3-4 generations after the parental generation could potentially be 'tame' within captivity. since most animals had to go through a breeding process which, with human contact, allowed them to become less violent or stressed with that contact or the lack of freedom (for example a study on artic foxes, how dogs came to be). I did write a report on the status of this species and how to potentially boost its numbers (suggesting captive breeding). with experiance, i think owning one should be no issue
Is ok to keep these as pets, as long as you have the habitat and environment it needs? Because i know these are protected spicies, but keepin one as a pet is not hurtin it or killing it is it? and i heard from many people you can... :D BECAUSE THERE SO CUTE :DDD
@XToni619X Well, there is no law as such to stop you keeping one as a pet but someone could argue that keeping it is causing it to be unnecessarily stressed as it cannot look for a mate, bask when it wants eat what it wants etc and will never live the life it is supposed to have. Some people would argue that keeping it can lead to injury or killing it (which would be breaking the law) if it 'accidentally' died in your care, so to be honest I'd advise against it to be on the safe side.
@XToni619X best not to wait to find out - it's hard to notice - as they're wild animals they don't act stressed until it is really bad, as in the wild showing stress is a sign of weakness and conveys to other animals including predators that the animal is weak and hence an easy meal, so they will do their best not to act stressed. You also wont be able to see other indicators of stress, such as internal parasites and inability to digest food properly due to inappropriate basking temperatures etc
@EdTheBadass it depends on the species. These slow worms are protected from killing, injury and any form of trade under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). You would not be able to keep an adder (legally) without a home office licence to keep a venomous (and native) species. Punishment you can get for killing or injuring a slow worm is a large fine (per animal) and/or imprisonment. The sad fact that 'no one cares' is why these laws are implemented.
although by the looks of things you took a protected spicies of animal as a pet (im a hipocrite when i say that coz im doing the same thing for a while) it looks very happy! :) great vid!
Awesome vid, thanks! I LOVE my slow worms - they keep my biotope garden virtually free of slugs. They moved in all by themselves, for which I´m eternally grateful, because the first year I lived here, the slugs were definitely winning the battle against me and my veggies/flowers. Thanks for posting!
@jaxkkj lol, cool! they are in quite a few places, but very well hidden :) the nest places to see them are in areas of rough grassland / brownfield sites where ppl dump junk. look under flat bits of board, etc but careful u dont get hurt or step on glass (or worse) etc. u also can get them on the sand dunes. i have seen them out in the open eating a line of ants! lol.
hey guys ive been looking for slow worms in my back garden for the last half an hour in my compost bin but there is no sign of one so could anyone give me a link where i could buy one or find one please :)
it is illegal to buy or sell wild slow worms in the UK. you could end up in court/jail/with a hefty sum of money in the thousands to pay if you are caught buying or selling native UK reptiles... if u want to enjoy looking at them in the wild, u have to understand their habitat requirements and therefore where they might be found. if your compost bin has no connectivity (not connected to a good habitat where other slow worms might be) then they probs wont be found in there.
i have no idea... i'm glad you don't want to take them from the wild though. either you'd have to find someone who captive breeds slow worms in the UK, or you'd have to import them from Europe, which would probs be fairly costly. and also stressful to the animals and may even arrive dead :(
i think these animals should be allowed as pets cos there just like snakes but there not. When there in captivity they will be protected from been eaten by cats and other animals aswell while there in captivity they will will be mor likely to breed therefore the slow worms population will increase.
they r allowed as pets, just not wild caught ones. they are legless lizards. yes they are safer in captivity, but it isn't natural. u wud force them to breed with a partner that they may not choose in the wild and as a result the babies may not be as fit as they should be. only wild caught animals should be in captivity if captive breeding etc is the last chance to the survival of their species, and even then this is a last resort. if numbers r low its normally coz they have no habitat left.
That's really cool man :). How many have you got? They make good pets, as long as you keep them well. Your setup looks real nice. I think these should more readily available as pets, they're fairly easy to look after so long as you feed them the right food etc. Although, I feel a bit guilty taking them from the wild.
