Topic: Lizards, Snakes, Toads, et all

[trudidog7]

I took over a redundant allotment this year, it had been redundant for about 6 years, after clearing the tall grass and burning off, i found that carpet had been laid at some time, on pulling it back i found Lizards, more than you can shake a stick at, and 3 snakes, now i thought snakes hibernated in burrows, i have been told they are dice snakes? new one on me, so i put the carpet back till it warms up and they can go on there merry way. Toads by the bucket load, one the size of my fist, so covered him back up. now all i can do is start on a small clear patch. also very close to our allotments we have A badgers sett, Mutjack, and chinese water deer, fallow deer, rabbits and hares, feel like i am invading a wildlife sanctury. Everyone surrounds there allotments with chicken wire fences, now i know why.

[grotbag]

hi and welcome to the site trudi,have never heard of dice snakes (are you in uk)

[betula]

Wow I think you are going to need that chicken wire :)but all those toads  should see off the snails. ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

The dice shake is a Continental species, similar to the grass snake. Are you in Britain or on the Continent?

[trudidog7]

i am in the uk, essex suffolk border, very rural

[Eristic]

I would have thought the lizards are possibly newts and the snakes may be slowworms. These are more likely to be present in the situation described. Any chance of photos or more descriptions?

[Baccy Man]

In your area I think it is more likely they are smooth snakes, if they are dice snakes then these organisations would be very interested especially if you could provide photos so they can confirm the id.

http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/record_submission_form_rauk.asp
http://www.alienencounters.org.uk/reporting_sightings.html
http://www.narrs.org.uk/index.htm

If you are interested in knowing what other reptiles & amphibians you have living on your plot they have pictures/id guides on the above sites or if you can't id them yourself then they should be able to identify them all for you if you can provide photos.

[Robert_Brenchley]

They won't be dice snakes on Britain, and they won't be smooth snake in east Anglia; it has a really restricted range. Most likely grass snake or slow worm. Grass snakes are usually found in damp areas as they mainly feed on frogs.

http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/grass_snake.htm

http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/slow_worm.htm

[trudidog7]

i will go up next weekend and take some photos of them, don't like snakes, scared s******s of them, but we are right by a river and brook if this helps, they were definitely lizards, the same as i used to catch when i was a child.

[cleo]

Fingers crossed for you that they are not grass snakes-this village never did recover. It must be five years since we lost all the frogs and toads

[Robert_Brenchley]

Lost them all to grass snakes??? That's wierd, did you have thousands of them or something? More likely you lost the amphibians to a fungus disease which is about.

[manicscousers]

hiya, trudidog..nice to meet you, sounds like your plot is in in a wonderful place  ;D