Gertie Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 (edited) Well I had a lovely surprise! I keep my chicken feed in a galvanised bin in the greenhouse. I went to refill it and picked it up...and underneath was a huge slow worm. It disappeared under the wooden floor. Today I saw another one In there, under a grow bag! I've seen them in the garden often, when I'm digging about in the borders, but now they seem to have adopted the greenhouse as their home. Fine with me as I love them! Edited April 23, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Wow! Great! Keep a camera in your shed Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerryegg Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Brilliant literally. I haven't seen one in our garden for about 30 years. Plenty of snails and slugs though. Rarely see newts these days either. Very envious of your find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 I will try to get photo. They are pretty quick & wiggly. I think we are very lucky where we live as there seems to be lots of wildlife. There were newts in the pond last year, but I have not seen any since. Fingers crossed they will come back. There are a million tadpoles though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 lovely! it must be so nice and warm for them in the greenhouse... we have lots in the compost heaps, and found one yesterday under a plastic shed I was demolishing. by the time I'd got the camera, he'd slithered off into the adjacent weeds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Wow that's amazing. I'm soooo jealous I think the most intresting animal in my garden (aside from chickens, of course ) are frogs, and their numbers are dwindling since the chooks realised that they could eat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 Here is a beautiful slow worm from my garden. I don't know if it's the same one from the greenhouse - although it is the same colour. I rescued it earlier (unharmed -phew) from the cats. It was playing dead. I put it under a water butt where it was safe. The cats find them in the hedges. Thankfully the cats have not hurt them, although they find them fairly often. I feel sorry for your frogs Lucky chicken. Have you heard them screaming? Sometimes if my cats find one and have it cornered they scream. It is a really eerie sound. Glad to say my cats don't kill/eat frogs. They only murder the mice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Great pic I feel sorry for your frogs Lucky chicken. Have you heard them screaming? Sometimes if my cats find one and have it cornered they scream. It is a really eerie sound. Glad to say my cats don't kill/eat frogs. They only murder the mice! Yes they do scream I was really surprised that a frog could make that noise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 eeeek! you picked it up! eeeek! I nearly freaked out this morning, walked out the front door and a lizard skittered across the patio and into the debris by the climbing rose... honest, I do love all these things but not when they make me jump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 Wow! Now a lizard is coool. I would like to see one of those in my garden. I've seen one when Ive been out for a walk nearby. They did a release programe for them a few years ago. Was it a brown one? Another interesting thing in this area are the roman snails. They are massive. I collect the shells! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 I'm glad your so delighted, but ewwwwww!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Wow! Now a lizard is coool. I would like to see one of those in my garden. I've seen one when Ive been out for a walk nearby. They did a release programe for them a few years ago. Was it a brown one? Another interesting thing in this area are the roman snails. They are massive. I collect the shells! it was very small, and very fast, and rather dark - I would say black rather than brown. every few years we seem to get quite a lot and I mean to look them up and then forget... but definitely lizard rather than newt. what's a roman snail?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 Aww, Space chick, not keen then! I used to play with them as a child so ive always enjoyed handling them! Beach chick. I don't know but I think they said the brown ones were sand lizards. It's amazing what you do see in a British garden really. The roman snails are big round snails, about 3 x size of ordinary garden sails. They live on chalky grassland. The look a bit like edible snails but bigger with brown spiral coloued shells. Thankfully I don't have them in my garden as I think they would massacre the plants!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlotta Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 He's gorgeous! You are very lucky to have them in your garden! Please don't handle them though (having said that, well done on rescuing it from the cats this time though!) - they can drop their tail (like a lot of lizards) as they will likely view you as a predator too. Wonder of a chook would try to tackle one?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Yes, I agree Karlotta. I only handle them in emergencies now! Last year when I dug one up I was so excited I grabbed it & it did drop it's tail . I was very sad but It's amazing to watch tho, as the tail wriggles madly for ages to divert attention away from the rest of the body. Needless to say, I put him down in a safe spot quickly so as not to do any more damage! I think the chooks would eat them, & that they wouldn't stand a chance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 chooks definitely go for them, seen it myself unfortunately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Lovely slow worm Never see any in my garden, but they wouldn't stand a chance with 12 chooks, 2 hunter cats and 2 lurchers The cats are always brining in toads and newts though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Nice to see them around, Chickens can be sooo evil at times. Betty got hold of a mouse a few weeks ago and bashed it on the ground until it was dead, Fran joined in and the play tug o war with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 Aww poor mouse...still didn't go to waste and I'm sure they enjoyed it! I know my hens would like to eat mice My cats like to play with the slow worms but they thankfully have not killed any. They don't seem to know what to make of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