None - they're not pets, they were rescued frm a site that was being built on. Stayed with me a short time before releasing into a SSSI (protected land where they won't be harmed). Yeh, thanks. Tried to make it as natural as poss 4 them. They are lovely animals, but they do belong in the wild.. young ones in particular do not do well in captivity, and it is actually illegal to harm them in any way, which some could argue include preventing them behaving naturally (keeping captive) so be careful!
Yeah like I said I wouldn't keep one caught from the wild unless, like you, I was rescuing one, and even then I would release as soon as possible, but these are easy going lizards and fairly easy to look after, would be nice if they were more widely recognized by the pet trade. It is illegal to harm them and to sell or advertise to sell wild caught ones, but captive bred is legal.
that's cool. and yeah, they are. they tame pretty easily according to pp that keep the European ones. captive bred is legal, but u still have to take adults from the wild to do this, so that is dodgy... unless u import them.
oh yeh, i think u can actually buy the same species as this, but they come from Europe mainland. better than taking from wild (stupidly the law does not protect imported ones from here). if u do this tho, do not release them in2 the wild at all, coz that is also illegal :p
unlikely... unless there's a slope in there. they're really bad climbers, unless there's a lip that is just a bit less tall than they are, in which case they can push themselves up, grip with their heads and get over. covered ones - wouldn't be able to get out unless there was a slow worm sized hole in the cover.
saw 1 of these in my bros house yday,it was half in the drain n half out,mustv been cooling off as it has been quite warm.never seen 1 b4 therefore i thought it was a snake lol.verynice creatures
saw one today about 10 inches long when we were out mountain biking on the mountain tops above the A470 between Edwardsville and Merthyr Tydfil. Lovely condition and very powerful when it burrowed back under the grass and winberries! Nice video too..
yes, they would require a specially designed habitat... but i don't recommend taking them as pets because they are much better off (and happier!) in the wild. we can't give them the right kind of environment 100% and they would suffer as a result, and causing suffering to this species is illegal in the UK. if u wanna get something similar, u might be able to buy a similar species from Europe which might be in some pet shops. make sure u never release these in2 the wild tho! is also illegal!
slow worms are so cool they have nice little faces, not like snakes, snakes look bloody evil lol, do slow worms eat woodlice ? or centipedes or other common stuff u find under stones ?
lol, quite a few ppl have said that! poor snakes... hehe. yeah, slow worms are pretty opportunistic hunters. From what i've seen they tend to go for things like slugs and earthworms tho. Have seen some eating ants and ant larvae, but not seen any eat faster moving things like centipedes. They may well eat those things tho, but they have to swallow things whole so probably would go for softer prey. woodlice and centipedes are pretty...crunchy and wriggly i guess!! :)
yer lol, my mum accedently injured one while she was gardening so i looked after it for just over a week till its wound healed, so i found some worms, slugs woodlice etc for him to eat while i had him i only saw him eat like twice lol (heard that they are most active at dusk) today his wound seemed fine just a little black line where it was and he was active so i released him into the daffordils next to the shed, sloworms are cool little creatures.
aww, that's cool, nice 1 for taking care of him :) yeah, generally active at dusk and dawn, when it's warm enough. depends on temperature, daylight, etc. they like to come out when it's warm after summer showers too, as that brings out lots of slugs! :)
Actually it isn't, unless it is a sand lizard or a smooth snake, which require a licence to disturb or capture. Slow worms, common lizards, grass snakes and adders do not require a licence to disturb, but should only really be done by ppl who know what they are doing. Google 'The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 + reptiles' and read for yourself. The latter 4 reptile species I just mentioned are protected from killing, injury and any form of trade.
