Slow worms dieing in my garden help!?

[roguekiller23231]

today i went into the garden to find 3 dead slow worms. i've never come accross them in my garden before but there must be quite a few for me to find 3 dead.

now i dont want to find anymore dead! because there so nice, and i kinda like the idea of them in my garden! anyone know what i could do to provent there deaths!

i think the deaths are related to this heat we have been having rather then any poisoning or animals killing them.

[Dorts]

Hi Roguekiller, welcome to WAB.
Sorry to hear about your Slow worms suffering in this hot weather. They live on slugs mainly, and during very hot, dry spells slugs can become very scarce.
If you are able, try watering a piece of your garden every evening to help the slugs, which will hopefully help the Slow worms..
Dorts.

[Hedera]

Also place a few tiles, slates or bits of corrugated iron around to give some shelter and encourage slugs to hide under. Even black plastic would do,

[posie]

..Hello RK, and welcome to WAB. Sad about your slow-worms, guess what Dorts said is right..and maybe you could find some slugs from a moister area to put in your garden for them...I hope things improve with the watering...Posie

[marvin]

hi

not sure about the hot weather being responsible. slowworms occur in good numbers throughout central and southern europe where hot dry conditions in summer are common. they also survive up to five months without eating thoughout the winter.

keep an eye out for predators (e.g. cats and magpies).

cheers
tim

[Mark_b]

I agree, it can't be the hot weather. It could well be cats.

Also if you (or your neighbours) put slug poison (or any poison) down then this may have killed them.

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by marvin

hi

not sure about the hot weather being responsible. slowworms occur in good numbers throughout central and southern europe where hot dry conditions in summer are common. they also survive up to five months without eating thoughout the winter.

keep an eye out for predators (e.g. cats and magpies).

cheers
tim

Species adapt, and our Slow worms find themselves in a generally moist and temperate climate, paticularly when living in an urban garden. Those in Souther Europe are adapted to go into semi-hiberation in periods of extreme temerature. Maybe ours don't cope so well, so there is no harm in creating a habitat that may help in times of drought.

I do agree, as I have seen on many occasions, that they are predated on by
Rooks, Crows, Magpies, Hedgehogs and Foxes etc. especially when times are hard, as they are now.
So maybe the Slow worms deaths are a combination of factors?
Interesting topic.
Dorts

[posie]

..Hi Dorts, Wouldn't predators you mentioned either eat their kill or take it away to feed their young, whereas cats (or even some dogs) might play with them which might kill them, but not necessarily eat them. Finding 3 together seems unusual, has OP checked out the slug-pellet theory with neighbours?...Posie

[roguekiller23231]

i have asked around, there is a few people using slug pellets, but not many. i do have a horde of slugs come out each night. one of the slow worms did have some scale/skin damage, but it was more like it was shedding rather then anything else, the other 2 had no signs of any damage to them, they looked in perfect condition, maybe due to the heat we've had less slugs about.

hopefully going to get a load of logs and mulch to put down and create some places for slugs to thrive. a nightmare for some people around my area. lol

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by posie

..Hi Dorts, Wouldn't predators you mentioned either eat their kill or take it away to feed their young, whereas cats (or even some dogs) might play with them which might kill them, but not necessarily eat them. Finding 3 together seems unusual, has OP checked out the slug-pellet theory with neighbours?...Posie

I have on many occasions found half-eaten dead Slow worms. As you probably know, if grabbed by the tail a Slow worm will shed its tail: the tail continues to wriggle to keep the predator interested while the Slow worm gets away, or the bird goes off with the tail and never comes back for the other half; well thats the theory. It maybe that often when the 'tail-shedding happens' the shock to the Slow worm is just too great and it later dies, or could it be they don't taste good?. Just a thought.
Dorts.