Let's first look at the portrait of a slug, which is familiar to all gardeners. Here he is, a naked freak, wet, nasty .... If chickens could speak, then their words would sound like this: “Here he is, handsome, naked, tasty.” Mother nature would have uttered such words with tenderness: “How beautiful you are, little cub. How I need you."

Number 1 - brown arion, number 2 - striped arion. Striped is a pest.

Arion brown. While "sleeping" - a lump, and crawled - 80 millimeters of growth appeared from somewhere. Main place for comfortable life coniferous, deciduous or mixed forests. Sometimes they are seen in old parks or cemeteries. Does not love sunlight, therefore, it creeps out to feed in the twilight-dark hours of the day. Mushroom pickers see only traces of feasts - the cavities on the hats are oiled and mushrooms. And how the slug feasts on dead roots, leaves or dead small animals, only zoologists have observed. In our Altai Territory it is found, in Eastern Siberia, in the Amur River basin and the Primorsky Territory, only the color instead of brown is rather monochromatic black.

Woe to those gardeners and gardeners who wanted to have not just a plot for growing vegetables and apple trees, but a nice place on the edge of the forest under the canopy of lonely pines for a beautiful cottage with a production bias in the form of growing garden products - the slug harms the gardens and fields located next to the forest. Yes, and how not to harm, because everything is laid out in the beds, here are the most delicate lettuce leaves, and here is the most delicious cabbage.

Arion striped. A close relative of brown, it is lighter in color, it is rather ashy with a slight admixture of yellowness or or creme brulee. This pest prefers to live in cultivated biotopes - in gardens, fields, parks and, of course, in vegetable gardens. It is good that he does not live in all regions, but in the north-west of our country and in its central regions.

Slug black. A very long slug, even a chicken will be afraid to peck, up to 20 centimeters in length its body can stretch when moving. It is good that he feeds on lichens and mushrooms. Range: Karelia, Baltic States, Belarus, west and center of Russia, and areas located east of Novgorod.

Number 1 - large slug, number 2 - field slug, number 3 - black slug, number 4 - smooth slug.

The slug is big. Less black, and that's a joy, because the length of the body can be 130 millimeters, and this is 13 centimeters. But it’s still unpleasant when such living creatures settle in a greenhouse, garden or vegetable garden. He also loves vegetable stores, of course, because the whole range tasty food collected in one place, it is not necessary to spend energy on searches. Range: northwestern and central regions of Russia.

Malacolimax gentle. Gentle for the gardener, because it eats mushrooms and lichens.

Malacolimax gentle.

Field slug. Not big, only 40 millimeters when stretched. This forest and darkness are not needed, he loves ditches, swamps, meadows, does not shy away from forest edges. The main, most important thing is that he does not like cultivated land. You can save yourself from it by constant digging of the soil in the beds. The soil will lose fertility. What's better? To know...

Slug is smooth. Less field slug. He loves swamps, damp meadows, the banks of overgrown reservoirs. He is not afraid of water, it does not cost him anything to feed on a leaf under water. He is not afraid of the cold.

Slug mesh.

Do not believe everything that is written. For example, that slugs love beer. Maybe they love, but who tested them for the ability to die from alcohol intoxication? Or ashes… What kind of ash, cigarette or wood ash? The first is too little, and the second will need no less. After all, you will have to process the entire area, every square centimeter.

Pine needles will not help, as well as spruce needles. See above, it says that some slugs love coniferous forests, and there are so many of these needles that you won’t find a haystack among them.

Chemical methods of protection against slugs are ineffective. When a poisonous substance gets on the mucus, the animal simply shakes off the sticky clothes and immediately puts on a new, no less sticky one.

Gardeners believe that ground red hot pepper is dangerous. But this is a very costly method.

Can be destroyed by chemical means. Metaldehyde will help, it is recommended to scatter 40 grams per square meter. This is also expensive, given that the treatment, that is, the sprinkling of the earth, is not a one-time procedure, but multiple, because every rain washes away all traces. At the same time, it is necessary to pollute the soil with poison, how will the soil inhabitants, who create fertility, react to this?

You can sprinkle with dolomite flour or slaked lime, also not God knows how good, but this is the most economically viable method, although treatments should be carried out after each rain.

There is a generally accepted opinion that you need to sprinkle the paths and around the beds. Don't believe! What, harmful Velcro only live under the tracks? And crawl out to the surface only above the tracks? Therefore, it is recommended to sprinkle around the beds with a path around the perimeter. These animals can hide from the sun and wind in the place where they are impatient!

The beds should be well ventilated, they should not have grass or other shelters during the dangerous period for plants. The lower leaves should be removed so that they do not touch the ground and do not serve as bridges. There should not be many plants in the garden; it is much more difficult to find a pest in the jungle thickets, and it is more comfortable for him.

