Yeah, so..slugs

I don't know where else to put this, but any advice would be appreciated!

So, our house is a little older, and damp, and I've noticed slug trails on the carpet along one of the walls - and then I saw one in my bathroom last night.  I went to grab salt but by the time I got back (perhaps he knew) he was gone.  This is gross!  Any advice as to how to deal with them indoors?  Outside I don't care.  And I know they are probably coming in through an entrance to my room from the outside - makes sense,and we've had a fair amount of rain -  it's damp, but there's no real way for me to seal this, as it's a door - I can't caulk it or anything.  But what to do? 

I've heard about slug pellets, but don't those attract them?  I'd rather not bring any more into the house.  Same with the beer traps.  Would salt all along the door and along the wall where I've seen the slug trails do the trick?

Don't put salt on them... that's cruel!  :\\\'(
Can't you just lift them and put them outside if you see one in the house?

I don't want to like..salt them, but I also don't want them coming into the house anymore either - that's why I was wondering if I salt the entry points, it might help prevent it?  There seems no way to avoid them coming into the house unless I start killing them in some way. 

I'm more than happy to leave them alone in the garden - but I'm pretty sure I saw a slug trail on the sleeve of my robe this morning (which was hanging up) so I gotta draw the line somewhere! 

Do you own or do you rent?

If you rent why don't you contact the landlord and see if they can hire a pest control person.

If you own...call pest control.

*shudder* I've been dealing with the same issues since I moved from the Midlands to the southwest. It just grosses me out more and more. I went to pick up what I thought was a dropped chip, and it turned out to be cold and slimy. I've had them in the laundry, gone through the washing machine. They leave trails across the cooker, all over the kitchen walls. They're foul and dirty. Chucking them outdoors I think they come right back in. They're salmonella and e.coli hazzards.

I don't think the pellets attract them, but I could be wrong. My understanding was that the pellets just get what happens to cross them. I'm sorry but I chucked a lot of pellets under and behind my kitchen cupboards the other day.

Do pest control actually deal with these? If so, it's probably cheaper to call the council in as they deal with pests, I had a friend that had them in to smoke out a bee's nest for IRO £45.

Thanks - I will look into it! We rent - so I'll bug our landlord.    I know it's pretty much linked to where my room is situated - I've got the basement room, so if anyone is gonna get them, it'll be me. 

We get those wood lice too (I used to call them potato bugs or elephant bugs back at home) but I'd rather see those than the slugs!  I might try to set a few beer traps outside tonight though, on the stairs near the door leading to my room. 

We get those wood lice too (I used to call them potato bugs or elephant bugs back at home) but I'd rather see those than the slugs! 

We call those 'slaters' in Scotland! 

About the slugs, i read something about them not liking to cross over copper... and i've seen copper 'tape' being sold... it's copper on one side, and adhesive on the other.   Maybe something like that?

Buy a big salt dispenser and put a thick line down outside the doors where you think they are coming in.

Ugh. Good luck to you.

Leah - argh! That's awful!

We had a bit of trouble with this but not so much that we had to call in reinforcement. I think the cats helped a bit. (ick!)

I've read about the copper stuff too.  We've got a couple houseware/hardware type stores on the block, I'll just stock up on whatever they have, along with a load salt, and triple-threat them! 

Thanks, everyone!

Slug pellets do attract the slugs and then poison them when they eat them.  As said before, salt is terribly inhumane. Beer traps are not so nice either - they attract the slugs and they fall in and drown.
The animal rights activist in me (even if they are "just slugs") has to recommend something super simple along the lines of the copper tape suggestion. It will even save you a trip to the hardware store:  If you think you know where they are coming in, line that area with pennies rather than salt. The deal with the copper is that it gives them a small shock when they attempt to cross over it because of the moisture in their skin.  Good luck to you and the slugs!

Beer.  Seriously.  I've read that slugs love beer, so if you put a shallow saucer of beer out, they'll drink 'til they pass out and drown. 

Not completely humane, but at least they die happy.

Beer may not be kind, but when the slugs start reimbursing me for all of the plants that they destroy, then I'll consider letting them live. 

I SWEAR this works like a charm: - you can get them all over the web and they're quite cheap. I've pretty much irradicated slugs from my herb patch. But it's NASTY to clean out!!

Well, it's like they know I'm hunting for them now - as I didn't see any last night.  Either that, or they are plotting and launching a full scale attack!

I don't like, enjoy killing things if I don't have to, but I have to admit I don't extend animal rights to slugs and insects.  If I can move them outside, I do, but if I'm preventing them from coming inside - I'm not against using stuff that kills them.   

We have to put down slug pellets in the entryway. How they skootch under the front door I have no idea, but it doesn't take many mornings of finding your shoes ribboned with slime before any notion of humanity toward slugs flies right out the window.