Exotic Pets UK

Exotic Pets UK
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Slug Care

Housing

All slugs need to be kept at the least fairly humid, and most need very humid conditions, this can be accomplished by spraying the container they're kept in fairly heavilly each day.  They do need some ventilation though.  They are escape artists, so a suitable lid must be used, even large slugs can squeeze under very small gaps in the lid of they're container.

Coir, or soil is a good substrate to use for them, several inches of substrate, with a layer of moss, which they will usually hide under, is adequete for nearly all species.  A water bowl isnt needed, most species will make use of a hide, which can be a piece of rotting bark.

Most species are kept at room temperature, some tropical species may benefit from warmer conditions, care must be taken that they're container doesnt become too dry, a heatmat attached to the side of the container can be used, it should only cover 1/3 of the container, humidity is far more important to slugs than snails, as they are at a far higher risk of desiccation.

Feeding

Slugs will accept many different foods, including fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, rotting leaves, dog food, seeds, and others, it is worth experimenting with acceptable food items to find what the slug prefers.  Some slugs, including Limax maximus (Leopard Slugs) are omnivorous, and will attack and eat other slugs, and even other Leopard Slugs, ideally these should be kept singly, they also accept mushrooms, rotting leaves and dog food.

Breeding

Many species of slug will breed and lay eggs in captivity, eggs are usually burried, or laid under rotting pieces of bark, they should hatch where they are laid, or can be removed and hatched in a seperate container, care must be taken not to allow the eggs to dry out.

Limax maximus wont breed in captivity, unless given a lot of space, a very tall vivarium would be needed because of the mating ritual of these slugs, they breed whille hanging from a tree branch, or other suspected objects, usually a minimum of 4 feet up.

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