It is proposed to pollinate the soil with superphosphate. For me, this is not an acceptable method, I have already switched to natural farming, I do not need chemical fertilizers.

Another funny recommendation is to collect slugs in a jar after rain during the day. This can be recommended by someone who has not collected slugs himself. If there can be a million individuals per hectare of cultivated area, as in Great Britain, what percentage of this number will be three dozen specimens that accidentally caught your eye. The search for slugs for subsequent destruction is meaningless.

If you are to pour poison, then you need to do it in such a way as to protect the plant, and not the planting or sowing area - each plant. These scoundrels like to be found in the soil layer near the stems of plants. So it is necessary to loosen the bed, especially deeply with the soil tilted away from the stem. So all the slugs will be on the surface, they are clearly visible. Take a pruner and cut each one, believe me, slugs do not have the ability to regenerate tissues. Then spud the stalk with the same soil with the remains of the pest and sprinkle lime on top. This is the most effective way struggle, caution does not hurt - lime should not get on the plant itself, otherwise burns and ...

Reproduction of slugs or why there are no slugs in spring.

They are gentle, soft-bodied creatures, deep into the soil, like earthworms or Colorado beetles, they can't get in. Although eggs are laid far enough from the soil surface, they are hidden from drying out at a depth of 8 centimeters.

Although they hide under the remnants of grass, heaps of garbage, they all die in frosts. The eggs remain to winter. If mom-dad-slug found a suitable place for masonry, then little babies will hatch from eggs that are somewhat similar to caviar in the spring warm days. They will appear to us as adults in mid-July. Such reproduction of slugs was invented by nature.

Why wait for the slugs to attack? It can be prevented by destroying baby slugs or teenagers in time.

Who eats slugs or nature to help us.

Moreover, laying hens should not be allowed to peck at them, because hens will drastically reduce the supply of eggs for dinner.

Hedgehogs, moles, starlings, jackdaws and rooks eat slugs, frogs do not refuse them. Here there is material for thought, who is better for the garden, the mole, which will devour the slug and destroy all the plants, or the hedgehog, who himself is not averse to feasting on our green vegetables?

Lizards, salamanders and snakes fall away immediately. There were ground beetles, toads and frogs - they must be taken as assistants and companions, conditions for reproduction and life must be created.

Tell your friends gardeners and gardeners about ways to protect vegetable crops from a pest that eats everything in summer cottages.

“Since I was twelve, I have eaten a few strange things and will continue to be happy to crunch on fried locusts or swallow live fish. And yet, unless I change drastically, I will never be able to eat slugs. Just thinking about it gives me stomach cramps.”

This is how Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher, better known by her initials M.F.K., begins one of her essays. Possibly the best English-language food writer of the 20th century.

“I tried to look at them with a sober, cold look. She continues. Tried to admire the beauty of their movements, evident in the fast-rolling of the film, forced herself to read in the Encyclopædia Britannica about the harmlessness of everything that forms their slimy bodies. All to no avail. Any mention of these creatures awakens the animal horror dormant somewhere inside me. Slugs are a nightmare, this is something abnormal, I am madly afraid of them and everything connected with them. However, I love snails. Most people love snails."

In that essay, entitled "Fifty Million Snails" and first published in 1937, Fischer writes about how one day while living in Dijon, France, she ate so many snails that she became dizzy for two days while the gastropods "turned under the influence of garlic old tires". And nothing. She still loved them, as did most of the French, who, she said, ate 50 million snails a year. Since then, consumption volumes have grown so much that they are measured not in pieces, but in tons. Today we are talking about 35 thousand tons per year!

Parisians alone eat 20 tons during the Christmas holidays. I also love snails, although I find it difficult to say why. Honestly, I think I would eat anything after being dipped in hot butter. Even the chunky rubber slippers I wear at my home in Bangkok. I do not know whether to believe the historians who claim that snails were one of the main sources of animal food for the first people. Partly in favor of this theory is evidence found in the caves ancient man piles of shells, and the fact that catching snails is easy.

It is believed that the Romans were the first to breed them, feeding them with vines and grains. Pliny the Elder (1st century) in the 37-volume Natural History wrote about fried snails, which were eaten with wine before dinner to stimulate the appetite or as a light snack between feasts and orgies, to which his fellow citizens were great hunters. Gauls who inhabited the area modern France, served snails as a dessert. And in the Middle Ages, the Church allowed them to be eaten during fasting. Usually snails were fried in oil or with onions, cooked on skewers or boiled. One of the earliest accolades for this culinary delicacy appeared in 1394 in the French newspaper Le Managier de Paris.

