Symptoms of metaldehyde poisoning from eating slug and snail bait are usually apparent within 1- 4 hours after eating the substance. These symptoms can include:
- Anxiety
- Collapse
- Convulsions
- Diarrhea
- Difficulty breathing
- Disorientation
- Drooling
- Death
- Excessive excitement
- Extreme sensitivity to sound and touch
- Fever
- Heavy panting
- Lack of coordination
- Rapid breathing
- Rapid heart rate
- Respiratory failure
- Seizures
- Tremors
- Twitching
- Unsteady gait
- Vomiting
Types
There are alternatives to the metaldehyde-based slug and snail baits, with varying toxicity potentials. Some of these include:
Iron phosphate is a mineral that is found naturally in small amounts in the soil, however, the bait also has specific additives that cause the slug or snail that feeds on it to stop feeding altogether, seek hiding places, and become inactive. Iron phosphate itself is considered non-toxic, but the additives such as EDTA may not be as harmless.
Coffee is sometimes used as bait. 1%-2% caffeine solutions will kill most of the slugs and snails on plants, and even the concentrations found in coffee, around .05%, will repel many.
Diatomaceous Earth appears powdery but is made up of the hard, jagged remains of fossilized algae. It lacerates soft-bodied organisms like snails and slugs, causing them to dehydrate.