Slow Worm Caresheet

[MattSnake]

Hi all,

I was just wondering whether anybody has a link to or would like to write a caresheet for our native slow worms?

From what i've read, it's OK to collect and keep them although i've yet to be convinced that it's right!

For those of you that do keep them in captivity:

Can they be kept alone or do they enjoy company?
What sized vivarium/tub do they need?
What substrate is best?
How much humidity do they need?
Do they need heatmats and/or UV?
Do they need to hibernate?
How much/often do they eat?
Can you 'tame' them?

I think diet and general environment are fairly easily mimiced from the wild.

Cheers, Matt

[SNAKEWISPERA]

well.....its against the law to keep any native animal in britain.
but you can get them......from breeders in europe but you need CITES

[SiUK]

Its not actually against the law to collect them yourself and keep them but it would be illegal to sell them on

[BELIAL]

you can sell them after 3rd generation but is very hard to prove they are suitable to be sold so most people don't.

if you like slow worms look up glass lizards...like slowworms but BIGGER! i was after one but i missed out as it was the other side of the country.. (very sad over that one!)

[Fixx]

They are also not CITES listed

[MattSnake]

I just found this which was an interesting read.

Slowworms

European Glass lizards look very cool but there doesn't seem to be very much information out there. I take it they arn't particularly common in the reptile trade?

Cheers, Matt

[955i]

The legislation for slow worms states that it is not illegal to collect and keep them (although the justification when you can see them in the wild is suspect IMO). It is illegal to kill or intentionally harm, and also to sell collected animals or their offspring.

The only herp species protected against handling or collecting without a license in the UK are smooth snake, sand lizard, great crested newt and natterjack toad, although adders would require a DWA.

[BELIAL]

Originally Posted by MattSnake

European Glass lizards look very cool but there doesn't seem to be very much information out there. I take it they arn't particularly common in the reptile trade?

nope they aren't and the ones you see tend to be male...but a three foot slow worm is an impressive site..really gutted about the one i missed out on!

[Ssthisto]

Originally Posted by BELIAL

nope they aren't and the ones you see tend to be male...but a three foot slow worm is an impressive site..really gutted about the one i missed out on!

Don't be gutted, Belial.

They're on the European Protected Species list, and if you can't prove they're captive bred with specimen-specific paperwork... you need a license to keep them. I'm not sure if anyone's successfully obtained a "keepers" license for any EPS species yet (there's a thread on it in General Herp Chat that I started... but only one response and maybe forty views... despite me KNOWING a number of people keep Eyed Skinks/Oscellated Skinks...)

They also don't look that much like slow worms - they look like featherless mad parrot heads stuck onto a long snakey body!

[scooby.ben]

According to that care sheet if you get them from the garden its ok to keep them. So how much room do they need?