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Keeping a pet slow worm: |
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Mirukai Member Joined: 01 Sep 2006 No. of posts: 1  View other posts by Mirukai |
Posted: 02 Sep 2006 Hey
guys! I'm new here, and also the new proud owner of a slow worm! I
didn't really plan on becoming one, I just saw the poor thing being
cornered by one of the cats who live around my area and I'm too afraid
to let it go just yet, so I just wanted to know how to really look
after a slow worm so I don't do anything wrong. Do they need a special
habitat or could you just put in some long grass, compost and a few
rocks for them to shelter under? And I've also heard, by reading on
these forums, that soil can hold diseases, so would it be a bad idea to
have some?
And also, I figured it would be hard for me to find some slugs... so would my slow worm be happy with waxworms and usual earth worms? And if you guys could help, what gender do you think my slow worm is? I've been able to gender slow worms easily but this one confuses me. It has the dark stripe going down it's back as most females should have, but it has a blue under belly, and I heard that males have blue on them? Well, if anyone could help with my questions I'd be very greatful! Thanks~ Miranda |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369  View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 03 Sep 2006
Hi Miranda the blue colour is basically from the animal coming into slough - losing its old skin - fluid builds up between the old and new skin giving a bluish appearance to the underside. I would suggest creating a habitat for the slowworm in a garden if you have one and letting it go - as keeping it in captivity would also possibly cause disease - If you have a garden a compost heap and log pile would provide suitable habitat for the animal. The slowworm likes to eat slugs and I believe it would take earthworms so keeping it a while until it has shed its skin and seems to be more alert would be the best time to release it back into the wild - well in a well established garden Jon Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
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AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694  View other posts by AGILIS |
Posted: 28 Feb 2007 LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
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AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694 View other posts by AGILIS |
Posted: 28 Feb 2007 HI MIRANDA I WOULLD LET FREE AS THEY ARE NOT VERY GOOD EATING SPECIALY IN BATTER  KEITH
LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
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james4 Senior Member Joined: 13 Nov 2006 No. of posts: 466  View other posts by james4 |
Posted: 28 Feb 2007 AGILIS why do you keep posting blank messages? http://ukreptiles.proboards55.com |
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266 View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 28 Feb 2007 [QUOTE=james4]AGILIS why do you keep posting blank messages? [/QUOTE] He's probably just getting the hang of posting I would think. I can't speak for Keith but I'm not very computer savvy, so can understand if he's having problems with these giant calculators :) |
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AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694 View other posts by AGILIS |
Posted: 28 Feb 2007 HI JAMES4 I DONT UNDERSTAND THE BLANK MESSAGES IS IT MY OUTDATED SENSE OF HUMOUR THE PROB AS I AM NEW TO BLOGGING BUT NOT REPTILES .US DINOSUARS AINT GONNA BE AROUND MUCH LONGER LIKE THE ENDANGERED REPTILES WE TALK ABOUT REGARDS KEITH HOPE THE SPELLING IS OK LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
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james4 Senior Member Joined: 13 Nov 2006 No. of posts: 466 View other posts by james4 |
Posted: 28 Feb 2007 agilis i wa politly enquiring willing to offer help. http://ukreptiles.proboards55.com |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 28 Feb 2007 Hi Keith, Check the dates of posts, some threads are quite old this thread started
So the original poster is unlikely to be watching the thread still I know this isn't always obvious when you arrive in a new forum, as the top threads seem recent. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694 View other posts by AGILIS |
Posted: 01 Mar 2007 THANKS TO JAMES & GEMMA POINTING MY ERROR AS TO DATES...YES I HAVENT LOOKED TO HARD AT THE THE DATES PERHAPS THATS WHY I AM MISSING SPOTTING THINGS BETTER GET SOME NEW  GLASSES REGARDS KEITHLOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 01 Mar 2007 Hi Keith, everyone does it, I know as I have joined forums made a post and wondered why nobody replied, then realised the thread was 3 years old
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Vickie Lizard Member Joined: 22 Apr 2007 No. of posts: 6  View other posts by Vickie Lizard |
Posted: 22 Apr 2007 Do slow worms in captivity need a heating mat?