p.s. - These slow worms were being kept captive as they were rescued from a building site and were on their way to a new home in a nature reserve - I am an ecologist, this is my job. I'm glad that you are concerned though! :)
nah, if they r living there already they are likely to stay there, unless u get rid of what they like such as compost heaps, or unless they are disturbed a lot. even if u scare them once or twice, they r usually quite faithful 2 their favourite basking areas :)
ahh right i understand, you deffinitely know your stuff with them haha.. sounds like i better not bother for to long. dont wanna do them any damage at all! cheers for the help.
sorry to bother, also if i was to hold onto one for a period of time what size tank would it be best to consider roughly? i think its awesome that we actually have something like this is our counrty!
it is very awesome! :) tho i do advise not keeping them in captivity, they shud b in the wild unless theyre injured. its not illegal to keep them, but if u wanted 2 keep them 4 a week or so just to observe them, id say u need a tank about 2 feet long, 1 foot wide and 15cm high with a lid as they will get out. like ones u get in pet shops for small mammals. they also need sandy/soil mix substrate for them to burrow and u need to catch slugs and worms for them to eat every day.
also need to provide water for them in a shallow tray so they dont get trapped in it and drown. they need things to hide under like flat bits of pottery or slate, & they like sphagnum moss. this is also good to spray with water as they will drink it off this too. make sure tank doesnt get muddy and wet tho,keep 1 area where the water/damp is.careful if u do handle any as they will drop their tails if they are scared and this isnt good for them, they may die in winter if not enough fat reserves.
they need to bask to heat up their body properly, and they cant do this very well in captivity, but they do not need any extra heating.they also need to find a mate and brumate (like hibernate) in winter - if they dont prepare for this properly they may die. if u take any, do it in spring and release them before summer ends, or they may not adjust to outside temps&could die.
p.s. - the ones in the vid i only had as they were being moved to a new site as they were rescued off a building site.
yeah, they should be around i think! u can try attracting them by putting down thin, flat objects like bits of slate, wood, or what i think is best if u dont have slate is roofing felt. they like to bask underneath these things as the flat objects warm up quickly in the sun. slow worms also like longer grass, and soil that isnt too wet and areas that arent disturbed too often.
poor slow worm! :( did u catch him from the wild? he may have been unwell to begin with... also, our native lizards are hard to keep under the right conditions.
i hope u have more luck with your corn snake. they're lovely :) and should be easier to keep.
I once lived in a house which had a massive back garden. In the garden were billions of slow worms! There were tons of them! But they died out because I have two cats and you know... hehe
These things look so funny when they hunt for slugs because they look as if they are going to immediately pounce at the slug which is moving about 10 cm an hour but instead they just slowly bite it. How fast can slow worms move? and do slow worms ever attemp to attack humans?
hehe yeah they are fun to watch :) they can move pretty fast when they want to-if they r grabbed by a predator they wriggle about a lot, and also when 2 males are fighting they tumble around biting each other & wrestling. when they don't need to move fast,they just take it easy! but they don't move as quick as a snake.
slow worms dont normally attack humans-but if youre a researcher trying to measure them they dont always like that. mostly it has been big females that have tried to bite me!
We've just recently rescued a couple from the local cats - have them in a big glass tank (the slow worms, not the cats) and they seem to be doing quite well!
thanks :) and that's good - there can never be too many slow worm rescuers around!! (and i have a few friends who would say that it should be the cats in the tank, not the slow worms... hehe!)
I really like slow worms, used to have them in our garden some times in the summer when I lived on the Gower peninsula. They liked to bask on top of the compost heap.
i kept slow worms and i bred them i had about 30 babies i let them go ,and im gonna do it again this year ,i let the go when the babies are stronger i think slow worms are great creatures and i think if there where more people like you slow worms will be as common as sparrows
well, to be honest, i wouldn't advise keeping these as they are wild animals - i only had them because i was involved in a relocation project and this was their temporary home. in the wild they like to burrow in the soil and hide under flat surfaces to warm up using the sun, and their favourite food seems to be slugs. i did have about 40, but as u can imagine, i had to go out hunting for hundreds of slugs every day or so in order to feed them.
maybe... i would suggest you read up on corn snakes while u r waiting to move out! they make rly awesome pets : ) some slow worms do well in captivity, if u find one where it shouldn't be, or rescue it from a pet cat's jaws, it can be good to help it recover... but wild caught ones may die in captivity, and they cannot do what comes naturally, like bask properly, find mates and hibernate.
That's great news that you're caring for it - I'm so glad there are likeminded people out there!!
When I have slow worms in captivity, I give them about an inch (or more if you have spare!) of compost mixed with sand as they like to burrow. On top of that I put some dead (dry) leaves, and a small, shallow dish with water in. They are masters of escape, so an enclosed container is definately recommended - those plastic ones with the ventilared lids you get for small animals are best :)
p.s. how bad is it hurt? what happened to it? and if it's a baby one (smaller than about 10cm total), you might want to put a chunk of wet sponge or better still some wet moss, instead of a small water tray, as little ones can drown easily if they get into the water trays by accident. If it's going to be only for a few days, anything with high enough sides so it can't get out will be ok. They are putting on weight this time of year so feed it lots of slugs!! :) good luck,let me know how it goes.
And wow, never seen that rolling behaviour in limbless lizards, thats dead cool
killerbanshe3 1 week ago
3-4 generations after the parental generation could potentially be 'tame' within captivity. since most animals had to go through a breeding process which, with human contact, allowed them to become less violent or stressed with that contact or the lack of freedom (for example a study on artic foxes, how dogs came to be). I did write a report on the status of this species and how to potentially boost its numbers (suggesting captive breeding). with experiance, i think owning one should be no issue
killerbanshe3 1 week ago
Is ok to keep these as pets, as long as you have the habitat and environment it needs? Because i know these are protected spicies, but keepin one as a pet is not hurtin it or killing it is it? and i heard from many people you can... :D BECAUSE THERE SO CUTE :DDD
XToni619X 10 months ago
@XToni619X Well, there is no law as such to stop you keeping one as a pet but someone could argue that keeping it is causing it to be unnecessarily stressed as it cannot look for a mate, bask when it wants eat what it wants etc and will never live the life it is supposed to have. Some people would argue that keeping it can lead to injury or killing it (which would be breaking the law) if it 'accidentally' died in your care, so to be honest I'd advise against it to be on the safe side.
MountainlionWales 10 months ago
ok thanks, that told me a bit lol, well if i'd notice it had look stress or anything i will put it back where i found it.
XToni619X 10 months ago
@XToni619X best not to wait to find out - it's hard to notice - as they're wild animals they don't act stressed until it is really bad, as in the wild showing stress is a sign of weakness and conveys to other animals including predators that the animal is weak and hence an easy meal, so they will do their best not to act stressed. You also wont be able to see other indicators of stress, such as internal parasites and inability to digest food properly due to inappropriate basking temperatures etc
MountainlionWales 10 months ago
@MountainlionWales
There is a law that you cant keep protected animals as pets without special permisisons.
I assume the worst can be an administrative fine, unless they are highest protection category species
However I truely believe, that noone cares in this case.
I mean.. you would have to keep tons of these lizards and live in front of some nature protection law centre to get in trouble.
EdTheBadass 9 months ago
@EdTheBadass it depends on the species. These slow worms are protected from killing, injury and any form of trade under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). You would not be able to keep an adder (legally) without a home office licence to keep a venomous (and native) species. Punishment you can get for killing or injuring a slow worm is a large fine (per animal) and/or imprisonment. The sad fact that 'no one cares' is why these laws are implemented.
MountainlionWales 9 months ago
Interesting video....... like the backing track too.
Leo
McSteamhammer 1 year ago
@McSteamhammer thanks! :)
MountainlionWales 1 year ago
although by the looks of things you took a protected spicies of animal as a pet (im a hipocrite when i say that coz im doing the same thing for a while) it looks very happy! :) great vid!
