Ever tried snails or slugs as food?

[dragonblade71]

This may sound like a very strange question but has anyone ever tried feeding a snail or a slug to their tarantula? If so, are the remains really messy or do they digest the whole lot cos these are soft bodied organisms? I wonder about the chance of parasites.....

 

[dukegarda]

I fed my T an earthworm. Messy. So so messy. Then again, that particular T is a messy T when it comes to eating...

 

[Tuishimi]

Don't some slugs exude poisons in their slime to discourage predators?

 

[dragonblade71]

Ah...well in that case, we should take slugs off the menu for tarantulas. I did feed a slug to my crab a few years ago and that went well.

 

[Tuishimi]

Maybe I spoke too soon. I was probably thinking of sea slugs, not common garden slugs. The worst they do is make dogs throw up, apparently.

 

[IdahoBiteyThing]

dogs and slugs

My old dog used to eat them like candy, she'd come into the house with her lips all shiny from slug slime. Disgusting. lol

 

[Tuishimi]

My old dog used to eat them like candy, she'd come into the house with her lips all shiny from slug slime. Disgusting. lol

That is so gross.

 

[Moltar]

My old dog used to eat them like candy, she'd come into the house with her lips all shiny from slug slime. Disgusting. lol

Did she lick you on the face after? I had a dog that liked to lick people on the face after she ate cat poop. It was SO CUTE!!!

 

[Tuishimi]

Did she lick you on the face after? I had a dog that liked to lick people on the face after she ate cat poop. It was SO CUTE!!!

Our poodle eats cat and dog poo then comes, has a drink and comes right over to offer his appreciation for the snacks with kisses.

 

[Drachenjager]

Did she lick you on the face after? I had a dog that liked to lick people on the face after she ate cat poop. It was SO CUTE!!!

I would have shot that dog. Should have eaten the cat not the cat poop. of course maybe it scared the poop out of the cat. If you scare the poop out of a cat there is nothing left lol

 

[Merfolk]

Of all the animals that wander in the garden, I think slugs are the ones that pile up the most pesticides in their bodies. I the plants are sprayed in any way, they are on the first line to absorb it! I would pass, I am already taking a risk with moths.

 

[Hedorah99]

If I can remember Invert Bio at all, most slugs do produce a chemical deterrant in their slime. I doubt its more that just an unappealing taste, but who knows how your pet will react. As with all wild caught food, its a risk that most likely should not be taken.

 

[Arachn'auQuébec]

Hi!
I just tried the experience. I found a slug in a chives plant(Allium schoenoprasum, now an appartment plant wich comes from my parent's garden whom I know would never use pesticides), and decided to give it to my 4" L. parahybana.

As soon as the slug hit the ground the spider jumped on it (this piggy spider would have jumped on it even if it was a rock, eat first check out what it is after...), but as soon as she sunk a fang in the sticky thing, my spider stepped back and took a threat posture at it, and kept it until the snail had crawled all the way up to the lid.

The spider took about half an hour trying to get all the slime off its mouth, it finally kind of mixed it with dirt and got rid of it as if it was a bolus.

conclusions: My spider looks fine, but I won't be trying this again. Ever.

 

[Sooner]

Haha, that's hilarious. I bet your LP is very angry at you... :evil:

 

[crpy]

Hi!
I just tried the experience. I found a slug in a chives plant(Allium schoenoprasum, now an appartment plant wich comes from my parent's garden whom I know would never use pesticides), and decided to give it to my 4" L. parahybana.

As soon as the slug hit the ground the spider jumped on it (this piggy spider would have jumped on it even if it was a rock, eat first check out what it is after...), but as soon as she sunk a fang in the sticky thing, my spider stepped back and took a threat posture at it, and kept it until the snail had crawled all the way up to the lid.

The spider took about half an hour trying to get all the slime off its mouth, it finally kind of mixed it with dirt and got rid of it as if it was a bolus.

conclusions: My spider looks fine, but I won't be trying this again. Ever.