“Snails should be caught in the morning. Harvest small, black-shelled juveniles from grapes or elderberries and wash them in several changes of water until no more foam appears. Then wash once in salt water or diluted vinegar, pour fresh water and set to stew.

Next, the snails should be removed from the shell with the tip of a needle or pin, cut off their black tail, as this is their excrement, washed again and stewed in water, then laid on a dish and served with bread. Others say that the preparation described is not enough: the snails should also be fried in oil with onions and seasoned with spices - such a dish can be served in the most refined society.

TO XVII century the popularity of snails has fallen. In the following centuries, in a large part of the European continent, they were seen not as a potential delicacy, but garden pest. What they are, breeding in myriad quantities and devouring almost any greenery. In France, snails came back into fashion after they were served at the table at a dinner given by Talleyrand in honor of the Russian Tsar. Since then, France has remained the world leader in their consumption.

In England, snails have always been ruthlessly fought as a serious threat. agriculture and neglected as food. In a curious book entitled "Why Don't We Eat Insects?", published in London in 1885, its author, Vincent Holt, devotes twelve whole pages to these creatures. Holt believed that snails, like many insects, fell victim to human prejudice, unwillingness to recognize them as a generous and affordable source of protein.

He makes, in particular, the following proposal. “Some progress could be made through the strength of example. Lord could order delicious dishes from snails, prepared according to recipes used throughout the continent, and in time the servants would begin to imitate them. Also disturbing, according to Holt, is the erroneous idea that only one type of snail is edible. Whereas the only advantage of its representatives over the rest of the snails is a larger size.

The author is sure of the opposite: all snails are edible. He further writes that in Italy and other European countries, in many farms, snails are grown in a kind of reserves. “In specially designated areas of the garden, fenced off with a wooden fence and covered with a net. These reserves are home to hundreds of snails that feed on fresh vegetables and those herbs that will give them a pleasant taste. I would like to see such reserves in every English garden.

French snail meat recipe.

Classical preparation of snail meat.

The snails that live in vineyards are considered the best. Pour some water into a saucepan and bring to a boil, then lower the snails into it. Boil for a quarter of an hour. Remove the snails from the shells, rinse thoroughly several times, then throw into clean water and cook for another quarter of an hour. Remove them from the pot and rinse again. Then dry and fry on with a little butter until browned. Serve with some hot sauce.

French-style snail meat.

Crack open the shells and toss the snails into boiling, lightly salted water with herbs to create an organic aromatic bouquet. After a quarter of an hour, remove the snails from the water. Remove from the shells and boil again, then transfer to a saucepan with butter, parsley, pepper, thyme, bay leaf and a little flour. After stewing enough, add a well-beaten egg yolk and lemon juice or a little vinegar to the saucepan.

Isn't it true that one description already causes appetite? Holt's appeals were ignored by his contemporaries, they were never considered worthy of the table either in England or elsewhere. developed countries. The attitude towards them as food became more and more favorable, which was associated with the gradual transformation of France into the trendsetter of the world culinary fashion. Today, in some areas of this country, snails are starved for a week, or even longer, to remove all toxins from their bodies. Eliminate all unpleasant tastes associated with the food they consume. Elsewhere in France, they are put on an aromatic diet of thyme and other herbs.

How are snails prepared?

They make broth from them; them, right in the shells, are stewed with wine or garlic oil, chili sauce and chives; they are freed from the shells and cooked with a white sauce based on butter and flour or with garlic mayonnaise and bérnaise sauce. And they are also grilled, sprinkled with salt, pepper, thyme and ground fennel.

Snails are served with homemade bread and red wine. In Laos and northeastern Thailand, snail snails are harvested during the rainy season from paddy fields, simply boiled and eaten, dipped in a mixture of crushed garlic, chili, fish sauce and coriander leaves. Traditionally, sticky boiled rice serves as a side dish.

Eating the meat of slugs.

If the above and many other recipes for cooking snails have become quite widespread, then slug meat now remains not only in the lowest "gastronomic position", but for many on the last line in the list of promising culinary products. The excuse could be an unattractive appearance common garden and marine (nudibranch molluscs) species of slugs, devoid of a pretty, geometrically perfect shell, but crabs, lobsters, oysters, and the same chickens are hardly more attractive “live”.

In fact, the only significant difference between snails and slugs is the shell. She protects the body of the majority invertebrate molluscs, but slugs lack this armor. Although they belong to the same classification type, along with squids and octopuses. The shell is an important thing, but snails and slugs have a lot in common. Like snails, land slugs feed on plants, usually at night, and therefore are also classified as pests. As for sea slugs, being in many ways similar to their terrestrial relatives, they feed on corals and other animal organisms.