JeZZa007LorD 1 year ago
@JeZZa007LorD no - read the comments below
MountainlionWales 1 year ago
Awesome vid, thanks! I LOVE my slow worms - they keep my biotope garden virtually free of slugs. They moved in all by themselves, for which I´m eternally grateful, because the first year I lived here, the slugs were definitely winning the battle against me and my veggies/flowers. Thanks for posting!
jazzdiva04 1 year ago
@jazzdiva04 thanks! :) just had a look at the vids of ur garden - looks perfect for slow worms! am glad u like them, hehe.
MountainlionWales 1 year ago
@MountainlionWales Hey i was wondering where you found them coz i live in cardiff :P
jaxkkj 1 year ago
@jaxkkj lol, cool! they are in quite a few places, but very well hidden :) the nest places to see them are in areas of rough grassland / brownfield sites where ppl dump junk. look under flat bits of board, etc but careful u dont get hurt or step on glass (or worse) etc. u also can get them on the sand dunes. i have seen them out in the open eating a line of ants! lol.
MountainlionWales 1 year ago
hey guys ive been looking for slow worms in my back garden for the last half an hour in my compost bin but there is no sign of one so could anyone give me a link where i could buy one or find one please :)
mrsuicidlegamer101 1 year ago
@mrsuicidlegamer101
it is illegal to buy or sell wild slow worms in the UK. you could end up in court/jail/with a hefty sum of money in the thousands to pay if you are caught buying or selling native UK reptiles... if u want to enjoy looking at them in the wild, u have to understand their habitat requirements and therefore where they might be found. if your compost bin has no connectivity (not connected to a good habitat where other slow worms might be) then they probs wont be found in there.
MountainlionWales 1 year ago
Does anyone know the price range on some captive bred slow worms to be delivered in wales ? :L
I know it sounds stupid, but i really want one :L
But i dont wanna take one outa the wild like
x
MariaaaaaBennettttt 2 years ago
i have no idea... i'm glad you don't want to take them from the wild though. either you'd have to find someone who captive breeds slow worms in the UK, or you'd have to import them from Europe, which would probs be fairly costly. and also stressful to the animals and may even arrive dead :(
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
I would like a slow worm as a pet. Because they don't eat mice!
FRURMELLL 2 years ago
lol. iguanas don't eat mice... nor do dogs. well, mosty dogs :p
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
i think these animals should be allowed as pets cos there just like snakes but there not. When there in captivity they will be protected from been eaten by cats and other animals aswell while there in captivity they will will be mor likely to breed therefore the slow worms population will increase.
maiden2005 2 years ago
they r allowed as pets, just not wild caught ones. they are legless lizards. yes they are safer in captivity, but it isn't natural. u wud force them to breed with a partner that they may not choose in the wild and as a result the babies may not be as fit as they should be. only wild caught animals should be in captivity if captive breeding etc is the last chance to the survival of their species, and even then this is a last resort. if numbers r low its normally coz they have no habitat left.
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
That's really cool man :). How many have you got? They make good pets, as long as you keep them well. Your setup looks real nice. I think these should more readily available as pets, they're fairly easy to look after so long as you feed them the right food etc. Although, I feel a bit guilty taking them from the wild.
tobarrr 2 years ago
None - they're not pets, they were rescued frm a site that was being built on. Stayed with me a short time before releasing into a SSSI (protected land where they won't be harmed). Yeh, thanks. Tried to make it as natural as poss 4 them. They are lovely animals, but they do belong in the wild.. young ones in particular do not do well in captivity, and it is actually illegal to harm them in any way, which some could argue include preventing them behaving naturally (keeping captive) so be careful!
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
Yeah like I said I wouldn't keep one caught from the wild unless, like you, I was rescuing one, and even then I would release as soon as possible, but these are easy going lizards and fairly easy to look after, would be nice if they were more widely recognized by the pet trade. It is illegal to harm them and to sell or advertise to sell wild caught ones, but captive bred is legal.
tobarrr 2 years ago
that's cool. and yeah, they are. they tame pretty easily according to pp that keep the European ones. captive bred is legal, but u still have to take adults from the wild to do this, so that is dodgy... unless u import them.