That is good and funny info

 

[Randomhero148]

Of all the animals that wander in the garden, I think slugs are the ones that pile up the most pesticides in their bodies. I the plants are sprayed in any way, they are on the first line to absorb it! I would pass, I am already taking a risk with moths.

How are moths taking a risk? I have been wondering if i could feed my avicularia versicolor moths? I would like to see him catching it out of the air and eating it. Moths or butterflys.. things that can fly. I wouldnt do this but i was wondering if it was possible, maybe finding a honey bee and taking out the stinger and feeding your spider that. Just a thought but would never try it.

 

[bamato]

Hi!
I just tried the experience. I found a slug in a chives plant(Allium schoenoprasum, now an appartment plant wich comes from my parent's garden whom I know would never use pesticides), and decided to give it to my 4" L. parahybana.

As soon as the slug hit the ground the spider jumped on it (this piggy spider would have jumped on it even if it was a rock, eat first check out what it is after...), but as soon as she sunk a fang in the sticky thing, my spider stepped back and took a threat posture at it, and kept it until the snail had crawled all the way up to the lid.

The spider took about half an hour trying to get all the slime off its mouth, it finally kind of mixed it with dirt and got rid of it as if it was a bolus.

conclusions: My spider looks fine, but I won't be trying this again. Ever.

She probably was threatening you.... Exclaiming " What the hell are you feeding me this garbage for? Get that scumbag out of here and get me some real food punk!" lol It's funny how we personify our pets sometimes even though they have no ability to express genuine emotions.

 

[Arachn'auQuébec]

How are moths taking a risk? I have been wondering if i could feed my avicularia versicolor moths? I would like to see him catching it out of the air and eating it. Moths or butterflys.. things that can fly. I wouldnt do this but i was wondering if it was possible, maybe finding a honey bee and taking out the stinger and feeding your spider that. Just a thought but would never try it.

Well, that would clearly be fun.I gave most of my spider flies that came from a known piece of rotten meat(just leave an old piece of meat out a hot summer day in a place where it will be in contact with flies, next day chase the flies and cover it with a piece of cloth, couple of days later you will have maggots, and another couple of days later, you will have flies!). But I think WC flying things are the biggest risk you can possibly take for pesticides. Especially for butterflies. Even if they are probably a great part of wild avicularias diet.

In USA and Canada more than anywhere else, we spray our cultivated fields with tons of pesticides to get rid of caterpillars, effectively killing a lot, but each time leaving alive those that are able to handle high levels of pesticides in their system (wich is by the way the reason why a given pesticide is completely unuseful after few years). Those caterpillars become butterflies that cutely(?) fly away from their home field, carrying in their system considerable concentrations of pesticides. The one you catch at your safe home could come from hundreds of miles away, as for about any flying thing.

But flies are fun to try, they are very "nervous" things that big hairy spiders detect immediately. Sometimes the large terrestrials miss them, wich makes the hunt soo much more interesting!!

 

[Arachn'auQuébec]

She probably was threatening you.... Exclaiming " What the hell are you feeding me this garbage for? Get that scumbag out of here and get me some real food punk!" lol It's funny how we personify our pets sometimes even though they have no ability to express genuine emotions.

Hehe yes she must hate me by now. I guess next time i will open the lid the first thing i will know is that a huge cloud of urticating hairs is now tearing my corneas.

 

[ShellsandScales]

Pretty much any type of wild feeder is a bad idea. There are so many different kinds of inverts, some may be toxic, some may have pesticides in their bodies. Just not worth it. On a side note, I sometimes get fruit flies in my house from my turtle food or when I give fresh fruit to other exotics. If I'm bored I'll walk around the house and catch fruit flies for my tiny slings. Saves money and effort breeding my own tiny food. now I have super worms established so I probably won't be uising any flies this next spring but it was definitely nice to have tiny food on hand. I hate buying pinheads or fruit flies its always such a waste of money to feed a handful of slings.