If land slugs failed to get the attention of a hungry public, then catching and cooking Nudibranchs have a long history in vast areas from China and Japan in the south to Eskimo camps in the ice-bound north. Land and sea slugs have some external differences. If the first can be the most different colors, including red, gray, yellow, black and white, and vary in size, depending on the species and age, the latter in most cases have a gray or black color, are much larger and weigh up to 900 grams.

Alas, history has preserved only a few written evidence of eating sea slugs. One of the earliest dates back to the period before the 5th century and is contained in a fragment of a Chinese source called the Gastronomic Canon. There, these creatures are called haishu, that is, "sea rats", and are described as "similar to leeches, but larger."

Over time, the status of nudibranchs increased, and they began to be called haishen, which can be translated as "sea ginseng." They were credited with strengthening and tonic properties. In China, nudibranch mollusks were so popular that the emperor sent powerful fleets that reached the coast of Africa and Australia in search of sources of additional supplies.

It got to the point that shellfish became the reason for a real war. In 1415, the then king of Sri Lanka ordered the Chinese ships to leave, but the Chinese responded by sending troops, taking the king prisoner and continuing to fish for slugs at sea and collect along the shores of the island. One of the reasons for the hype around shellfish was their supposed ability to increase male potency. Such an idea was probably based on the external properties of this creature: a long, thick, elastic body that swells when touched.

From the 16th century, a Chinese document has been preserved, which proposed, in the absence of a mollusk, "to take a donkey's penis and be content with it as a gastronomic substitute." In 1913, in Alaska, a woman named Eli Hunt was questioned in her native Kwakiutl about the technology of catching and cooking nudibranch clams. According to her, the hunter, always a man, waited for the low tide and sailed around the remaining lakes in a canoe. sea ​​water, stringing on a two-pronged spear in abundance the mollusks remaining in them. “He takes a knife and cuts off the head of the slug. Then he squeezes his insides into the water and with force throws him to the bottom of the canoe with words. "Now you'll be as hard as your grandfather's cock."

On the shore, the mollusks were hovered for two days, then the slugs were boiled over an open fire. Since the water almost always went over the edge during cooking, the man, according to the narrator, threw handfuls of dirt from the floor of the hut into the cauldron and thus supported the cooking process. After cooking, the clams were washed again and served as is. Today, nudibranch molluscs are sometimes referred to as sea ​​cucumbers, most often dried, soaked for several days and then boiled, changing the water several times, until the original spongy structure of the tissues is restored.

If you decide to have such an unusual pet as a snail, you should familiarize yourself with their features in more detail. First of all, you need to decide what type of snail you like. It is possible to breed both grape snails and African snails at home. From the point of view of aesthetics and exotics, African ones are much more attractive. But they also practice the cultivation of grape mollusks.

It should be understood that they are grown not only for beauty, but there is also a whole business for breeding and selling shellfish. From one animal during reproduction, we get about a hundred new individuals.

Achatina - giant African land snails

The natural habitat of Achatina is located in East Africa, but representatives of this species can also be found in many European countries. African Achatinas have gained popularity as terrarium pets and are also bred for human consumption. In many countries with warm climate, including in Spain, they are serious crop pests.

They live in places where it is warm enough, damp and there is constant access to food. They thrive in tropical climates.

African snails can live at home, it is not difficult for them to create an optimal local climate in a terrarium.

The size depends on the species - Achatina is the largest snail in the world, its shell grows up to 200 mm, and its weight can be 400-500 grams. At home, slugs also reach large sizes- adults can have a carapace length of 70 to 170 mm and a width of 30 to 80 mm.

Achatina care at home

These clams prefer warm, humid areas, especially places around bodies of water. Terrarium

must maintain a temperature of 20-30 ° C and an air humidity of about 80-95% (specific parameters depend on the subspecies). For more demanding species, a device for additional heating is needed, for example, heating elements placed on the outside of the terrarium.

Mollusk activity depends on ambient temperature, sunlight and humidity. In the cold season, they are active around the clock. In the hot season, they are active mainly at night or during rain.

They can become inactive for many reasons: insufficient moisture, low temperature and illness. Such an Achatina is closed in a shell with a limestone cap.

The average life expectancy of an animal is from 3 to 5 years, but there are individuals who live up to 9 years.

How to care for snails at home? Their nutrition should be taken very seriously so that they receive all the elements necessary for their life. This phytophage feeds on various plant species. Achatina feels the taste of food and her diet should be varied.

What do snails eat at home?

They use snippets various plants, as well as special additives:

• beans;
• pumpkin;
• vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, celery and parsley, zucchini and zucchini;
• fruits and berries: apples, pears, plums, bananas, blackberries, raspberries, grapes and strawberries;
• watermelon, melon;
• you can give her an additional boiled egg;
• soaked dog and cat food (such additives are used once a week, not more often);
• dry mix should consist of oatmeal, dry granular food for rodents, dry food in the form of flakes for fish, dry skimmed milk, wheat bran;
• sometimes they eat baby biscuits and baby rice porridge.

