Slugs-but a different kind of question

19 years ago

Hi,

New to the area, new to slugs. I'm not gardening this year(What? The horror!)because we're renting and don't have much space anyway. I do have a question about slugs. We have a cement patio. I keep our dogs dry dog food out there, in a big Rubbermaid container. This morning, I found a huge slug on the inside of the container! Ick, double, triple ick. I make sure the lid is one tight every time. I'm wondering:

If I got a steel sort of container, would they still get in there?

If I put the dog food container up on a table, would that detract them?

Eewww, such a gross thing to see first thing in the morning.

Thanks for all your suggestions(in advance)

Featured Answer

Vernonia

19 years ago

ahhh slugs, the PNW mascot! I live in a VERY rural and boggy area, and have seen some BIG slugs. HINT: never walk through a grassy field or pasture wet with dew in sandals... you will get this squishiness under your toes.. no you did not step in a cow pie, you will look down to realize that baby slugs are under your toes! They hide in grass, under rocks, and under, well... anything that does not move daily. I think it was an accident that it got in your dog food though or maybe it went in there for a sheltered nap .... we leave cat food out, and occasionally dog food, and they have never bothered it. they much prefer plantlife.
Slugs are the bane of gardeners, I know... but I must leave a few interesting tidbits behind...
Slugs are gastropods... which literally translates to stomach foot :) thus they are, as gardeners will tell you, walking stomaches :) My fave is the banana slug (Ariolimax columbianus) It is native to the NW and is 2nd largest in the world. in can get up to 10 inches/25 cm long.

They do have a few uses *surprise*
*they help decompose matter on the forest floor, and they spread spores/small seeds of plants(ferns) and mushrooms.
*AND if you are ever in the middle of nowhere, and are hurt, that slug slime makes a GREAT anesthetic! which is why they do not have a lot of predators, they will turn the predator's mouth numb :) Lick one and try it! No worries, it is a rite of passage at outdoor school, it won't bite :)*hahaha*
*If you touch a slug, do NOT try to wash the slime off with water, it will spread because slug slime is meant to absorb water. instead roll it between your fingers, it will ball up like rubber cement :)
*beer is one of the safest ways to get rid of them. You have a dog, so this can be important. Slugs are attracted to the smell of the malt/yeast in beer, they will climb into a saucer of it and drown. Hand picking them is good too, unless you are revolted by them :)... but be wary of chemical preparations if you have a doggy.
*ducks! yes ducks! they are my favorite slug disposal method. Ducks eat slugs like candy! but if not trained, they can eat your crops too. :) But a duck roaming the garden during the spring or fall rains is worth a gallon of correy's
*and one strange thimg most do not know...slugs in all their squishiness have teeth! they point inward and like a shark, shed! COOL!
If you want to learn more, just do a search online. uh.. but avoid any detailed mating descriptions... slugs are brutal and they make male spiders seem lucky!

*blush* uh... sorry if this is TMI *suddenly aware I am acting like a total nerd and have spent far too much time watching educational TV with the kids*

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Comments (17)

margi83301
Original Author
19 years ago
I'm in Oly Washington, not southern Idaho
hemnancy
19 years ago
Get some Worry-Free Snail bait (Iron Phosphate) and surround your container. Or put your container up on copper supports. The table would help, you could put the epsom salts just around the legs.
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Mearth
19 years ago
Dog food up high, beer down low. No more kibble-eatin' slugs.
margi83301
Original Author
19 years ago
what if I put the container on a piece of copper sheeting? Or, if I did find an old table, put some copper pieces under each leg?

The beer trick doesn't detract them, does it? They die in the bowl of beer, right? ICCCCCK!

Thanks for your help...I am so naive to this whole climate
Ratherbgardening
19 years ago
Do you have a garage you could put the bin in?
Patrick888
19 years ago
Our region often has high humidity levels. I guess I'd never consider storing dog food outdoors, even in a closed container. I'd expect the food to eventually be affected by the moisture. Personally, I think it'd be best to store it indoors, perhaps a garage as suggested above.

