Slowworm

[littlemoo]

My Cat bought one in last nite, it ws not moving, it looked like something
had cut into it, I'm assumming it was my cat ! We gently put it onto a dustpan
and put it behind the back of my garden, which is a common.

I feel really bad as I have always wanted to see one, but not one brought in
by my cat

[tednol]

Saw my first Slowworm yesterday - wow! I don't think any British animal has made such an impression on me. It was the most incredibly beautiful creature I've seen in this country!

I live in Reading, but am staying with my parents in Gloucestershire this weekend. They have a decent size garden, with a stream running along the back edge of the back garden. The slowworm I saw, which was about 15 cm long and a beautiful glimmering golden colour, was lying on some stones by the BBQ. I watched it for a while and touched it's tail, before watching it move down towards the stream and between the gaps in a pile of old stones.

My parents and younger brother have seen numerous slowworms around the house, both around the back by the stream (which gets sun in the late afternoon) where I saw mine and out the front where there is a low brick wall they seem to like to lie on (which gets the sun earlier in the day). I'd upload a couple of photos of the areas they are seen if I could figure out how?!

What is the consensus on handling slowworms?

[rogpow]

I saw three slowworms last week while in Cornwall (at separate locations). They were all much thinner (and two were quite shorter) than the ones I usually see in my garden. I assumed at the time they were juveniles till I realised that they're not born till August/September.

[Malx]

Originally Posted by tednol

What is the consensus on handling slowworms?

Although I don't like to handle a wild creature without good cause, they don't seem to suffer from the experience. Usually they vote with their feet and leg it if you go near them [joke by the way] so perhaps be guided by their reaction to you.
They're surprisingly strong and lithe, so don't be spooked if you pick one up and it makes a concerted effort to do a runner (i.e. don't scream in surprise at its resistance and fling it over next door's fence in a panic! ).

If a slow worm's in trouble etc, then don't hesitate to pick it up and move it, obviously.

Really chuffed you were impressed by the little fellahs too - most people seem to just think of them as a sort of worm thing, and miss out on their colourful, yet minimalistic primeval beauty. If they were 2 metres long, there'd be countless TV programmes about them.

Originally Posted by rogpow

I assumed at the time they were juveniles

Not far off the mark, probably. Given that they can live half a century, they're probably only just out of nappies!