All food must be fresh - without rot and mold, they must be thoroughly washed. Given the fact that fruits and vegetables are often sprayed with snail repellant during cultivation, it is best to peel them before serving them to your pet.

For ease of cleaning the terrarium, it is better to put food in a bowl. Some people also give their pets a cup of water.

Achatina must be carefully looked after.

They need a continuous supply of calcium, special preparations can be purchased at pet stores. You can give the so-called calcium phosphate, fodder chalk - sprinkle everything that we feed pets with this powder.

A lack of minerals causes snails characteristic behavior associated with scraping and eating the top layer of shells of other animals. Subsequently, such a broken and weakened part may burst, and as a result, pathogens can penetrate through the cracks or protrude internal organs. In adults that lay eggs, the demand for minerals is even greater.

What foods are undesirable to give

Do not give Achatina parts of plants such as:

• lettuce, spinach;
• onion and garlic;
• radish;
• chicory;
• cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli - due to the oxalates they contain, which, by binding calcium, can disrupt the functioning of the body, which leads to slow growth and cracking of the shell;
• citrus fruits (oranges, kiwi, grapefruit).

How to keep snails at home - arranging a terrarium

The terrarium should allow the slug to move freely and burrow into the substrate. Its height should not exceed 40 cm, as young terrestrial individuals can crawl along the top of the terrarium and sometimes fall.

The lid of the terrarium must be well fixed because, due to the fact that, due to the surprisingly large muscle strength, it can be moved by snails. In the terrarium, you should not use any elements made of copper, since this metal, in combination with mucus, reacts.

Most important element terrarium is a substrate - acidic peat, which can be purchased at pet stores. It must be sterilized in the oven the day before placing the pet bed. The height of the substrate layer should correspond to the height of the shells of the largest snails, because it serves them for burrowing. On average, it is about 10-15 cm. The base should be constantly wet, but not flooded, for this purpose it is sprayed with water once a day, preferably boiled.

To increase the walking area, you can place decorative plant roots in the terrarium. You can also add a small tradescantia to enhance the look of your home. However, do not be surprised if the plant is soon eaten. As a decoration and a very dietary ingredient in the diet, you can buy potted weed in stores.

The terrarium cannot stand in direct sunlight. You do not need additional lighting, only diffused lighting will be enough daylight. If for aesthetic reasons you decide to add light, then it should be a low-power fluorescent lamp, separated from the rest of the terrarium so that Achatina could not get on its surface. An alternative would be lighting located outside the terrarium.

One or two house snails?

These animals have sexual dimorphism, that is, there is no difference between the sexes. This means that each individual is both a boy and a girl at the same time. If you get two Achatina, then sooner or later they will both lay eggs. The number of eggs depends on the species - from tens to hundreds of pieces from one individual. Incubation period and breeding young animals does not cause difficulties, but you must decide how you will then keep such a number of pets.

Additional facts about Achatina:

• Achatina should not be released into wildlife they need care. They are not resistant to diseases carried by snails in our climatic conditions. On the outside, they won't be able to survive the winter.
• Their mucus contains allantoin, a bacteriostatic substance, on the basis of which preparations are made for those suffering from asthma and tuberculosis.
• Mucus also contains collagen, elastin and glycolic acid, which provide tissue regeneration and accelerate wound healing.
• These are edible shellfish.
• The simplest species in cultivation is Achatina Fulica. They do well at home at room temperature, eat little and grow very quickly.
• In some countries, the cultivation of Achatina is prohibited because they cause huge losses in crop production.
• During World War II in the tropics, Achatina were a rapidly renewing food source for soldiers.
• This pet can bite or rather scratch. However, its bite is almost invisible.
• In the United States and other countries where the climate is optimal for the reproduction in nature of this genus of mollusks, their breeding is illegal.
• The animal grows throughout its life, but grows faster when young and if it has access to a large amount of food.
• The average travel speed is 1 mm/s.

If you decide to have an unusual pet - go for it! Perhaps snail breeding will become your favorite hobby for many years to come.

Unusual pet: slug

Slugs belong to the class gastropods. They either do not have a shell at all, or it is very small. Slugs live on land, in fresh and salt water. But usually the word "slug" refers to terrestrial mollusks, and aquatic ones are called freshwater and sea slugs, respectively.

Slugs closely resemble snails, except for the lack of a shell. They have two pairs of tentacles: one has eyes, and the other has organs of smell. The slug's leg has strong muscles. During movement, these molluscs secrete mucus, which allows you to reduce friction and not damage the leg.

