Major Slug Problem & Family Pet implications

A

apple1

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Help, I've a severe case of slugs at the moment. What's worse, at night they invade my dog's bowl in their dozens. Last night there may have been up to 50 of the buggers in it. IS there anything I can do without putting my dog's health in danger? Thanks in advance, apple 1
 
I can't vouch for its efficiency, but have read that if you sink plastic bottles cut in half level with the garden surface they're coming from and fill them with beer, the slugs go in, consume the beer, and die.

Salt also kills them, but it's pretty horrible.

Slug pellets are absolutely out since you can endanger your pet, and wild birds [and anything up the food chain from them].
 
The slugs are attracted by the scraps of food left in the dog bowl. The only way to prevent it is to clean the dog's bowl after he has eaten.

The beer traps don't work in wet weather (it becomes too dilute) and the dog food is a lot more attractive than beer for slugs!

You can buy slug pellets that are non-toxic to pets, I wouldn't recommend salt as you'll have to use a lot and it won't do the garden any favours.
 
Hello apple1.
Create an encircling low mound of either bran or porridge oatlets around your dogs bowl.
Form the barrier mound as far away from the bowl as is possible, possibly at the edge of vegetation, which may be harbouring the slugs.
Bran or porridge oatlets will literally suck the slugs dry of the slime they produce to allow travel.
If you've ever taken a mouthful of bran, you will know how moisture sapping it is.

Your birds can safely eat the dried husks of the pests and the remaining organic mound, the following morning.
Better put some water out for them though.

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Is there any way of dealing with this without killing something? For instance put your dogs bowl on some sort of raised platform with netting or something which the slugs can't climb?
 
AnnR. The only thing I'm concerned about killing is the dog. If I have to sacrifice a few hundred slugs, so be it. They're literally upon my front door and not the most hygienic sight in the world.
 
Might sound like a silly question, but what is the likely danger to the dog? If he eats the slug and doesn't like it, he won't do it again? Wasn't aware that they might be poisonous.

I have a similar situation with the catfood bowl, often find plenty of slugs in the bowl and the cat simply ignores them. He certainly doesn't see them as food, perhaps because they don't have a "food scent"? If you've got a compost heap/bin, just throw them into it, they'll love it! (that's the slugs, not the cat/dog !!).

There are beertraps available with a lid (and a gap round the sides for the happy slugs to go through) - think I bought mine from Irish Times some years ago.
 
You could lay down some broken egg shells along the edge of the garden where they're crawling out from. The slugs can't get past this barrier as it's too sharp for their underbelly.
 
We had a similar problem with slugs and snails for years. Tried everything you could buy, beer, etc. but the only effective thing was to clean up all the debris like leaves, old plants, rubbish, etc. and also, we very effectively cut down old ivy, climbers, etc. that they lived in. Get rid of where they live or come from and you've nearly won the battle. Good luck! Oh and now we get to drink the beer ourselves!!
 

Agree about the leftover food in the bowl - you should always wash out the bowl immediately after the dog has finished.

You could lay a flat piece of timber, tin, slate, etc over the beer trap to prevent dilution - make sure it is slightly raised over the top of the trap.
 
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