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Advice needed on slow worm habitat please |
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mr-tickle
Member Joined: 07 Oct 2013 Status: Offline Points: 13 |
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Posted: 07 Oct 2013 at 3:05pm |
Hi there, We have a slow worm who lives in our concrete courtyard, he's been there a month or two. Now the weather is getting colder, I'm concerned about how he will cope with finding somewhere to hibernate and his food source. The courtyard is not very large, maybe 8 x 6 feet and sunk into the ground. There is a drainpipe in the corner with a largish deep hole in the brickwork where he seems to spend much of his time (along with 2-3 toads). I've put a couple of logs near the steps so he can climb out more easily, though I rarely see him higher up than the 2nd large step or so. It would still be quite an effort to leave entirely but I suspect he chooses not to. The drain occasionally attracts the odd slug here and there so I expect that's what he's been feeding on (he has competition with a few toads). I've taken to moving slugs closer to him to give him a better chance. I have the option to relocate him to a large park with a lake nearby, possibly with more food/shelter but I'm a bit concerned for his safety as there are literally hundreds of pheasants/crows around and I expect there are foxes/badgers. At least where he is I know he is pretty safe from predation. Would it help if I created some sort of hibernaculum in the corner for him to last out the winter? What could I use for this? (Bearing in mind it's a concrete courtyard with limited space). Any expert advice would be appreciated. Cheers!
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mr-tickle
Member Joined: 07 Oct 2013 Status: Offline Points: 13 |
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Another thing I had considered is that he is probably unlikely to find a mate any time soon where he is now. I did find a female in the courtyard about a year ago which we relocated to the park. I'm wondering if that's what I should have done with this fellow as soon as I saw him, though now I'm having second thoughts about how safe the park is for them with all the predators around. I feel responsible to do the best thing but I'm not sure what that is.
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will
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1830 |
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Hi and welcome. When I was a kid I had a slowworm which lived in an old sand pit; it hibernated successfully in the stone wall of the sand pit (which was only about 3ft by 4 ft). I would be cautious about releasing it into 'the wild' at this time of year, as it may not have time to find a suitable place for hibernation. Also pheasants are, as you rightly suggest, expert and efficient slowworm predators, and would probably pick off a disorientated slowworm quicker than you could shake a stick... If it survives the winter, it might be an idea to try to find out where it came from, and to relocate it accordingly so it can find a mate and generally indulge in slowworm reproductive behaviour. For now, I would leave alone and hope it comes through the winter; if there's a frost-free cranny in the courtyard it will probably be OK in my experience.
Cheers Will |
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mr-tickle
Member Joined: 07 Oct 2013 Status: Offline Points: 13 |
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Thanks for the reply. Any tips on how I might track down where he came from? Is there some kind of shelter I can provide to give him a better chance?
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will
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1830 |
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slowworms tend not to move great distances, so the source population will probably be nearby in long grass, hedgerow, scrub etc. Placing metal or felt sheets will help to locate them in spring. As far as improving the survival chances of the one in your courtyard goes, it depends how untidy you are prepared for the courtyard to be - basically I would be tempted to place lots of straw/hay/stones/topsoil in the crevices as you are trying to keep the frosts away from likely crannies used for hibernation. Might look rather messy, though...
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