Rat poison is, of course, the go-to solution for dealing with a rat infestation. But, can this poison also be used to kill off other pests? For example, do slugs eat rat poison, and will it lead to their death?
Yes, slugs are opportunistic feeders with a voracious diet. They will eat anything they come across, including rat poison.
Rats are an invasive species that multiply very quickly, turning them into a nuisance, but they aren’t only the nuisance you might have on your property.
If you live in an area where it rains a lot, your garden will probably have a different kind of nuisance. This nuisance is slimy and has a voracious omnivorous diet that will eat anything in its path.
These pests, of course, are slugs!
If you have a rat infestation and a slug infestation going on simultaneously, you might think about killing two birds with one stone by using rat poison, mainly used for killing rats to kill slugs.
Fortunately, slugs eat rat poison if you put it somewhere near the plants they are eating from.
Will Rat Poison Kill Slugs?
Slugs will happily eat rat-poisoned food and rat poison. However, consuming it will not kill them. Rat poison does not kill slugs. Slugs are drawn in by the smell that rat poison gives off.
If you notice slime on the rat poisoned bait, then it’s a clear indication that slugs are eating the rat poison.
Unfortunately, slugs eating rat poison doesn’t have any advantages. It only has drawbacks.
Rats will start avoiding the rat-poisoned baits you put on the areas where there are rat infestations if slugs have eaten those baits. They will avoid those baits because slugs cover them with slime after they’re done eating them.
Another drawback is that if you put rat poison in the garden, a slug will eat it but won’t die, but if any beneficial insect or predator, such as a bird, eats the slug, the bird or insect will die.
This secondary poisoning is terrible because many beneficial animals that care for your garden can die if they eat the poisoned slugs.
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Does Slug Poison Attract Rats?
Yes, slug poison such as slug pellets can attract rats. Rats get attracted to slug pellets as they think of them as food or eat them out of curiosity.
Slug pellets can cause paralysis, nervous system failure, brain damage, and dehydration in rats.
Slugs aren’t the only opportunistic pests you might come across. Rats are also opportunistic. Slug poison will attract rats, but slugs, in general, will also attract rats as rats love eating slugs.
The roof rat is a type of rat that specifically makes its nest where there are a lot of slugs nearby. Brown rats are another type of rat that loves eating smaller animals such as slugs and snails, so they will also be attracted to your slug-infested garden.
Fortunately, slug pellets can be an effective way of dealing with rats and slugs, as slugs will eat the pellets, and the rats will eat the slugs and die of secondary poisoning because the slug was poisoned.
It takes only 2 or 3 days for a rat to die after eating a poisoned slug.
Poisoned slugs can be an ecologically beneficial way of getting rid of your rat infestation, and through rats; you can get rid of your slug infestation.
If your garden is infested with slugs and there are rats on your property, the rats will be attracted to the garden slugs and start eating them. After a few days, they’ll die because of the poisoned slugs.
FAQs
You now know that slugs eat rat poison, but you may still have a few questions. These FAQs might help you out:
Does Rat Poison Attract Slugs?
Rat poison is unlikely to attract slugs on its own. Slugs prefer to consume plant matter. However, rat poison is attractive to slugs if they come across it accidentally.
Do Rats Eat Slugs?
Yes, rats do eat slugs. This is why slug pellets can lead to their death because rats will eat slugs that have been poisoned.
Summary
Both rats and slugs can be horrendous pests to deal with. Both are omnivorous, opportunistic, and have a very voracious and destructive diet. Slugs can eat anything, even rat poison, but they won’t die from eating it.
However, if a rat eats slug poison, it will die. They both get attracted to each other’s poison because of the smell, but only rats die from eating a slug’s poison, whereas nothing happens to a slug if it eats rat poison.
Resources
Below are some of the sources of information we used to put this article together:
