slugs... aviary pest!

[FFG]

Does anybody know how bad slugs can be in an aviary? I am guessing its best to keep them out as they carry all sorts of diseases
I have a drainage hole which I've blocked for now. I've also masticked a gap I found around the roof. Have found another small gap between the roof edge and mesh. They must be getting in there (I didn't realise slugs were that clever)! The buds outside seed was stuck together which I now know is slug slime !
Has anyone else had this problem?

[BudgieS90]

eurgh they are horrible things, I get them in the house they thrive in damp cold places

[skysmum]

They can be a real problem FFG, i never put food in the outside flight with my old aviary. What got me was how on earth the little b's used to get into the inside, they must have gone in through the bob hole

My new aviary has no outside flight and i haven't yet found the pests in there. Instead of an outside flight this time OH is going to make an extra internal flight along side the windows so it will be an inside outside flight, if you know what i mean , this is to stop all mites and critters getting up close and personal with my lot. I used to find wood louse a problem too .
Work is starting this week on my inside outside flight

[Deleted]

Difficult to stop slugs in damp or wet weather, We have tried everything and some remedies work a little better than others, but they do come back again, A ring of salt around the outside bottom of the aviary does work but the dampness or rain soon disperses it
We have had slug trails over the food dishes, water dispensers etc.

When it gets bad we wear head torches and go into the aviary and collect the nasty creatures and place them in a bucket with salt in it, only downside of this is disturbing the birds by going in at sleep time.

Our main aviary is dual inside and covered outside flight areas
Maybe encourage Hedgehogs in the area of the aviary, they will gobble up any slug or snail.
When you have aviaries with outside flights, just keep trying any non poisonous remedies until one helps

With aviaries like ours vermin and insect eradication is hard to control.

[FFG]

Good luck with the inside, outside flight skysmum sounds exciting
Thanks @shewbert I'll try the salt and try and block any other gaps the best I can. Luckily they haven't ventured into the inside. I've noticed the buds are favouring their inside seed too so fingers crossed they haven't eaten any slime covered food

[lemonade]

They are disgusting things and the reason I am on the move yet again as my current flat gets them INSIDE due to dampness that had been concealed with fresh paint before I moved in Its making me sick.

They can squeeze through holes as small as pinpricks.

I put down pellets all round the outside garden area and inside the corners of cupboards inside. I also spray strong bleach into the tiny holes in the skirting boards. Thank god they dont go in the birds room. What I have noticed is that the two rooms I have the air sterilizers in, no slugs appear. I think they help in some way.

Im sorry I cant advise with an avairy environment as pellets will not be ideal with the birds. As well as salt I read somewhere that beer kills them as does coffee granules.Not tried that though.

Good luck with getting rid of them. Hopefully sealing all the holes and cracks will minimise it.

[Hezz]

Isn't a jar or something similar - something with smooth sides - half buried in the ground and half(?) filled with beer supposed to do the trick??? Aren't they supposed to drown in the beer, or at least are not able to crawl back out?

[Deleted]

What a waste of beer,,,, tell you what,,, send me the beer and I will come with a big mallet and bash the slugs

[helenmat]

I have used these kind of things in the garden, (I used to enter garden competitions), if you have soft ground nearby to dig them into, also a good thick line of course grit right around the outside of the aviary may help, slugs don't like coffee or salt, anything that drys them out. Good luck!

[OP]

They must have one hell of a sense of smell. I used to have a problem with mice burying under the house and I would put the old spring operated kill traps out. I tried various things as bait, but kept finding the bait gone but the trap had not been triggered. So I set up a spare CCTV camera to find out what was going on. One night no sooner had I put the trap out the slugs were all over it digesting the bait. So I can see the half buried jars having an effect. Just put water and some greasy bacon fat around the rim and see what happens.

[helenmat]

Seriously you don't need grease, they go nuts for the yeast in beer, and just drop right in, the trick is to not fill it too high with beer or they will just drink it from the top, I used to tip my traps out and they would be at least 3 or 4 every day

[helenmat]

@shewbert, wow that is some aviary!

[samwiseg]

The reason they cant climb out again Hezz is because they are too ed

[FFG]

Thank you for all of your replies and sorry to hear some of your issues with these horrible critters!

I've shared a beer with some strange un's before but slugs are new for me. I'll have to give it a go.

They must be crawling / slithering up my brick wall or along a mastic joint then along a timber joint to a gap where the roof joins the outside flight. Then down another beam then onto and along a perch, down a chain which a lantern feeder is hanging from (I moved it there to stop them getting to it!). As you say they must have an amazing sense of smell to be able to find a route to the seed!

I have a few days off so in-between playing with transformers and Scalextric I will be trying everything I can to slug proof the aviary the best I can! Thank you for your advice all

[Deleted]

Will Brandy work if so I'll come with 2 mallets