Dead slugs and mites..?

[Annelie]

Earlier this evening I found all 6 pancake slugs dead. And just now I found tons and tons of mites with the smaller snails (haven't seen any mites with the tigers but the others have full of them).
Could mites be the cause of the pancake slugs death, or is it something else?

Damn mites!

[Paul]

I'm sorry to hear that, it's been a bad few days for deaths it seems. I found a Zachrysia dead today but I suspect that it is old age, as it looked very old and worn. Or perhaps there is a whole collection of full moons across the galaxy causing it.

Death from mites sounds unlikely because we have seen mite infestations that haven't resulted in death. And slugs seem to invariably to have mites in the wild anyway. It is possible though, I've read about mite infestations causing abnormal growth in snails and we know there is a type of mite that is dangerous, so it stands to reason slugs have similar enemies.

Are they babies? It seems odd to me that you and Leah have had pancake slug deaths within days of each other. And the whole batch. As we are unsure of their lifespan, if they'd all been adults perhaps it would make more sense, as I'd read that some slugs live only for one year and die as winter approaches, the eggs being overwintered and hatching in spring to continue the cycle.

Did you do anything different? Tell me more....

[Annelie]

Ok.
Yep, it's babies. Not from Leah though, I got them from fatslug.

Haven't done anything different. Fed them with some iceberg lettuce this morning and watered them at the same time.
Though it is a bit cold in my room now I suppose, I get over heated really quick so I keep my window a little bit open and don't feel it very well when it gets too cold. So I've kept them in a plastic tub next to the tigers lightbulb to get heat from there. Though it hasn't been very cold this last few days, it's been warmer than earlier this winter..?

[Paul]

Perhaps in both cases there was a sudden change that killed them. Either too much heat from the lightbulb in your case and the radiator in Leahs or a too cold somehow.

Either that, or something on the food killed them. That would explain why they all died suddenly. Did you feed them the same actual lettuce earlier in the week with no problems?

[Annelie]

Nope, the lettuce was new, bought it yesterday. Have throwed it away now just to be on the safe side.

Poor little sluggies