Which "slug bait" are you refering to? Some, such as Sluggo, list ingrediants and state they are not harmful to pets or wildlife while others do not list ingrediants and simply tell you they kill slugs with no assurance they would not harm other life forms.
The single best way to control slugs I have found is to spray affected plants with cold caffienated coffee. Research by the USDA in Hilo, Hawaii showed cold caffienated coffee to be a very effective control against slugs.

Iron phosphate slug baits ('Sluggo', 'Escar-Go') will have no adverse affect on any soil organisms. They are environmentally safe and competely biodegradable and very effective.

Kimmsr,
Had to chime in here and ask you a question.
Would the coffee thing be regular drinking coffee or should it be stronger or weaker, diluted or straight? We have plenty of destructive slugs and we love coffee. This is a new one for me. Is there a tread or website? I would like to learn more about this.

just get sluggo, or make frayed-top screen "fences" around the stem of your plants so slugs cant get up and over the screen which has pointy barbs since you frayed it on that part.

Here's a little anti-slug tip: copper window screen!

Slugs used to enter the drainage hole in the bottom of my container plants for major orgies,but not since I began using the screen to cover the hole before I put the soil in every year. The screen could also be used as a 'fence' around susceptible plants, if desired.

I haven't tried the Iron phosphate yet but when I heard about the coffee for slugs,I thought good deal. When I didn't get the expected results, I took a couple slugs and put them into a bucket of grounds. If you are patient enuff to try it, you can watch them crawl right out with no adverse affect. I thought maybe like sand it would deter them.

I use a 10% ammonia/water spray for slugs. If they don't loose their grip and fall right off (or melt), add more ammonia. Using scissors is also effective. I always keep a pair right in the garden.

The down side is you have to go out at night to find them, spray directly on them. But it works. Also keeping weeds down and grass (the perennial invasive weed) from growing right up to the beds helps to keep slugs down. I have watched them march from the grassy areas right toward the garden. Removing rocks, boards, and other hiding places also helps. But if you can't/won't go out at night you can lay down boards for the slugs to hide, then go spray them during the day.

The up side is you don't have to touch the slugs and you may also find out what other insects are also feeding at night.

I also use crushed egg shells around young seedlings to deter slug traffic. Nothing is 100% but it does seem to slow them down until it rains. Then more egg shells ;-)

Good Luck,
Gumby_CT

"Would the coffee thing be regular drinking coffee or should it be stronger or weaker, diluted or straight? "

hi gpaint, the coffee should preferably be brewed espresso, not instant coffee as it's too weak so a really good strong brew. then add 10 parts water to the coffee and spray on the plants. when the snails and slugs ingest it, its supposed to give them something like a heart attack from the caffeine.

How do people mess up quite simple instructions so easily. The coffee to spray is just regular drinking coffee, cooled down, I use what is left from the morning pot, always not quite a full cups worth. What you need is about a 1 percent solution of caffien and if the slugs are sprayed with this (not necessary) they wil wriggle and squirm and then die. If the coffee is sprayed on plant foliage the slugs will not bother that plant. This spray does need to be repeated each time the foliage gets wet from watering or rain.
I have not seen coffee grounds work at detering slugs and have watched slugs around here crawl right over the coffee grounds like they were not there.

"How do people mess up quite simple instructions so easily."

Actually my recipe came from an organic gardening magazine so I dont think your recipe is the only one kimmsr

"hi gpaint, the coffee should preferably be brewed espresso, not instant coffee as it's too weak so a really good strong brew. then add 10 parts water to the coffee and spray on the plants. when the snails and slugs ingest it, its supposed to give them something like a heart attack from the caffeine."

This doesn't make much sense to me. If you need to have the coffee extra strong, why dilute it afterwards? Brewing it twice as strong then diluting with 10 parts water makes it five times as weak.

Sometimes magazines take something 'easy' and make it 'hard' with 'recipes' because people won't believe it if it looks too simple. Plus they need to fill up more than one line of type.

well I guess the final product is still going to be stronger than using weak coffee to begin with and it's probably just a way to measure the amount of caffeine. I didnt write it so I cant say but I take your point

just get some food grade diatomaceous earth. It's organic, not harmfull to animals, including humans. lasts long time, rain doesn't hinder it's effectiveness. check it out.