. Probably came in thru some plants. Theyre small, so dont cause a >huge problem yet, but unsightly and Im concerned for some of my >smaller, more tasty exotic plants in there. Does anyone have any good >ideas of how to eliminate them from this viv in a safe manner? Theres >too many, and too many hiding spots, for me to effectively remove more >than a few by hand. Obviously, my main concern would the be health of >the klem's, but these slugs are bugging me (pun intended), so any and >all suggestions would be appreciated.
I don't have experience with slugs in vivaria, but I have all too much experience with these destructive molluscs in my garden! The traditional organic method is to put out a saucer of beer - the slugs are attracted by the yeasty odor, crawl in, and drown. If you want to try this, work out a method that won't let the geckos at the beer! And don't let them be gassed by alcohol fumes either! A less dangerous method would be to bait them with fruit. If you leave some banana on the ground, an hour or two after lights out you may find a lot of slugs on it, convenient to remove. If you can arrange for the soil to be relatively dry, you can wet a small area and cover it with a piece of wood or bark. Some slugs may take cover under it in the daytime, again convenient to remove. Let us know if these garden methods work for you. Like most organic methods, you may not be able to get every pest, but you can cut the population down substantially. If you're lucky, these slugs won't breed in the viv, and you may be able to get rid of them entirely. If you think you've gotten them all, continue to check the fruit after lights-out now and again, in case they are about to make a come-back. Most commercial slug baits contain metaldehyde, which is not supposed to be very toxic to vertebrates, but I wouldn't take a chance with it, and I don't think you'd find anyone else who would. I suppose if you got desperate, you could take the geckos out for a week or two and try it. I think it would only be dangerous if a gecko ate a poisoned slug, or an insect that had eaten one, or the bait directly. Maybe the veterinarians on the list can comment. I hope these ideas help. Let us know if you try any, and the results. _______________________________________________ Global Gecko Association http://www.gekkota.com Classifieds http://www.gekkota.com/cgi-gekkota/classifieds.cgi gecko mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.gekkota.com/mailman/listinfo/gecko