Some types of slugs hibernate in winter. Their body contains a large number of liquid, so it is difficult for them to survive in the dry season. Usually slugs can be seen after rain, as well as in damp and humid places. Slugs are most active at night, after sunset. During drought, they often burrow deep into the ground.

Slugs eat fallen leaves, mushrooms, fruits, vegetables, and some plants. Some types of slugs are carnivorous: they eat snails and other slugs.

They themselves often become prey for frogs, toads, snakes, rats, birds, beetles, etc. But many animals refuse to eat them because of the unpleasant taste of mucus. In addition, they are very slippery and can run away from a predator.

Some people keep slugs, like snails, as pets. How to take care of them?

First of all, find as much information as possible about what your pet needs. Can be used as housing Plastic container(at least 20x20 cm) with a secure lid. The lid should have small holes for ventilation. Enough substrate must be placed at the bottom of the container so that the slug can move freely. Garden soil can be used as a substrate, and fallen leaves and stones can be placed on top. The substrate must always be wet: without it, your pet will die! Therefore, you will need to regularly spray the container with clean water.

Slugs feed mainly on fruits, vegetables, rotting plants and leaves. Do not overdo it with fruits: they contain too much sugar, this is bad for the slug. Put a small amount of food in the container and replace it every day with fresh food. You can also buy special dry food for snails and slugs: it contains all the substances and elements necessary for your pet. The substrate must be changed once a week to keep the slug's housing clean. You can put small sticks in the container so that the slug can crawl on them.

When you move the slug to clean its housing, take it very carefully in your hands, make sure that its body does not touch sharp edges. It is best to handle the slug with clean, damp hands. Never place the slug container in direct sunlight.

Some Interesting Facts about slugs:

• The slug is actually a snail without a shell;
• Most slugs are herbivorous, but some carnivorous species exist;
• They feed on rotting plants;
• Slug eggs can hibernate for several years, and then the young will hatch when favorable conditions occur;
• Slugs are hermaphrodites;
• With good care, slugs can live up to 6 years;
• Slugs are able to stretch the body and crawl through even very small holes;
• Slug tentacles can regrow if they break for some reason;
• Slugs don't have a backbone.

Keeping slugs is interesting!

Color variation from straw-yellow to bluish-greenish.

Slug for laying eggs. Note that eggs can be seen in the "well" at the bottom center of the photo.

So far, none of the eggs have hatched. Will wait. But I don’t know whether to rejoice or not to rejoice at unexpected eggs: after all, laying eggs in slugs is inevitable death. adult. But these slugs are still some special, we'll see.

they are really very interesting and amazing I would like to see your collection in full

The other day little Cubans hatched:

They live separately from their parents (I shifted the masonry a few days ago), the ventilation holes in their container were covered in the same way with gauze (pulling it as tightly as possible and securing it with tape), but somehow dumb. they are so small - they can easily crawl under the gauze and get confused there.

Content:

If you want to get an unusual pet, try to find a slug on the street and take it into your home as a pet. Slugs are easy to care for and can be fun pets for both kids and adults. In addition, it teaches children to be responsible. Slugs can be bred in an aquarium. They feed on plants, including fruits and vegetables. Keep in mind that slugs are very sensitive to various chemicals, so you should keep them away from products such as hairspray and even tap water. Slugs can live from one to five years.

Steps

1 Set up a pet environment

1. 1 Find the right container. Usually slugs do well in regular aquariums. The aquarium should be approximately 20 by 20 centimeters (no less). It can be bought at a pet store or ordered online.
   • Be sure to pre-ventilate the aquarium. The lid must have holes for ventilation. For example, something like a fine mesh works great.
   • Slugs are very small, especially compared to the reptiles that are also commonly kept in aquariums. Look closely at the vents and make sure the slug doesn't escape through them.
2. 2 Pour filler into the aquarium. The best filler is ordinary soil, grass, leaves and the like. If you find a slug on the street, it is best to take soil, leaves and grass from the exact area where you found the animal. Be sure to sift the soil before adding it to the aquarium so that no objects dangerous to the slug get there along with the earth.
   • Once a week, remove the slug from the tank, transfer it to another container (also with holes!) Remove the old filler and replace it with a new one.
3. 3 Buy various items for the aquarium. Slugs will really like items such as various artificial plants and leaflets. In addition, do not forget to bring real leaves, twigs and other objects from the street that a slug can climb on.
   • If you bring something from the street, be sure to inspect the item carefully before placing it in the aquarium.
4. 4 Clean your aquarium regularly. Once every three months, arrange a general cleaning in the aquarium: wash all the walls and bottom of the aquarium and replace the filler. Rinse twigs and other items in the aquarium in water, then allow them to air dry. If the twigs immediately become damp and soft due to the water, replace them with new twigs.
   • Slugs are very sensitive to chemicals. Therefore, do not wash the aquarium with soap! Wash the aquarium and items in it with warm water only.
   • Slugs are very sensitive to ordinary tap water, so you should choose distilled water for them.

2 What to feed a slug

1. 1 Wash vegetables and fruits. Slugs are very fond of plants. For example, you can give the slug the leftover fruits and vegetables from your table. You can give him fresh fruits and vegetables, but first they need to be washed in distilled water. Before you feed the slug, it's important to eliminate traces of pesticides on the fruit.
   • If possible, choose fresh fruits that are grown without the use of pesticides.
   • In fact, slugs like vegetables more than fruits. They can die from too much sugar, even if it's natural fruit sugar.
2. 2 Include leaves and plants in your slug's diet. Put in the aquarium to the slug plants that you find on the street. In addition, slugs feed on decaying plants, so if you have a dying plant at home, you can feed it to the slug.
3. 3 Clean up leftover food every day. Slugs may not finish all the food you bring them. Food leftovers (especially fruit) attract fruit flies. Fruit flies can harm the slug, so every evening you need to clean up and throw away food leftovers from the slug's aquarium. In this way, you will reduce the risk that your pet's safety will be compromised.
4. 4 Do not use dishes, but a spray bottle. Slugs do not need a separate plate of water, they just need a moist environment. Therefore, every day, spray water into the aquarium from a spray bottle. It's best to use filtered or distilled water because regular tap water can be dangerous to slugs. Humidity is very important because slugs absorb moisture from the air.

3 How to avoid common mistakes

1. 1 Never use any spray near a slug tank. As mentioned above, slugs are very sensitive to chemicals because they absorb everything in the air through their skin. Therefore, in no case do not use hair sprays and other aerosols in the same room as the aquarium with the slug. It can kill your pet!
2. 2 Don't pick up a slug. The slug should not be constantly removed from the aquarium. Only transfer him to another tank or container if you need to clean his tank. Slugs don't like to be touched, and chemicals on your hands (such as leftover soap or hand lotion) are bad for slugs.
3. 3 Don't forget to spray your aquarium every day! Slugs need a moist environment to live. Spray a little distilled water into the slug tank every day. Slug can die if environment will not be moist enough.
   • It is very important to use distilled water. Chemicals found in tap water can kill slug.

• Slugs love shady areas, so don't place your slug tank in direct sunlight. Be sure to put something in the aquarium that will provide the slug with shelter (such as a piece of bark)
• You can put vegetable and fruit trimmings in the aquarium, but only if you are sure that they do not contain pesticides!

Warnings

• Always wash your hands thoroughly before handling a slug. You may have leftovers on your hands chemical substances, like ordinary salt, which can harm the slug.
• Slugs can crawl up the walls of the aquarium, so remember to put a lid on the aquarium and make sure the ventilation holes in the lid are not too big so that the slug does not crawl out of the aquarium through them.

What will you need

• Aquarium
• Vegetables and fruits
• spray bottle
• Distilled or filtered water
• The soil

Just the word "slug" disgusts people. A nasty, rather vile, shapeless, slippery creature immediately appears before your eyes, which is always crawling somewhere.

Does nature really not have a mind that could produce such an animal that no one needs, useless for anything? To find the answer, you should study in more detail what characterizes the large roadside slug, the photo of which is now in front of your eyes. After reviewing the description of the slug, a person will have an idea of ​​​​what the appearance of this creature is, what lifestyle it leads, where its habitats are.

Large roadside (or leopard) slug: appearance

Representatives of this species are the largest of all types of large slugs. In different parts of the world, these mollusks were brought from Europe, which is their homeland. The large roadside slug is a mollusc of the order Lung snails. Its body consists of one leg, which merges with the head of the slug and is called the sole. The body length of the mollusk reaches from 10 to 20 cm. Sometimes the body of the animal grows up to 30 cm. It is wrinkled, somewhat rounded, pointed at the end of the back.

The body of slugs is symmetrical on both sides. From above it is covered with the so-called mantle in the form of a plate. Under it are the reproductive organs and the anus. There is a keel on the tail.

The color of the slug is found from light gray to chestnut, sometimes it is yellowish-white or ashen. The entire body of a large roadside slug is covered with black spots and stripes. This "cute" creature has very long tentacles. Their mucus is colorless.

Internal structure

On the back, under the skin of the mollusk, a shell is visible, which, like all other slugs, is greatly reduced. The shell is white in color, resembling an oblong oval in shape, its length is 13 mm, and its width is 7 mm. It is assumed that healing substances are stored there. This shell has been known since ancient times and used for medicinal purposes.

