If you’re in the garden and have come across a slug, you might pick it up and throw it in the bin. However, there have been speculations about whether slugs can be dangerous to touch. So, are slugs dangerous to touch or not?
No, touching a slug will not be dangerous to humans, but caution should be taken to wash your hands as they can carry parasites.
While slugs may appear harmless and can be touched, they carry many parasites. However, not all slugs will be infected. However, if you touch an infected slug, it can pass parasites on to you.
Most common cases include slugs passing ringworm infections to humans. It is always best to take preventative measures and wear gloves if you must handle slugs.
Are Slugs Poisonous to Humans?
While slugs are slimy and cause damage to plants, they are not poisonous to humans. These tiny pests carry diseases and parasites; however, garden slugs will cause no harm.
Slugs are not dangerous because they feed on plants, so touching them is unlikely to cause harm.
You will find slugs on leaves, eating them and causing damage to your garden. The only real threat that slugs pose is to your garden and not to you.
What Happens if a Slug Gets on You?
Sometimes you are working in your garden, and you encounter a slug. Naturally, you will freak out if a slimy pest gets on you. It’s not exactly a pleasant feeling, is it?
Slugs can carry diseases and parasites but are not dangerous or poisonous to humans. Therefore, staying calm during this situation is best, even if you are uncomfortable or disgusted.
Removing the slug from your body is crucial by picking it off and throwing it away. It would be best if you washed the slime off.
However, most diseases transfer because of ingesting slugs. Therefore, if a slug gets on you, you do not need to worry about diseases.
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Are Slugs Dangerous?
While slugs are not toxic to humans, they are still dangerous.
This is because slugs carry diseases, one dangerous one known as the rat lungworm disease. The parasite rat lungworm is a parasite that is found in rodents and infects slugs.
Establishing skin contact with the slug is of no worry.
However, ingesting a slug and having rat lungworm disease can lead to severe issues. Of course, the chance of you (a grown adult) eating a slug is low. The worry is if a child or pet becomes curious and decides, for whatever reason, to consume a slug.
Are Slugs in the House Dangerous?
Slugs in the house are not dangerous, but they’re also not something you want to see. They’ll leave slime trails everywhere, and seeing them in the house can be simply unappealing.
How Do You Remove Slug Slime from Skin?
If you have touched a slug or one has accidentally landed on you, you will be aware of the slime. So naturally, the first thing you would do when your skin feels slimy is to wash it with water.
However, when encountering a slug, you must wait for the slime to dry before washing it off.
When the mucus dries, you must scrape it and remove most of it with your hand. Afterwards, the leftover mucus must be washed away with soap and water.
There can be times when it may become difficult to remove the dried mucous. However, you can easily remove the mucous using a towel.
Sometimes, the slime and your skin can also get on your clothes; in this case, you can use vinegar to get it off.
Is Slug Slime Harmful to Humans?
Although slug slime may carry some parasites, it is unlikely to cause harm. Just ensure you wash the slime off as soon as possible.
FAQs
Got more questions? Then check these FAQs out:
Can Slugs Kill You?
Although there have been cases where ingesting slugs has been lethal, touching them is unlikely to cause any harm, and the chance of a slug killing a human is close to nil.
Are Slugs Toxic?
No, slugs are not toxic. You can touch a slug without it harming you. Of course, were you to ingest them or lick the slime, then this could make you sick… But why would you?
Sources
We have verified the information on this page using the following resources:
Ryan is a keen gardener from the UK who’s spent years dealing with countless, common pests over the years so knows the ins and outs of how to deal with pests in the garden
