# What Native Reptiles Have You Seen



## Evolution (May 22, 2007)

What native reptiles have you seen this year?

I have seen slow worms, one baby in my garden yesterday
Common Lizards, hundreds of them

But the only snakes I have seen have been adders which were dead on the road.


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## geckomagic (Feb 27, 2007)

Seen a young female adder this year, thats all, havent really been out looking though. Havent had the time


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## whufc_fan85 (Jan 22, 2007)

I've got a marsh and forest right about 5 minutes from my house so i see plenty of wild-life. Tons of Slow-Worms and Grass Snakes.


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## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

I've never seen a native UK reptile 

Hope I get time to go looking for some this year.


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## captaincaveman (Nov 6, 2006)

hey pete, weve have/had plenty of grass snakes and adders in the village where i grew up, so i learnt at at early age which was which:lol2:

not seen any of the lizards though, well not actually in the wild


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## whufc_fan85 (Jan 22, 2007)

I've seen a few lizards, slow-worms and a few viviparous lizards.


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

jon, there is a grass snake on my kitchen work top at the moment, recovering from a run in with some netting 

still at least the guys round here come and get me to go and sort them out 

N


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## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

Nerys said:


> jon, there is a grass snake on my kitchen work top at the moment, recovering from a run in with some netting
> 
> N


Oh!! Is that an invite? :thumb:


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## Fangio (Jun 2, 2007)

I've seen live grass snakes, found a dead adder (yet so see them live over here). I also took a trip to Dorset (with a reptile club) and found a smooth snake (Britain's rarest reptile apparently, yes we have 3 snakes here not 2 as most people think). A few little lizards and a few slow worms also.


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## darkdan99 (Dec 28, 2006)

i have seen them all, apart from the smooth snake...

Saw 3 common lizards today...walking home from the train station. Now i know they are there, i will have a look every day. 

Wanting to get a few for a breeding project...Hmmmmmmmm Whats the laws RE captive breeding, and relese of the animals. If i use only outdoor stuff, and am careful with hygene etc, i wont be introducing microbes into the populas, and i could give the local populas a huge boost. 

Hmm i could also collect from further afield, as i know a few places, so as to deepen the gene pool. I will be off researching this now, but if anyone knows, please comment, and help me.

Dan


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## Fangio (Jun 2, 2007)

darkdan99 said:


> i have seen them all, apart from the smooth snake...
> 
> Saw 3 common lizards today...walking home from the train station. Now i know they are there, i will have a look every day.
> 
> ...


I believe all of our reptiles are protected and therefore collecting not allowed. I may be wrong but I'm fairly sure this is the case. Smooth snakes you're not even allowed to photograph as it's classed as disturbing them! I definately didn't break any laws by holding one! *shifty look*:smile:


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## ratboy (Jan 10, 2007)

Crownan said:


> I've never seen a native UK reptile
> 
> Hope I get time to go looking for some this year.


Crow... go up to Lightwater park. Or Horsell common is full of 'em


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## darkdan99 (Dec 28, 2006)

I know the Cresties, and the Smooths are covered by "if they see you, your breaking the law"..Meaning you cannot legally walk in an area they live, since you could disturb them!

But i think the laws with the others is "do not sell etc" but you can keep them.


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## Fangio (Jun 2, 2007)

darkdan99 said:


> I know the Cresties, and the Smooths are covered by "if they see you, your breaking the law"..Meaning you cannot legally walk in an area they live, since you could disturb them!
> 
> But i think the laws with the others is "do not sell etc" but you can keep them.


I'm not so sure, you'd better check that out. Try e-mailing DEFRA.


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## CBR1100XX (Feb 19, 2006)

*Protection* 
All native reptiles are protected in Britain under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 . This protection under law helps counteract the decline of all the species. The law makes it an offence to intentionally kill, injure, sell or advertise to sell any of the six native species. There are some exceptions relating only to those bred and kept in captivity or other extraordinary circumstances - in the past collecting reptiles for the pet trade severely depleted local populations. The 1981 Act also protects the rarest reptiles in Britain, the smooth snake and the sand lizard, by making it an offence, to possess, handle, capture or disturb them. 

