# banana slug care



## beetleman (Jun 12, 2006)

well i got a bunch of these slimey loogies and they are dieing off left and right:wall: i know they have to cool and all,they are eating like crazy,then they slime away to a pile of.......well you know,i'm in fla so that doesn't help any,but i'm keeping them on the cool side,putting ice cubes in the enclosure,but maybe the fridge?slugs in the fridge,not keen on that,but i may have to,anybody have experience with these guys?any info would be great,i did read somewhere that they are not that hardy,but dieing off day by day don't know has to do something with temp i guess but again all the info would really help me out with the remaining ones. thanks!


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## insect714 (Jun 12, 2006)

The only thing that I can really stress is cool and damp  They are native to the Northwest and I lived in Washington for 18 years they were everywhere. also make sure that they avoid all salt.  Slug + Salt = big dead pile'o goo.

Jon   Insect


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## beetleman (Jun 12, 2006)

yeah, i heard that also being cool/damp,i'm putting icecubes in their containers we'll see what happens(still got the fridge idea also)


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## bugmankeith (Jun 12, 2006)

What substrate are in they in? For snails I mixed soil with peat moss, and misted once or twice a day, I also included small pieces of cuttlebone too.


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## mitchrobot (Jun 12, 2006)

*bernana slugs*

i had a pair of 6-7" monsters a while back in a big tupperware tub thing. i had them on coconut bedding stuff (bed a beast?) and live moss with some rotting leaves and seom sticks. 

i caught them locally (northern california) and care was pretty easy, i kept them nice and moist by spraying the tank down every morning, and they were also kept nice and cool. im not sure if the ice cubes would be a little bit too cold though, or if the temp flucuations would be detrimental for their health or not though. 

i was feeding mine mainly Omega One kelp/spirulina wafers (im mainly a tropical fish guy and im big on nutrition, so i figured id see what they liked and ate).
they loved those, they also ate spinach, romaine and kale. i tried apples and bananas but i couldnt really tell fo they were eating them. so i mostly fed them the wafers and leafy greens. all uneated foods should be removed though, just to avoid exess bacteria and what not.

as said, no salt, it will turn them into globs of doom. 

and make sure they cant escape, mine got out through a *tiny* opening in the lid and made it to the front door and slip out during the night. i was pretty impressed by their navigational skills. 

good luck


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## beetleman (Jun 13, 2006)

excellent,thanks guys/gals for all the info  i guess we will see ,i have them in moist eco earth(bedda beast)with moss,just have to experement with the temps. i have other slug ssp. and snails and they are doing excellent,i guess the bananas are more fragile?


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## beetleman (Jun 14, 2006)

well these guys are dropping fast,man i just got them last thursday had 14! down to 3 and these don't look good:  i want more real bad but i have to crack this nut on caring for them,it's very nerve racking:wall: it's funny the other ssp. of slugs came from the same local(washington) and they are doing great,like i said in the last posts i guess the bananas are really fragile.


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## bugmankeith (Jun 14, 2006)

Add a cuttlebone, they Need it to live! I would stick to potting soil (no fertilizer) and peat moss mix.  The ice cubes could be a problem, misting with cool water is much better, at least you are misting thats important. Dry dog or cat food is a slug/snail favorite!


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## beetleman (Jun 14, 2006)

bugmankeith said:
			
		

> Add a cuttlebone, they Need it to live! I would stick to potting soil (no fertilizer) and peat moss mix.  The ice cubes could be a problem, misting with cool water is much better, at least you are misting thats important. Dry dog or cat food is a slug/snail favorite!


yeah, i give cuttlebone to my land snails,they freakin go crazy over it,well as for the bananas 1 down 2 to go,ive tried every kinds of foods they ate the first 2 days,then just stopped,just like that,even with the temps,i don't think they should die that fast,slowly dieing i can see,but one day they look awesome,next day stone cold dead,i'll try all the methods,but i want more of these guys they are really cool.


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## bugmankeith (Jun 14, 2006)

No chemicals got in right? Could they be sick you think? Try the methods I and others posted and also dry dog/cat food, and see if they are better after.


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## beetleman (Jun 15, 2006)

bugmankeith said:
			
		

> No chemicals got in right? Could they be sick you think? Try the methods I and others posted and also dry dog/cat food, and see if they are better after.


definitly no chemicals,i'll try all the methods thanks,i think being in fla is just too hot for them.


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## Wee Man (Jun 17, 2006)

Where would someone get a banana slug besides driving to Washington and finding them.


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## Ganoderma (Jun 17, 2006)

anywhere western should have them.

I lived in south west BC for most of my life (just above seattle, in canada).  I found them always in not too wet habitats.  perhaps you are making it too wet instead of very humid.  From what i saw in their habitats the substrate was not usually a dirt, but a dirty/organic/loamy type stuff.  often lots of leaves, dead/rotten wood, loose small rock, and light dirt.  perhaps try adding some rotting wood (i mean rotting, red and brittle).  i also generally found them in coniferous forests mixed with broadleaf’s.  that may not be relevant, but just an observation.  again the substrate was never wet or water logged, always humid but also well drained (coarse).

i kept them for a while and used the substrate i found them by and they lived for a couple months.  this was in bc, outside in shade.  i used a 10 gal aquarium with 2 4" diameter ventilation circles on either side.  i threw in all sorts of greens and "rotting things from under rocks".  i brought them indoors (where it is always 80+ for the reptiles) and they died off within a couple weeks.  i think temperatures really are that big a deal.  and i think that high humidity and low moisture are also essential.  perhaps like incubating many reptile eggs.

i would also consider adding rotten wood.  i am unaware of anything important about it.  however i found LOTS in, on, around rotting logs/stumps.  hard to tell what type of trees, but most living trees were douglas fir, red cedar, maple, alder, and other smaller plants like oregon grape, sallal (sp?), huckleberry and that sort of thing.

good luck!  i shipped some out one time to someone in a warmer area in the states and they did not last more than 2 weeks either.


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## beetleman (Jun 17, 2006)

thanks for the info i got 1 left out of 14 it's doing ok but not great,yeah it has to be the temps,and fla is definitly not the place to keep them,unless i get a little cooling fridge,see thru type thst won't get that cold in there.


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