you are amazingly lucky they are infact legless lizards as aposed to snakes or as you say worms . if you could get close youd see that they can blink which know snake can do . they are very rare . it mite be worth getting in touch with the animal version of the rspb . be careful using spades and shovels in your garden .your not allowed to move them either bye law . as your compost breaks down it gives of warmth so being cold bloaded they probably overwinterd in there and the nice weather is drawing them out . they mite even breed in there . at least look up there life cycle on the internet . it will be realy interesting .

We get quite a few slow worms in our garden - usually, unfortunately dead ones, as the cats think they make wonderful sport and play with them until they die, which upsets us terribly. We haven't seen any yet this year, but I suspect it is the slight warmth given out by your compost that is attracting them. Do be extra-specially careful how you dig the compost out! Yes, you ARE lucky, and very privileged, too.

We have had them in our compost bin so I tried to find out when it will be safe to empty it. There is apparently a small gap between hibernation and breeding which I seem to remember is April and May. Best to check with the British Herpetelogical Society for best advice on timing using the compost.. The babies are wonderful - just like quicksilver and they move so fast!

The females are more patterned than the males. They are longer lived than other British reptiles and one in captivity lived to be 50!

You will be glad to know that slugs are their favourite food!

Yes, and they look pretty well fed!

I am interested to know how big these ones in your compost are, Martivvy - I know they can get quite large - I've seen one in Yorkshire that was about 18" long, but here they rarely exceed about 10". Maybe I've only ever seen the babies......Steragram, I have never noticed any sort of pattern on ours - they are a very smooth, and a uniform blueish-silvery colour.

thats the one steragrm lol x .they are probably full of eggs as aposed to being well fed martivvy having just come out of hibernation . if they have there young in a temperate zone its best to have them as clost to the beginning of the warm weather as possible so they have a good few months to grow so they have more chance of serviving the next winter etc .

Hard to tell the size, as they are not completeley visible enough to see both ends at once! Shouldn't think they are more than eight or ten inches long though. They are a lovely gleaming blue-grey-beige colour.

I've just found out on the internet that these are likely to be adult males, Martivvy, the females having a dark stripe, and the babies being hatched/born in late summer. (they're ovoviviparous) Fascinating!

so there live bearers then gattina and hibernate strate away living on there yolk sack . very interesting . are the italian ones the same as the english ones i wonder gattina . they dont get very big i know that .you said they look pretty well fed marti . id of thaught they wqere females carrying eggs but i dont know much about slow worms apart from there rare in england and are infact lizards and not snakes .

They are indeed fascinating little creatures! And they can live in my nice warm compost bin for as long as they wish without disturbance! My son had some in his last garden, and had to keep rescuing them from the cat!

Thanks for the information Gattina.

According to my old degree course books (now horrendously and laughably out of date) ovoviviparous means laying membranous eggs which have the fully formed young visible inside, and these hatch pretty much immediately. Ain't life fascinating? All these things I'd forgotten. (or possibly never knew in the first place. I can't remember!) Our cats don't allow anyone to get anywhere near their prey, at the risk of a severe mauling.

wow thats most interesting gattina .

in answer to the question.. yes you are really lucky
I am very envious.

Well, I FEEL lucky! Looked in on my guests again today - and did see one with a stripe down the centre back. There are so many slugs and things in that bin that I reckon they can 'eat in' most of the time, without having to bother to go out scavenging.