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
oh yeh, i think u can actually buy the same species as this, but they come from Europe mainland. better than taking from wild (stupidly the law does not protect imported ones from here). if u do this tho, do not release them in2 the wild at all, coz that is also illegal :p
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
does anyone know it slow worms are able to get out covered drains?
Lazfoose1 2 years ago
unlikely... unless there's a slope in there. they're really bad climbers, unless there's a lip that is just a bit less tall than they are, in which case they can push themselves up, grip with their heads and get over. covered ones - wouldn't be able to get out unless there was a slow worm sized hole in the cover.
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
theyre so pretty :3
Xplode42 2 years ago
they're lovely, hehe :)
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
The small one in the "tug of war" is a juvenile specimen.
Tenderness6 2 years ago
indeed it is! quite young that one was. probably that year's young.
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
Anguis fragilis. Protected throughout Europe.
Tenderness6 2 years ago
yup :)
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
Excellent video! Congrats! :-)
npisec 2 years ago
thanks! :)
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
saw 1 of these in my bros house yday,it was half in the drain n half out,mustv been cooling off as it has been quite warm.never seen 1 b4 therefore i thought it was a snake lol.verynice creatures
crazybutch 2 years ago
hehe, cool. glad u like them :) hopefully he didn't fall down the drain! yeah they must be boiling in this weather...
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
dude the earthworm the slowworm was chasing is the biggest fuckin worm i ever seen
Punniabi 2 years ago
lol! it is pretty big isn't it :)
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
saw one today about 10 inches long when we were out mountain biking on the mountain tops above the A470 between Edwardsville and Merthyr Tydfil. Lovely condition and very powerful when it burrowed back under the grass and winberries! Nice video too..
blumpher 2 years ago
awesome :) ...and thanks!
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
Is it possible to take in slow worms as pets.
Do they need a specially designed habitat ect.?
soldbyjoe 2 years ago
yes, they would require a specially designed habitat... but i don't recommend taking them as pets because they are much better off (and happier!) in the wild. we can't give them the right kind of environment 100% and they would suffer as a result, and causing suffering to this species is illegal in the UK. if u wanna get something similar, u might be able to buy a similar species from Europe which might be in some pet shops. make sure u never release these in2 the wild tho! is also illegal!
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
...alternatively... consider getting a snake from a reptile shop? corn snakes are ideal if u have never kept a snake before :)
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
slow worms are so cool they have nice little faces, not like snakes, snakes look bloody evil lol, do slow worms eat woodlice ? or centipedes or other common stuff u find under stones ?
mcflurey667 2 years ago
lol, quite a few ppl have said that! poor snakes... hehe. yeah, slow worms are pretty opportunistic hunters. From what i've seen they tend to go for things like slugs and earthworms tho. Have seen some eating ants and ant larvae, but not seen any eat faster moving things like centipedes. They may well eat those things tho, but they have to swallow things whole so probably would go for softer prey. woodlice and centipedes are pretty...crunchy and wriggly i guess!! :)
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
yer lol, my mum accedently injured one while she was gardening so i looked after it for just over a week till its wound healed, so i found some worms, slugs woodlice etc for him to eat while i had him i only saw him eat like twice lol (heard that they are most active at dusk) today his wound seemed fine just a little black line where it was and he was active so i released him into the daffordils next to the shed, sloworms are cool little creatures.
mcflurey667 2 years ago
aww, that's cool, nice 1 for taking care of him :) yeah, generally active at dusk and dawn, when it's warm enough. depends on temperature, daylight, etc. they like to come out when it's warm after summer showers too, as that brings out lots of slugs! :)
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
don't take slow worms from the wild, it illegal to take any British reptiles.
zbrooo 2 years ago
Actually it isn't, unless it is a sand lizard or a smooth snake, which require a licence to disturb or capture. Slow worms, common lizards, grass snakes and adders do not require a licence to disturb, but should only really be done by ppl who know what they are doing. Google 'The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 + reptiles' and read for yourself. The latter 4 reptile species I just mentioned are protected from killing, injury and any form of trade.