Its always better to ask for forgiveness after, than ask for permission before!!! |
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st rick Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 141  View other posts by st rick |
Posted: 22 Apr 2007 No Vickie, they don't. I would be even be a bit worried about leaving it in the full sun indoors in the kind of weather we've been having just lately. I know my flat has been getting very hot. I would not leave it in direct sunlight when you're out but move it to a nice warm place when you want to have a good look at it. It's a mistake to think reptiles need to be baked all day; you often see animals suffering in pet stores on account of this view. I would let her (?) go eventually, but it's not against the law to watch them for a while in captivity.
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 22 Apr 2007 Me and my brother kept one in a very big wooden crate (sides about 18") in the 1960s. The crate was full of what we considered suitable landscaping. We fed it on those little white slugs which we collected nightly in our garden. The crate was kept in a stone barn with no direct sunlight and the slow worm did OK. Perhaps not ideal requirements but we were kids. Suz |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 The trick with Captive keeping is putting ourselves in the animals position as much as pos. Often, what an animal wants is not what a zoo or private keeper provides just to please the eye of the viewer. Most herps are secretive shy animals that like to feel secure and hidden , I've seen tree vipers roll that have been taken from a year in a plastic tub to a full set-up with branches and leaves. What alot of keepers do not realise is that, if they truelly care about the reptiles well being it can often be a boring pet as they should be left undisturbed as much as pos' Back in the early 90's I kept on loosing Rhino vipers that were apparently doing very well, they'd just roll for no reason. A friend of mine from Lancaster looked at my set-up and said, "Your killing them through stress , in reality they hate vivs" . He told me to tub them up on bark chips , keep them fairly cool and pay them no attention whatsoever except for hygiene and feeding. Sure enough they flourish in these conditions , but to the untrained casual viewer this looks cruel as they expect to see the big clear glass fronted viv with all the decor. O-> O+> |
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Deano Senior Member Joined: 23 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 133  View other posts by Deano |
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 What's the point of keeping them if you can't look at them or show your friends and get them out and play with them? Sorry, sarcasm - lowest form of wit. Deano Better to be lucky than good looking. |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 Eeeerro Deano 
No worries mate, I can be sarcastic too at times
Pretty True, and that's why I said most people can actually find thier captives boring when they keep them truely how the animal would like to be kept . Of course there are plenty of hardy reptiles like corns and boas that do well in an open exposed viv' , but some of the more delicate species just won't tollerate alot of disturbance. I do peep at my rhinos but try to keep disturbance to a minimum for their comfort. O-> O+> |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369 View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 Yep slowworms do better when they arent pulled around alot - though taking the animals out of their home for health checks etc wouldnt do any harm though of course slowworms can be easily encouraged into gardens and you can go and find them underneath shelter etc so no real need to keep them indoors.....
Jon Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
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Vickie Lizard Member Joined: 22 Apr 2007 No. of posts: 6 View other posts by Vickie Lizard |
Posted: 23 Apr 2007 Thanks St Rick! I`ll be in my garden later, finding those devilish white slugs! Thanks for your handy hints too! Its always better to ask for forgiveness after, than ask for permission before!!! |
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mandy Member Joined: 30 Apr 2007 No. of posts: 3 View other posts by mandy |
Posted: 30 Apr 2007 Hi All, Needing help as my daughter has rescued an injured slow worm from the garden yeaterday. It looks like it may have been injured by a strimmer or possibly a cat and has a nasty, deep but clean cut from 'ear to ear'. I'm concerned it may not be able to eat, at least for a while. At the moment it is in a smallish plastic animal carrier - about 25cm x 15cm x 20 high with some grass and dandelion leaves at one end. Question is what to do - how long can it survive without eating? Should we put some grass clippings / bark chips in? Any help gratefully received. Mandy |
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- Keeping a pet slow worm |
