Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live in upstate New York and recently noticed that I have an abundance of slugs thriving in my backyard. Would it be safe to occasionally feed them to my leopard? Or are there any risks I should be aware of?

I dont think that would be a good idea. Since they come from the wild they can carry parasites and other diseases. Also im not sure but slugs could be poisinus or have chemicals in them to harm your leos.

The reason there are so many slugs.. is because there's only a few species that can cash in on them as a food source. Most species of slugs do secrete toxins that would be dangerous to animals that aren't adapted to specializing in them as a food source. This includes Leos. Not to mention, many snails and slugs.. harbor major parasites..including tapeworms and pinworms. Both can and will colonize you as well as your gecko..So altogether its a bad idea to even think about. Generally, any wildcaught insect is a bad idea.. especially since Leopard Geckos are not from the North American continent. Their immune system wouldn't handle diseases our indigenous wildlife could.