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
p.s. - These slow worms were being kept captive as they were rescued from a building site and were on their way to a new home in a nature reserve - I am an ecologist, this is my job. I'm glad that you are concerned though! :)
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
just saw two in my allotment plot today!!!
hope i didn't scare them away ...
cb285000 2 years ago
awesome!! they love allotments :)
nah, if they r living there already they are likely to stay there, unless u get rid of what they like such as compost heaps, or unless they are disturbed a lot. even if u scare them once or twice, they r usually quite faithful 2 their favourite basking areas :)
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
ahh right i understand, you deffinitely know your stuff with them haha.. sounds like i better not bother for to long. dont wanna do them any damage at all! cheers for the help.
tolbeano1 2 years ago
sorry to bother, also if i was to hold onto one for a period of time what size tank would it be best to consider roughly? i think its awesome that we actually have something like this is our counrty!
tolbeano1 2 years ago
it is very awesome! :) tho i do advise not keeping them in captivity, they shud b in the wild unless theyre injured. its not illegal to keep them, but if u wanted 2 keep them 4 a week or so just to observe them, id say u need a tank about 2 feet long, 1 foot wide and 15cm high with a lid as they will get out. like ones u get in pet shops for small mammals. they also need sandy/soil mix substrate for them to burrow and u need to catch slugs and worms for them to eat every day.
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
also need to provide water for them in a shallow tray so they dont get trapped in it and drown. they need things to hide under like flat bits of pottery or slate, & they like sphagnum moss. this is also good to spray with water as they will drink it off this too. make sure tank doesnt get muddy and wet tho,keep 1 area where the water/damp is.careful if u do handle any as they will drop their tails if they are scared and this isnt good for them, they may die in winter if not enough fat reserves.
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
they need to bask to heat up their body properly, and they cant do this very well in captivity, but they do not need any extra heating.they also need to find a mate and brumate (like hibernate) in winter - if they dont prepare for this properly they may die. if u take any, do it in spring and release them before summer ends, or they may not adjust to outside temps&could die.
p.s. - the ones in the vid i only had as they were being moved to a new site as they were rescued off a building site.
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
thanks for the advice, ill give it a try when iget the right materials etc :) cheers for that.
tolbeano1 2 years ago
can they be found in north west england also? what is the best ways of attracting them? thanks.
tolbeano1 2 years ago
yeah, they should be around i think! u can try attracting them by putting down thin, flat objects like bits of slate, wood, or what i think is best if u dont have slate is roofing felt. they like to bask underneath these things as the flat objects warm up quickly in the sun. slow worms also like longer grass, and soil that isnt too wet and areas that arent disturbed too often.
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
do slow worms eat maggots or just worms and slugs?
veliptor 2 years ago
Their favourites are slugs and worms, but if they came across a maggot, they might eat it!
MountainlionWales 2 years ago
okay
veliptor 2 years ago
i hade a slow worm but it died so i got a corn snake its sort of the same thing but bigger :P
monstermash012 3 years ago
poor slow worm! :( did u catch him from the wild? he may have been unwell to begin with... also, our native lizards are hard to keep under the right conditions.
i hope u have more luck with your corn snake. they're lovely :) and should be easier to keep.
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
yes that was could of been it but he was nice :]
monstermash012 3 years ago
i like the music, what is it called?
mac3concept 3 years ago
i love slow worms... my m8 found a huge 1 in his front garden massive for a slow worm oh and by the way it's a good vid thanks for posting =)
alienware182 3 years ago
cool, glad u like it :)
the biggest slow worms can get up to 40cm, if they manage to keep their tail their whole life!
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
nice
alienware182 3 years ago
I once lived in a house which had a massive back garden. In the garden were billions of slow worms! There were tons of them! But they died out because I have two cats and you know... hehe
garin1 3 years ago
aww, that's such a shame! cats are probably their number one enemy :(
hopefully some of your slow worms managed to escape and live somewhere else, away from the cats :)
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
can you get these in canada?
blizzardleos 3 years ago
no, they are only found in Europe. i think the closest thing you have in Canada is the Western skink.
