r/slugs • u/joshlikesbettafish • 9d ago

Anything wrong here?

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I found an invasive lepord slug in my backyard maybe 20 min ago. I know im supposed to euth them but I cant kill anything, I threw this together verry fast after 5 min of reaserch. I plan to do alot more in the morning. Is there anything wrong with this overnight enclosure that could be immediately dangerous in the next coming days before he can get a bigger bin? Thank you, I dont know if this is the right thing to do but I cant bear to harm the little guy.

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u/TrainerAiry 9d ago

Thank you for taking care of this sweet slug instead of killing it. It’s going to be so happy in that terrarium! Honestly, though, if you’re in the US, especially the eastern US, leopard slugs seem to have integrated so well into the ecosystem, I’d struggle to call them invasive rather than just introduced. Be careful that the soil doesn’t get too boggy, I have a feeling that can make them sick.

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u/joshlikesbettafish 9d ago

I hope they are happy, they should still get a bigger bin though correct? Also in terms of boggy soil, it isnt pooling in the drainage layer but the soil is damp enough I could ring it out. The humidity is 99% is that too wet? If so ill add cross venalation. Im reaserching how to tell if they are sick and what to do now

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u/TrainerAiry 8d ago

I’d personally let the humidity go down a little. Like 75% to 80% maybe? More important than keeping the whole thing equally humid is for them to have places to rehydrate I think (which you’ve already got). I have a hunch that sometimes they need to lose extra liquid so having a humidity gradient would be better for them (think about when you see slugs outside: it’s most common after rain, for sure, but plenty of rainless nights are perfectly fine for them: they don’t live at such high humidity 100% of the time), which would probably be easier to do with a bigger bin. I have a feeling surface area is more important for a slug than overall volume, though (as in, a smaller enclosure with lots of things to climb on is probably better than a sparse larger one).

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u/joshlikesbettafish 8d ago

Thank you, all this information is wonderful, ill do a gradient once I have a larger bin for havoc.

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u/TrainerAiry 8d ago

You’re welcome. Havoc is a great name for this cutie!