# snow joke



## SarahC

I'm v. fed up of the white stuff.Work has been difficult.Looking after the mice has been difficult.I've used 20k more food.To cap it all I've fell over 3 times,unheard of since childhood.The dogs think its a new game.I also feel sorry for the birds  no end in sight either.


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## laoshu

I know what you meen! i have not gone over yet (which is unheard of lol) but i nearly did 5 mins ago when i went out to the rodent shed... where i have been walking its turned into skating ring.
I am feeding the mice loads but i have found cheep cream crakers seem to be going down well, I have been putting one in each tub every other day and that helps a little.


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## SarahC

how much are cheap cream crackers.I used to use cheap digestives and rich tea but they aren't cheap now.


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## julieszoo

Ugh I agree. The snow looks pretty but it's a pain in the arse to drive round here, and everything is eating like mad!


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## laoshu

26p a packet at tesco, half a craker in each of your tubs could be done with £1.04 p i reckon


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## moustress

What is a cream cracker? Inquiring minds like mine want to know! (It sounds yummy; now I need snackage....)


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## SarahC

a savory biscuit that is often eaten with a slice of cheese on top.


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## SarahC

mark has fell off the steps into the back garden this morning.I know it hurts but you have to laugh.I'm off out now to do the animals.I'm afraid I'm giving the cleaning out a miss.


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## laoshu

The thought of people slipping over in this weather does me cringe but it also make me have a nervouse laugh..  
I saw a man yesterday trying to walk in the snow with crutches and a platic thing on his leg.. made me wonder if he had done that slipping over, I bet the hospitals have had no end of breaks comming through the door.

I really dont know what would happen if i broke my leg or arm.. I am the only one that looks after the rodents (shed full) and snakes (room full) its the rodents that i would worry about more as they need constant attention.


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## WoodWitch

Sorry you're all fed up with it, but.....I bloomin love it!

I know it's a pain, especially when you gotta drive. 
I have to drive 15 mins every day down a country road to work. Not much fun admittedly, but seeing the countryside under a blanket of wintery white is so pretty.
Everything just looks so beautiful under snow, especially fresh fallen. I hate it when people walk in it and ruin it all.
It makes me feel all christmassy and puts a smile on my face.
I AM one of the few people I know that hasn't fallen over yet. Maybe I'll change my mind when I do


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## ian

I have had my first victims claimed by the cold, I found all three of my adult abyssinians (including the two pregnant does) frozen solid. They obviously didnt make a very good nes, its odd though as all the others are doing well even the babies. Luckily I have 2 pinkies which are carrying the abyssinian gene as long as they survive the cold snap too.

I am having real issues trying to keep the waterbottles defrosted out in the garage too!

After Christmas there is absolutely no point in being cold, I hate it!!!


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## moustress

:shock: What is, is, and what it does, too. No jokin'.


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## Cait

I'm sorry to hear that Ian. Can you get a small heater with a thermostat? That would keep the air temp above freezing and would solve the water problem as well as the mice themselves.


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## ian

I dont have any electricity out in the garage and its not close enough to the house to run out a cable unfortunately. I eep defrosting the bottles by popping them in a bucket of hot water every day, oddly not all of them freeze it seems to be really random. The mice have always coped well in the cold weather before so I was quite surprised to see the abyssinians had frozen.


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## Cait

In that case trying to insulate might help. I don't know what your garage is like, but try to block any gaps where air might enter, thus transferring the heat from inside to the cold air outside. You can buy proper insulation but for now second hand bubblewrap or even rolled up material (old towels, t-shirts etc) might help to block the gaps.


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## julieszoo

I don't routinely heat my shed either, its not been necessary for the cavies or rats. But I had noticed some of the mice looking out of condition and did wonder if they were not coping as well in the cold. So I have put their cages inside some of my empty hutches for extra protection and it seems to have done the trick. But if necessary, I do have an oil filled radiator I could use out there.

