Baby slow worm

[Wild in Brighton]

Hello Wild about Britain, great web site, great idea. We found a small slow worm in our garden yesterday, about 2.5 inches long and might have been dropped by a bird as it looks like it is having difficulty keeping 'straight' and might be injured. We have left it in the garden but moved it close to the shed where it could get protection and it is still there this evening but not looking any fitter. My question is,could the slow worm just be being defensive when a giant adult and pretty big 8 year old are towering over it as it looks to be twisting its head and neck up as if to look at us. Should we leave it alone and hope for the best or is there anything we can do without taking it out of the garden?

It is a lovely little creature and i would hate to see it die.

Looking forward to some advice.

Rob

[turkeyneck]

The slow worm is possibly beliveing you're a predator, especially if it is injured and feeling vulnerable, hence looking up at you.. As for struggling to get straight, all the baby slow worms I've seen never straighten up much and if they do it's not for long.
If you can cover it over with something like a small sheet of corrugated iron or failing that something like a plastic dustbin lid as a temprary measure, leave it undisturbed in a safe part of the garden and hope for the best, nature will take it's course.