Is anybody here a slug expert?

[Feudal]

I think slugs are adorable and I once almost got one for a pet. A leopard slug somehow got on my pant leg and followed me inside of my house to the second floor where it fell off. I noticed him and I was like "Wow this guy is cool" and I put him in a container with some dirt and and a stick and stuff because he's SO CUTE.

Low and behold five minutes later the little thing EXPLODES! Idk what happened, he was fine and then he just starts oozing this brown stuff out like 3 holes that just appared on his sides! Is anybody here a slug expert because I can't find anything on the subject.

[HypersleepyNaputunia]

Was there a salt pocket in the soil? Fertilizer has salts too

[Feudal]

Originally posted by フル メタル アルケミス:

Was there a salt pocket in the soil? Fertilizer has salts too

I wasn't fertilizer, I'm pretty sure it was just normal dirt. Does salt make them explode? I wouldn't think so...

[Feudal]

Well you know what, maybe it was salty. Google says it makes them literally explode, that sucks. That made me depressed for a week because I was texting my one friend "What should I name my slug?" "You should name it like Eileen or something!" "OH GOD MY SLUGS EXPLODING!"

Looking back on it, it's actually kind of funny.

[Bluemenkranz]

Originally posted by Big Metal:

Probably couldn't handle a life in captivity and exploded itself.

Allahu Akbar

[supine&golden]

I rlly want a big ol' banana slug...
Nice to see other people think the little slimies are cute! :3c

[supine&golden]

That's effin incredible tho.... Like holy Moses

[Sk7Lin3]

I'm a snail person tbh

[Ivy]

Slugs are cool but people will give you weird looks if you have one as a pet.

[Autistic Whales]

That sucks, but idk.

[CrOwn]

More than likely there was salt in whatever you put in there. Just get a bird if you want an exotic pet that's cute

[Iron Phoenix]

Im quite the expert on Metal Slug lol

Anyway, I read that slugs are an unevolved ancestor of the snail.
The leathery "patch" they have on their back is thought to have evolved into a shell on the species that became actual snails.

And no, it stands to reason that they are not fond of salt.
Salt absorbs moisture, and so a slug being as it is, salt is literally insta - death to them.
Or a slow painful one if they feel pain.

Imagine death by something that slowly caused all the water in your body to dissapear.
Your body is probably about 50 - 60 % water.

[supine&golden]

Originally posted by Daggermeister:

Originally posted by Coppermλn:

Slugs are cool but people will give you weird looks if you have one as a pet.

Not as weird as if you keep a roach as a pet. It was pretty funny, though, until it flew into my cousin's face and she smashed it. RIP Johnny.

So you ever heard of 'the roach brooch'? This designer, Jared Gold, would take these Madagascar hissing roaches, bejewel them, attatch them to a chain and you could wear them

Mind you, they are also alive

[Iron Phoenix]

Slugs and snails are actually quite interesting.

Slugs for one, actually have thousands of sharp teeth and if you listen closely on a quiet night in your garden, they can be heard munching and crunching their way through the green stuff.
They are noisy eaters. Im not kidding you, listen to them up close lol.


Some fun slug facts via Mental Floss:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/91588/10-slippery-facts-about-slugs

Some science about slugs:

http://www.allaboutslugs.com/slug-and-snail-science/slug-anatomy/

[Iron Phoenix]

Originally posted by Fusion (Birthday):

A slug's entire body is a mucus membrane right?

They are basically a muscular foot.

[supine&golden]

Originally posted by Fusion (Birthday):

A slug's entire body is a mucus membrane right?

i can relate