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RAUK - Archived Forum - New Born Slowworms this year

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New Born Slowworms this year:

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herpetologic2
Senior Member
Joined: 15 Jun 2004
No. of posts: 1369


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Posted: 29 Aug 2005

 

Just a short note that the slowworms in my garden have just given birth - first noticed new born slowworms around my pond yesterday 28th August 2005 -

My dad has commented that he hasnt seen any signs of new born slowworms this year yet in Essex.... has other people got dates of new born slowwies this year?

 

Jon 


Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant -
visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife
GemmaJF
Admin Group
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
No. of posts: 2090


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Posted: 29 Aug 2005
Still waiting for ours to pop. Haven't seen any signs of the females for a week or more under refugia so I guess they must be close. Started seeing new borns under refugia in Kent last week.
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
Suzi
Senior Member
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
No. of posts: 860


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Posted: 29 Aug 2005

Yep I've got 'em. Sorry I put them on a thread 'Juvenile Slow Worms' within the past few days.

Out on a heath late this morning and lizards (viv) shooting off everywhere but no snakes. It was very hot (East Devon) and just out for a walk and not expecting much in the reptile line. Such a year for grasshopppers down here and saw a large dark bush cricket minus one leg.


Suz
Tony Phelps
Forum Specialist
Joined: 09 Mar 2003
No. of posts: 575


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Posted: 29 Aug 2005
Rescued a fem slow worm from next doors cat a few days ago
she gave birth to 14 young this morning - all looking very well.

I have seen neos out at Furzbrook and Hartland since 15th of this month.
T
Vicar
Senior Member
Joined: 02 Sep 2004
No. of posts: 1181


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Posted: 29 Aug 2005
We've had new slow worms for at least 3 weeks down on the Hants/Surrey borders! in that area had the first few diddy adders over the last fortnight too...sooo cute !
Steve Langham - Chairman    
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG).
boocat
Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
No. of posts: 5


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Posted: 29 Nov 2005

Hi, im a newbie.

I was just wondering if any of you were going to sell a slow worm, i really like them and think they're cute. if anyone has one for sale, contact me


I keep Giant african land snails, cats, freshwater snails and hopefully a slow worm.
herpetologic2
Senior Member
Joined: 15 Jun 2004
No. of posts: 1369


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Posted: 29 Nov 2005

 

Unfortunately the selling of UK wild caught slowworms would be illegal - a criminal offence with a possible ú5,000 fine or six months in side under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

 so I wouldnt dream of offering any of my garden slowworms for sale - though it seems that sometimes European Slowworms are offered for sale......there was a post on here that highlighted a possible source though I wouldnt recommend keeping the poor little things

 

Regards

 

JC

 


Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant -
visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife
herpetologic2
Senior Member
Joined: 15 Jun 2004
No. of posts: 1369


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Posted: 29 Nov 2005

 

Best to try and attract them to your garden with a good compost heap etc my slowworms are doing just fine out there even in this cold weather I hope

 

JC


Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant -
visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife
boocat
Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
No. of posts: 5


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Posted: 30 Nov 2005

oh...

cant you get a license for them? i thought there was a thread somewhere that said about this kinda thing...


I keep Giant african land snails, cats, freshwater snails and hopefully a slow worm.
herpetologic2
Senior Member
Joined: 15 Jun 2004
No. of posts: 1369


View other posts by herpetologic2
Posted: 30 Nov 2005

 

You need to license to offer them for sale - as selling any British reptile is illegal - unless you can prove that they are captive bred animals - personally I would look at your garden to see if it suitable for slowworms - do you have a garden? slowworms do really well in gardens with rockeries, compost heaps, ponds even - I have a colony in my garden and they are doing fine - I have approx 20 to 25 animals which are breeding and are growing well - You can keep an eye on them by placing tin or carpet on the compost heap or by searching under flat stones in my case around the pond.

You see if there are slowworms in your area then there is no law to take a few and only a few to seed your garden if it is suitable - keeping slowworms indoors is not really required you just have to get use to the winter months when they are hibernating around your garden.

I have heard that slowworms do well in captivity - this is the beauty of having a garden population - you can collect them during the year and keep them in enclosures etc and then they can go back

I find keeping track of the babies and adults fascinating - their movements around the garden etc

Regards

 

jC


Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant -
visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife
GemmaJF
Admin Group
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
No. of posts: 2090


View other posts by GemmaJF
Posted: 30 Nov 2005
[QUOTE=herpetologic2]

You see if there are slowworms in your area then there is no law to take a few and only a few to seed your garden if it is suitable -

[/QUOTE]

Jon, this isn't strictly true. If someone wanted to collect native slow-worms there may well be local by-laws preventing collection i.e. at local nature reserves. To take any wild animal without land owners permission could be regarded as theft. This would include taking to seed a garden population and also taking a few to keep as captives.

To make it clear Boocat, there is no reason that you could not legally collect slow-worms to keep in captivity (or in your garden) from the wild in the UK without any form of license,

provided that:

1) You don't intend to offer them for sale now or in the future, which would be an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act

2) You seek the land owners permission and ensure there are no local by-laws preventing the collection of fauna and flora

I would go along with Jon that it is great to attract slow-worms to your garden in preference to keeping them as longterm captives, but appreciate this isn't always possible.


Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
Mick
Member
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
No. of posts: 184


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Posted: 30 Nov 2005

boocat.  Thank goodness that it is illegal to simply capture & sell our native herptiles! If kids knew they might be able to make a fair few bob from selling our native herp's then kids -& some adults- would be out plundering wildlife sites for them!

For Slowworms, i'd pretty much go along with what herpetologic2's saying. If there aren't Slowworms in your area which you could do your best to try & tempt into your garden, then maybe go carefully catch one, or two, but to just keep temporarily to study in a tank of mainly compost, leaf litter'n'twigs. Whatever reptile you might keep, short term, or long term, always firstly do some research on the species to be sure you're gonna keep the creature in healthily correct conditions, correctly warm & fed. Personally, if i was to long term keep Slowworms as pets, i'd keep them outdoors in my quarter covered terrarium (presently nowt in it & overgrown!) which i'd firstly adapt to that species requirments. Should you at all consider that option, then keep in mind of course, a terrarium mustn't be built where any water logging is at all possible, otherwise the inhabitants are likely to drown during hibernation. But anyway, outdoors is -i believe- the healthiest, best possible place for Slowworms, & not long term in a tank, in a centrally heated, stuffy room in a house.

And by the way, boocat, it's worth taking into consideration that Slowworms have the potential of living to a very ripe old age indeed. I think the captive record still remains 54 years!...Obviously kept by a very responsible carer who probably fully appreciated he, or she, could be in it for the long haul! Trust you'd appreciate the same.   

Mick.  


ssthisto
Member
Joined: 15 Nov 2005
No. of posts: 15


View other posts by ssthisto
Posted: 02 Dec 2005
[QUOTE=boocat]

Hi, im a newbie.

I was just wondering if any of you were going to sell a slow worm, i really like them and think they're cute. if anyone has one for sale, contact me

[/QUOTE]

You may find this thread of interest:

http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1237 &PN=1

I'm hoping to breed my group of legal imported Slows at some stage in the future, and pending written word back from DEFRA about whether it would be legal for me to offer F1 generation juveniles from imported stock to experienced reptile keepers.... well, the discussion's all there, really.


Ssthisto

Currently keeping:
3.6 Eublepharis macularius
0.1.3 Anguis fragilis ssp
1.0 Pantherophis guttattus
herpetologic2
Senior Member
Joined: 15 Jun 2004
No. of posts: 1369


View other posts by herpetologic2
Posted: 02 Dec 2005

 

Well thats is why the law was brought in to stop such actions - though it would be an idea to apply this to the whole of Europe so that people didnt import slowworms from other countries - you know if the trade was threatening the status of reptiles in the UK then the same would apply to Italian slowworms -

Ssthisto good luck in breeding the slowworms - I successfully bred my English slowwies in my garden - they are in their thrid successful year of breeding - the youngsters are doing fine aswell -

Sorry I didnt think about the local bylaws - though there is no law that specifically stops taking the animals - though it is the end reason why they are taken - ie selling that is outlawed

JC


Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant -
visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife

- New Born Slowworms this year

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