Slow Worm Welfare: Legless Lizards in Gardens

Slow worms are legless lizards often mistaken for snakes. They are beneficial garden animals that eat slugs and are legally protected, yet frequently harmed through misunderstanding.

Key Facts

Slow worms are not worms or snakes but legless lizards that can be distinguished from snakes by their blinking eyes and smooth shiny scales
They can live up to 30 years in the wild, making them among the longest-lived lizards
Slow worms are entirely harmless and eat slugs, making them beneficial to gardeners
Like all UK reptiles, they are legally protected and it is illegal to intentionally kill or injure them
They bask under refugia like corrugated tin or rubber mats placed on south-facing ground margins in gardens

Welfare Considerations

Slow worm welfare is primarily threatened by accidental harm from garden machinery and deliberate killing by people who mistake them for snakes. Strimmers and rotary mowers cause significant slow worm mortality during warmer months when they are active. People who discover slow worms under debris sometimes kill them from fear or misidentification. Their legal protection is little-known. Given their long lifespan and ecological role, individual slow worms represent long-term garden residents whose loss from any given patch represents a significant local welfare event.

What You Can Do

Check for reptiles including slow worms before using strimmers or mowers in rough garden areas
Place corrugated tin or thick rubber mats on sunny garden margins to create slow worm basking refugia
Never disturb or attempt to handle slow worms unnecessarily as stress causes tail-dropping
Report slow worm sightings to local records centers for population monitoring
Educate neighbors about slow worm identification and legal protection to prevent accidental killing