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
These things look so funny when they hunt for slugs because they look as if they are going to immediately pounce at the slug which is moving about 10 cm an hour but instead they just slowly bite it. How fast can slow worms move? and do slow worms ever attemp to attack humans?
salsasnacker 3 years ago
hehe yeah they are fun to watch :) they can move pretty fast when they want to-if they r grabbed by a predator they wriggle about a lot, and also when 2 males are fighting they tumble around biting each other & wrestling. when they don't need to move fast,they just take it easy! but they don't move as quick as a snake.
slow worms dont normally attack humans-but if youre a researcher trying to measure them they dont always like that. mostly it has been big females that have tried to bite me!
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
can you get these in scotland
Ad3m08 3 years ago
yep, you can.
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
Great video to see!
We've just recently rescued a couple from the local cats - have them in a big glass tank (the slow worms, not the cats) and they seem to be doing quite well!
doctorscotland 3 years ago
thanks :) and that's good - there can never be too many slow worm rescuers around!! (and i have a few friends who would say that it should be the cats in the tank, not the slow worms... hehe!)
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
what a gay name slow worm thay shold be cald criplizzes
idonthaveacoolcar 3 years ago
poor slow worms. i'd go with bronze lizard as a better name...
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
I really like slow worms, used to have them in our garden some times in the summer when I lived on the Gower peninsula. They liked to bask on top of the compost heap.
Karagianis 3 years ago
cool. they love compost heaps! :)
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
awsome
monkeykid101 3 years ago
thanx :)
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
i kept slow worms and i bred them i had about 30 babies i let them go ,and im gonna do it again this year ,i let the go when the babies are stronger i think slow worms are great creatures and i think if there where more people like you slow worms will be as common as sparrows
razblob 4 years ago
hehe, thanx, and nice to see others with a similar interest! :)
how long do you keep the babies before you release them? until they are eating well?
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
well, to be honest, i wouldn't advise keeping these as they are wild animals - i only had them because i was involved in a relocation project and this was their temporary home. in the wild they like to burrow in the soil and hide under flat surfaces to warm up using the sun, and their favourite food seems to be slugs. i did have about 40, but as u can imagine, i had to go out hunting for hundreds of slugs every day or so in order to feed them.
MountainlionWales 4 years ago
maybe... i would suggest you read up on corn snakes while u r waiting to move out! they make rly awesome pets : ) some slow worms do well in captivity, if u find one where it shouldn't be, or rescue it from a pet cat's jaws, it can be good to help it recover... but wild caught ones may die in captivity, and they cannot do what comes naturally, like bask properly, find mates and hibernate.
MountainlionWales 4 years ago
We are looking after an injured slow worm that my daughter found in our garden. What sort of accomodation do you give to a slow worm?
SarahJPollard 3 years ago
That's great news that you're caring for it - I'm so glad there are likeminded people out there!!
When I have slow worms in captivity, I give them about an inch (or more if you have spare!) of compost mixed with sand as they like to burrow. On top of that I put some dead (dry) leaves, and a small, shallow dish with water in. They are masters of escape, so an enclosed container is definately recommended - those plastic ones with the ventilared lids you get for small animals are best :)
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
p.s. how bad is it hurt? what happened to it? and if it's a baby one (smaller than about 10cm total), you might want to put a chunk of wet sponge or better still some wet moss, instead of a small water tray, as little ones can drown easily if they get into the water trays by accident. If it's going to be only for a few days, anything with high enough sides so it can't get out will be ok. They are putting on weight this time of year so feed it lots of slugs!! :) good luck,let me know how it goes.
MountainlionWales 3 years ago
This is great, as im not allowed a corn snake until i move out, but im allowed one of these =]
how many do you have?
how do you keep them?
jesta1234 4 years ago