The digestive system of the leopard slug consists of the radula, pharynx, esophagus, and intestines. In the intestines, four sections have a connection with the liver, while the other two simply hang freely inside the body.

At first glance, this slug looks like a very simple creature, but it has nervous system which is made up of ganglia. Each ganglion has its own place: the pedal ganglion lies under the radula, the abdominal ganglion is slightly to the right. middle line, and the visceral ganglia were determined in the middle between the esophagus and the lingual membrane.

habitats

The habitats of the great roadside slug cover large territories. The area of ​​residence is located in zones of humid and temperate climate zone. Slugs live only in biotopes with sufficient moisture. For them very comfortable place habitat is the litter of deciduous forest.

Slugs are native to Australia, New Zealand and North America. They are also found in Western and Central Europe, in the Caucasus, where their favorite places are fields, meadows, forests, gardens and caves.

Large roadside slug: what to feed

These mollusks are herbivorous, when choosing food they are not too whimsical. While keeping in the terrarium, they should be provided with vegetables, fruits and mushrooms. Separately, you need to dwell on what the big roadside slug eats in places of natural residence.

Vegetation is considered the main food for mollusks. The leopard slug feeds on fallen leaves, flowers, fruits, and soft stems of living plants. Mushrooms are sometimes present in his diet. Although these slugs eat a lot, showing gluttony, if necessary, they can live without food for about 60 days, while being in a humid place.

Large roadside slug: breeding

This species, like all slugs, has a hermaphroditic reproductive system. Each individual has genital organs that correspond to the sex. Sexual products become mature with a time difference. First, the maturation of the sperm occurs. She represents packaged sachets - spermatophores. Then it starts in males. This substance is endowed with a smell by which the slug is found by its relative.

The mating ceremony of large roadside slugs is very in an unusual way. Mollusks hang on mucous threads head down, their bodies are woven into a single ball by their genitals. As blue slug penises reach great length It is not always possible for married couples to unravel. In this case, some individuals resort to the least and bite off the genital organ, which grows back after a while.

After fertilization, the mollusk lays eggs in the ground; on average, one adult can lay from 30 to 70 large eggs. Their development occurs within 21-35 days, after which small slugs are born. They reach sexual maturity in 60 days. These animals live no longer than two years.

Economic value. Damage inflicted

For nature, slugs bring some benefit, being orderlies. They are able to process leaves that have fallen from trees, making humus out of them. But most of all, these mollusks, including the large roadside slug, cause quite significant damage to agriculture.

Especially great harm these voracious creatures inflict damage on potatoes by eating the tubers and foliage of the plant. Cauliflower and white cabbage, various varieties of lettuce, root crops, young vegetable plants, as well as fruits of strawberries, tomatoes and cucumbers suffer from the invasion of slugs. Vineyards and entire citrus plantations are affected by this pest.

The large roadside slug causes much less damage to the following crops:

• Red cabbage.
• Roots and leaves of parsley.
• Onion and garlic.
• Crops of barley and oats.

Spring wheat, flax and buckwheat almost do not feel the invasion of slugs. In addition to the fact that mollusks voraciously destroy crops, they are also carriers of fungal and viral diseases. Among these pests is a large roadside slug. Description of these diseases, which include cabbage spot, potato late blight and false powdery mildew, makes it possible to once again verify the harmfulness of the slug. In this regard, the question arises, how can you get rid of such a nasty enemy?

Methods and ways to deal with slugs

Before knowing what exists effective methods control of slugs, you need to study and use all available preventive measures in time. First of all, it is necessary to ensure that there are a large number of natural enemies slugs. These include hedgehogs, frogs and toads.

In addition, a trench must be made around the site, as well as sprinkled with sand, needles, lime and crushed egg shells. Slugs will have to bypass such an obstacle. Plants in the beds should be kept in a weed-free state, thinned out in time.

You can fight slugs by picking them up with your hands. To do this, at night, pieces of wet bark or heaps of mowed grass are laid out between the plants, under which the pest will hide. In the morning, the collection of a pest called "big roadside pest" calmly begins by hand, people know many ways, one of them is catching clams with a can of beer, which in this case serves as bait for slippery uninvited guests.

If the above methods did not manage to get rid of slugs and mass reproduction of pests has already begun, you will have to use chemicals. At present, new generation products have appeared that are no danger to surrounding nature do not represent.

Do you know which animal on the planet ranks first among the toothy ones themselves? Probably, it is very interesting for everyone. Although surprising, the most toothy creature that is not a predator is a large roadside slug. There are approximately 30,000 teeth on his tongue! This grater tongue helps the slug grind all the foods it eats and make

It can be concluded that among toothed individuals there are not only large predators, but also mollusks, which are among the smallest representatives of the animal world.