Got a couple of Guenea Pigs in a raised hutch in the back garden. This year seems to be a bumper year for slugs and they’re under attack every night and find 3 or 4 slugs in the hutch every morning. I don’t want to kill them necessarily so avoiding salt and slug pellets, but have read up about copper and the fact they don’t like crossing copper. I got a couple of ‘copper’ earthing straps from B&Q and wrapped them around the legs of the hutch but that doesn’t seem to be working. It might be cheap B&Q earthing straps don’t actually contain any copper! Does anyone know if the copper thing is true or just Myth and if so what is best to use instead of these earthing straps? I’m struggling to source copper tape, which seems to come up a lot on general Google searches on the subject.

Cheers

I don’t want to kill them

Well do you want your work covered in slug slime of not? Just kill them, unless you’re determined to collect them and feed them to the birds/frogs.

I’m struggling to source copper tap

Really! 😀

3500 results on Ebay

6500 results on Amazon

You can get proper copper bands for plant pots (for this purpose) – perhaps try those?

EDIT: I didn’t read your OP properly. And you didn’t Google very effectively.

Have you tried reasoning with them?

You should be able to get copper tape from any garden centre
https://www.homebase.co.uk/defenders-slug-snail-barrier-tape-4m-roll_p404841

Use nematodes, will eradicate slugs for a year or so.

Harmless to pets.

They love beer, maybe you could construct a less deadly version of the classic beer trap? A scaled down version of the “Electric Fan Guard Snake Trap” that can be found on youtube, using beer as a lure?

We bought a couple of slug beer traps from ebay last year after been over run with them, work quite well but it kills them, the snails we collect and put them in the farmers field

I used a beer trap on my allotment.
It works quite well but the beer tasted minging afterwards. 😕

Just kill them ….

Given the plague your not going to upset any balance of nature….

Copper tape does work but is best left as a last line of defence…. if there is any way around it they will find it… they are pretty much endless so pure trail and error eventually some get through….

Beer traps are great and you can feed the birds as well… thus making your garden the place to come .. thus making them also pick out live ones…

Beer traps are great and you can feed the birds as well…

Though you will get pissed blackbirds flying into your windows.

will the guinea pigs not eat them? maybe starve them for a bit and see if they will.

slugs are the only minibeasts that I kill on sight. horrible things.

Well maybe I’m being a bit too soft on them and should just kill them, it would be the easier option. Beer traps seems like a waste of decent beer, but then I could just swing by Asda and get their dirt cheap own brand beer and use that – save some poor sod from drinking it. I wonder if they prefer lager or ale?

On the copper tape I should have been a more specific on what I was asking for – given the lack of effectiveness of the copper earthing straps, which the slugs seem to cross over quite happily leaving their slime trails all over them, I was really after a recommendation of a specific brand/type of copper tape that people may have used for this purpose and found to be effective, rather than just choosing some copper tape randomly and it not working. I assume not all copper tape is created equal? maybe I’m overthinking it. I’ll try the garden centre rather than the DIY store.

I thought most garden birds avoided slugs in their diet? also overrun here in the NW of England. They’re getting in the house now too.. wife freaked out the other night when there was one in the bed. At least that’s what I told her it was.

I assume not all copper tape is created equal? maybe I’m overthinking it.

Surely copper is copper? I definitely think your over thinking it!

The OP, yesterday

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIj_-v4bues[/video]

Buy a hedgehog to keep the guinea pigs company?

I ordered some copper tape the other day, ended up with six episodes of The Bill on VHS.

Might be worth going over the existing straps with sandpaper – the corrosion on the surface may be making it less unpleasant for the slugs.

The green traps above are good as is picking up every slug you see and disposing of it – mine go for a short all inclusive eat all you like holiday in the garden waste bin.

Note to self, don’t read this thread when eating sashimi. It grossed me out a bit… 😐

as above nematodes, natures own slug assassins

harmless to other wildlife, just apply using a watering can

It’s just the stuff sold the the specific purpose at the gardening centre.

It has to be wide enough .. effectively its like having a filling and getting aluminium foil on it for the slugs but its got to be wide enough to “short em out”

As someone else said it’s pretty much the only thing I kill on site in the garden… (except aphids on the food) but they just keep breeding and breeding… I’m ruthless and I can still go out after it rained and bag 20-30 in 5-10 minutes…

I ordered some copper tape the other day, ended up with six episodes of The Bill on VHS

unforgivable

Buy a hedgehog to keep the guinea pigs company?

We have a resident HH in the garden, still loads of slugs….

Buy a hedgehog to keep the guinea pigs company?

Rescue* an abandoned Capuchin Monkey to keep the hedgehog company.

Went to a Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall and the Capuchins couldn’t get enough slugs. They hunt the undergrowth for them and then roll them to get the slime off.

Editas per comment below : Don’t buy one….and make sure you give it the appropriate care it needs and a stimulating natural environment. I know it sounds like a lot of work for a throwaway comment on a bike forum but it’s worth it in the long term for the well being of the monkey.

But don’t buy a monkey – the Monkey Sanctuary wouldn’t approve.

Upgrade to a 29boost Guineapig?

[video]https://youtu.be/VeLiquwaVw8[/video]