Welcome to slug haven! I don't have any of the huge slugs where I live (and rarely have moles for that matter!) but as my gardens grow I'm finding increasing numbers of the little guys. I think this year I'm going to have to do some careful baiting under boards, etc.

Patrick
Poochella
19 years ago
Gee Veronia you are a walking slug encyclopedia! I enjoy the banana slugs in our woods ( to the extent of their size and survival skills,)and have found some real keepers! I have heard that that particular variety does NOT go after desirable plants, but are good decomposers as you say.

Baby slugs are the worst. I want a fair sized target if I'm going to kill it. My dog is a long haired very furry pooch and she brings the babies in stuck in her fur. EWWW!

And further: lick a slug? EEWWWWWWWWWWWW! I'll take your word on that one!
rita_h
19 years ago
Keeping dogfood outside will also attract other pests, including rats, mice, racoons, skunks, opossums, etc. Better to keep it indoors.
Patrick888
19 years ago
Hey...guilty of SSM (senior short memory) here! I forgot about your slug thread and just posted a link to a hosta nursery's web site with a great page of Slug Solutions! So, I'll add it here too.

Patrick

Here is a link that might be useful: Dealing With Slugs
LauraBC
19 years ago
I wonder if your dog is like mine was, if I left beer out in a bowl, he'd drink it, forget the slugs getting into it, and if there was a wayward slug in the bowl, he'd probably have eaten it, a 'beer chaser' so to speak!
cac0
19 years ago
"I wonder if your dog is like mine was, if I left beer out in a bowl, he'd drink it, forget the slugs getting into it, and if there was a wayward slug in the bowl, he'd probably have eaten it, a 'beer chaser' so to speak!"

Hehe. Funny. My St. Bernard/Shepherd mutt LOVES beer. We have to be carefull. Fortunately, she's 130 pounds...
seneca_s
19 years ago
I've actually heard a big slug crunching the dog food. Definitly don't use a metaldahyde bait. My dog eats slug bait.
undercover_owl
19 years ago
Great post by Vernonia.

Is your place suitable for ducks? I encourage people to get ducks, mainly because they are so cute, but also for their penchant for eating slugs. It's very entertaining to watch them gobble huge slugs in their beaks. Duck droppings are slightly less disgusting to step on, than slugs are.

The beer in a bowl/pan trick works wonders. It seems to be most effective in deep grass.

So, margi: Slug control can actually be a form of entertainment, if you have the right attitude.
madspinner
19 years ago
I'd store the food indoors if you can.

I have to bring the dog food bowl at night... mostly because of critters... but if I forget the bowl gets slimed during the night. Ewwwww...

I keep my chicken feed outdoors in a small plastic garbage can. I only have very small slugs that seem to be able to squeeze through the twist on lid. Those mostly dehydrate into little slug mummies from lack of moisture... but still gross me out. Maybe that would work better for you? I got a half size can at ACE, but I've seen them cheaper at Walmart. Mine will hold about two 50lb bags of chicken feed... but probably less of dog food since it isn't as dense.
nwrose
18 years ago
Yes, your attitude can effect your outcome too! Great comments and info here...
Slugs are on my list of things I fight with a passion, like dandalions, horsetail, and morning glories. I have this awful feeling, that when I get to heaven, God is going to say, "But I gave you everything you ever needed and you killed it, pulled it out and burned it. What can I say?"
I'm afraid all of mans ills will be cured with all of our cast offs!! lol
Having pet food outside is not the bestidea, as already mentioned. We keep ours in the house, in the laundry area. The moister and heat doesn't seem to bother it.
We actually feed her inside as well, and keep the area clean. It keeps down on mice and other critters that would love to clean up her dribbles.
We winter in AZ and if we feed her outside, skunks come and clean up her mess, not a great idea, considering...
Good luck,
Smiles,
D..
undercover_owl
18 years ago
I forgot to mention: researchers are working on slug poison derived from caffeine. Caffeine is deadly to slugs, I read. Whether this has any practical value, as in, a new use for coffee grounds, I'm not sure. But it is something to anticipate.

Slugs-but a different kind of question

Vernonia

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margi83301
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Slugs-but a different kind of question

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