Wolfie Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 This is about slugs, but anyone with any information about slugs or snails, please help, or point me somewhere where someone might be able to help! Before Christmas, I found two slug hatchlings in a bag of compost, the compost was bagged overseas and I have no idea what species these slugs are (they look like Lehmannia valentiana,but I am by no means an expert in slugs and I don't trust that enough to be comfortable releasing them). Anyway, I like slugs and snails, so I popped them into the tank I used to keep a single hisser in, and they've been living quite happily on a diet of various lettuces, carrots, dog food, scraps of various vegetables and fruits from the kitchen. I've grown very fond of them, but I'm worried about one. One of the slugs had grown very large, it's about 5cm long when fully extended, the other has barely grown at all, it's about 1.5cm long. I figured it was just a quirk, since it seemed active and ate plenty of food, but in the last two days it has shrunk down to about 1/2 the size it was. It's still active, it's just shrinking, and I assume not eating and it's got me very confused... The only change that has been made is that the tank is now situated in Hampshire and not Essex, as I moved house. The tank has not changed, their diet has not changed. I mist them with dechlorinated water often enough to keep the substrate moist, and they get fresh food every other day, they are kept at fairly warm room temperature. Like I said, as crazy as it sounds, I'm pretty fond of them and I don't want the little one to die, so any help would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 I would add cuttlebone for calcium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted June 2, 2013 Author Share Posted June 2, 2013 I have bought some cuttlebone and cut it into pieces so I can give them a bit at a time, since they're only little, I'm not sure if they're eating it yet, but I didn't think it could really be calcium deficiency, because it's only one slug that's undersized, and it wouldn't explain why he grew to begin with and then shrunk again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Calcium is needed. Could eggs have been laid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted June 2, 2013 Author Share Posted June 2, 2013 Well, they have it now, I'm hoping the little one does better with it. Definitely no eggs, I keep the substrate quite shallow normally, and they've been switched over to damp paper towel this week because my boyfriend's GALS have suddenly started having prolapsed radulas and spontaneously dying, and he suspected something in the substrate, so I've moved them onto something we know to be safe (they were kept on paper towel when they were hatchlings) until he finds out what's killing off his GALS, so I know for sure that they haven't laid any eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 Unfortunately, the undersized slug passed away, even after being given calcium. Whether it was something internally wrong with it or a disease, we'll never know, but the larger one still seems fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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