Info above from British Reptiles


We have quite a few things pop up around the wooded area at the back of are garden. Last month managed to get a pic of a cute slow worm.


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## SuperTed (Apr 19, 2007)

i believe as far as the protection go's its only protection against selling/injury theres not actually a section that covers the keeping of wild caught! im pretty sure thats how it is!


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

not seen any live yet this year, although I found a dead grass snake on the road a couple of weeks ago. for that mater I have never seen a live, wild snake, in any country. I was called over last year to identify a baby grass snake someone had caught in there garden but by the time a saw it, it was sitting in a jam jar so I don't realy count that as seeing it in the wild. I have seen plenty of slow worms and common lizards in previous years, and plenty of other lizard species in other countries.


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## Schip (Mar 31, 2007)

Moved a load of gravel boards in my garden a couple of weeks ago and found common newts as well as great cresteds right there under the boards and concrete posts, needless to say they soon got themselves under cover again when we put the boards in their new position!

Loads of frogs too which kept the cats paws off the newts not that he could catch anything the speed they were going in all directions. Poor dogs couldn't even have a drink the other morning coz their water bowl was 'otherwise engaged!'


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

we have a law prohibiting keeping navive snakes too. you need a permit and pay $45. it's a joke and being a typical american, we pay no attention to it. it's only enforced if you want to sell them at a show. so the government as usual can kiss my #ss! they should be out rounding up the crackheads a little bit more.


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## yellow_rat_gal (Mar 24, 2007)

As far as laws go, adders and smooth snakes are fully protected, ie do not disturb, catch, kill, sell, etc.

The majority of others (grass snakes, common lizards) you ARE allowed to catch them, you can breed them, however you ARE NOT allowed to sell the parents or first generation offspring.


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## Blazin (Mar 25, 2007)

When i was like 5 or 6 we had loads of sand lizards in the garden. also i saw a big green snake going behind a bush last year and also a few brownish snakes eating frogs in my pond. and our pond was full of newts, they were black with like bits of orangeish. and i saw the worlds biggest toad in my garden! Lol. i really want to find some slowworms or common lizards etc. Dan


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

yellow_rat_gal said:


> As far as laws go, adders and smooth snakes are fully protected, ie do not disturb, catch, kill, sell, etc.
> 
> The majority of others (grass snakes, common lizards) you ARE allowed to catch them, you can breed them, however you ARE NOT allowed to sell the parents or first generation offspring.


adders you can catch/keep etc, but being vipers they are DWA. smooth snakes and sand lizards are totaly protected. the rest you can keep as long as you caught them your self. you can't sell, trade, give away etc.


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## punky_jen (Feb 22, 2007)

I have never seen any!! I used to go looking for slow worms as a kid, but never found any.


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## miffikins (Feb 25, 2007)

My mum got bitten by an adder in the garden. We have quite a big garden that backs onto fields and a nature reserve and we used to have long grass at the bottom. I assume she didn't see it and stood on it! Her leg swelled up massive and the hospital had to put this tar sort of stuff on it.

Also got a sand lizard once in a bag of sand that got delivered for the drive. Took it to the vets and they sent it to somewhere to look after it as they're not found near where I am. But thats about it really!


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## Evolution (May 22, 2007)

I saw a grass snake being chased about by 3 moorhens in a lake yesterday.


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## samroyal2 (Oct 8, 2006)

slow worms
loads of grass snakes when fishing but havn't seen a adder yet


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## Spider Call (Mar 23, 2007)

A young adder stuck in a large tub of water D: soooo i fished it out with a stick <<... It tried to bite me XD
Slow worms
Grass snake who almost got mowed with the lawn


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## dani11983 (Mar 17, 2007)

I saw a hatchling grass snake last week. One yr 7 lad and his mate has 'caught' it and as we were doing ecological relationships as the science topic he thought i would like to see it. 

The poor little mite. It had no water and the lad had put crickets in that were at least five times its width. No wonder it was WELL hidden. 

I confiscated it, put some water in for it and got rid of the crickets. I tried to persuade the kid to release his new "pet" where he had found it.

He says he has but I doubt it.


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