Slowy advice needed please.

[Paulusworm]

Hiya all and it's good to see some familiar names on here from RFUK.

Yesterday I got a call over the garden fence from my elderly neighbour. "Here you go Paul. Found these in my garden and thought you might want them". Into my hand get put two juvi slow worms about 4 to 5 inches in length. Now that pee'd me off to start with. Why disturb an animal that is quite happy in its immediate surrounding. Grrrrr! Anyway, I now have two slowies which I will be releasing into the wildlife area of our garden once I have husky-proofed it. Anyone who knows the breed will know why this needs doing before release but for those who don't, huskies have a phenomenally high prey drive.

It will take me about a week, max, to get the work done so for the time being they are being temporarily kept in captivity. I have housed them in a 9L RUB, with a 60/40 sterile topsoil and playsand substrate, leaf litter and dry grass from the garden, and they have a couple of improvised caves to hide in (one at each end of the RUB). Temps are being constantly monitored with digital probe thermometers, they have a shallow dish (trimmed down milk carton cap) with fresh water and a being misted once or twice a day depending on what the hygrometer reading is. I have heatlamps, etc left over from my reptile keeping days if needed but the temperatures seem to holding quite nicely between 60F and 70F on their own. I am offering small worms and tiny slugs on a daily basis while they are in my care. Have I missed anything?

This is a genuine enquiry and as I stated earlier they will be being released into my garden once I can seriously reduce their prospects of being eaten.

Cheers
Paul

[Paulusworm]

A quick update:
Fence has now been built. A nice picket style made from some recycled pallets that I had in the garage. Went up surprisingly easily. I've put a branch into the pond so that they can escape if the fall in. Hopefully that's everything covered and we should be good to go unless you guys can think of anything I may have missed.

I forgot to describe the patch and where it's located earlier so here goes. It measures approx 1 metre x 3 metres and is situated next to the shed and compost heap. The pond is a plastic crate (I'm guessing that size wise it is around 40 litres) and we have planted a fern next to it as well as scattering grass seed/wild flower seeds on almost every available patch of soil. The soil that was dug out to sink the pond is piled on top of some lengths of drainpipe and I have placed some of my old reptile caves around the patch to provide additional cover.

Am I right in thinking that dusk would be the best time to release? Also, would it be better to overnight them in the garage tonight to acclimatise or just go for it tonight?

Thanks in advance for your help and sorry for all the questions .
Paul

[nightshade]

Top it off with a big flat stone or piece of corrugated iron in a sunny place and I think you have it covered (of course being wild things they will probably leg"less" it back next door )

[Paulusworm]

Here's a few pics. So much easier than trying to describe it. The first pic was taken back in April when we first set it up.








Next job is to cut some frog sized holes along the back sides of the mesh pond cover as we do get a froggy visitor in our garden occaisionally. Anyone know how well slowies can climb? Next to the red wormery is the water butt, the top of which is in direct sunlight. I've probably still got enough aviary mesh to build a climbing frame up to the top of it.

[Littlesparrow]

Slow worms are escape artists, they can climb and dig and are surprisingly strong at pushing their way out of lidded boxes.

[Digit]

I was going to make the same point as Little sparrow. Whilst appreciating your efforts on behalf of the Slow Worms I would advise that you release them elsewhere.
By coincidence I took my nearly 4 yr old grandson for a walk along one of our local lanes and was able to show him a Slow Worm today. Our local coincil insist on murdering the bankside plants with their mowers but on the top of one of the banks was a decent sized patch of Common Toadflax, as I want some seeds to plant on the my own embankments I climbed up to check if they were ready to collect, so grandson had to climb as well! Silly me.
'What's that granddad?' He wanted to know, so grandson tried his first Blackberries as well today, well on his way to being another country lover I think.

Roy.

[ViperaBerus]

It doesn't look like an ideal habitat for slow-worms to me. Severe lack of prey items in the area and alien to the normal habitat in which they are found.

[nightshade]

It did sound better than it looks! That is far too small a range in which to establish and find sufficient food