Ian - you can get greenhouse heaters which run off paraffin, or bottled propane, the latter can be pricey but a good investment

http://www.garden4less.co.uk/greenhouse ... 4wodpGwtrA


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## moustress

I know it doesn't usually get this cold where you live, but freezing is predictable and temperature short of freezing can be fatal to meeces. I guess I don't understand why such a predictable thing was allowed to occur. Mousies enjoy the same range of temps as we humans, for the most part.

I'm trying not to be harsh....I know you must feel awful about loosing very those abys they're such a special variety.


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## ian

moustress said:


> I know it doesn't usually get this cold where you live, but freezing is predictable and temperature short of freezing can be fatal to meeces. I guess I don't understand why such a predictable thing was allowed to occur. Mousies enjoy the same range of temps as we humans, for the most part.
> 
> I'm trying not to be harsh....I know you must feel awful about loosing very those abys they're such a special variety.


Maybe you should have restrained from commenting at all in order to avoid being harsh, although it can be hard to keep our opinions to ourselves even when an opinion was not asked for.


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## WillowDragon

My shed is now totally insulated and my mice seem to be doing okay, they are active and eating and drinking well (LOTS!)

I have been the same as Sarah, feeding more and cleaning out a little less... and when the meece have been making decent nests I have been cleaning around them to not disturb the warm too much.

I don't know if it really makes much of a difference, but my mice have been getting LOTS of oats in thier everyday feed (oats are 'warming' i've been told) and most of my breeding females are pregnant or nursing, cos it raises the body temp.

Willow xx


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## SarahC

I have no heating and one shed is insulated the other not.I don't find any difference in the condition of the animals in the two sheds.The non insulated is colder but the insulated is damper.I have a few that look a bit out of condition ,but nothing more.I never clean the nest area in cold weather, its fatal.I have bought a full bale of horse hay instead of the usual petshop stuff and a full bale of kennel bedding which is the same as the soft tissue hamster bedding but for dogs.I have stuffed the cages with bedding.I think the feeding is probably crucial.I'm feeding wild bird mainly but have also bought a sack of go cat and some plain mixer biscuits.It's cost a lot alas.In mild conditions I feed my mice every other day but in these extremes its not possible.I find rats don't cope so well,mine are all in the house now and will not be going out again,they've moved in for good.I wonder if it would be worth feeding the ones whose water bottles freeze some moist food instead Ian.I have given up with my ferret water bottles,I just make sure they get plenty of moist food and dry only once a week.Im going to check out Kellys cream cracker idea as well.


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## Cait

Our garage was insulated before the mice moved in. We used proper roof insulation that is like a foam board covered in silver foil. I have just asked Dave how much it would cost to buy now and the answer was about £26 a sheet :shock: The sheets weren't that big either, so it would be expensive for most people to use this method. However, polystyrene and bubblewrap would also work, if you can get hold of any. Even putting curtains or old sheets etc up at the windows might help slow the heat transfer. It depends on what kind of garage you have I suppose, ours is brick built and separate from the house, with an up and over garage door at one end where the car is supposed to drive in (never used it though). This door has been covered over with bubblewrap stapled to the door frame! It is 20ft by 10ft so quite a big space.


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## SarahC

siege mentality has set in.I thought I would start weaning the puppies today.One box of readybreak left in the whole supermarket :shock:


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## laoshu

Sorry to hear about the mice Ian, a freind of mine has done really bad this last few weeks loosing over 50 mice from the cold, not sure what she is doing different. Mine are doing ok, i have lots of rats in the shed aswell so i have the heater on 24/7 at the moment to keep the temps at about 14oc. Its costing a bomb but i cant risk any lower temps with the rats.

Ian I will have some abbys ready over the next 4/5 weeks i will keep a trio if you like to replace these ones


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## ian

I would like a few more if thats ok. Particularly any brokens if you have any crop up!

Thanks


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## laoshu

I have just checked on all my recent activity with the abbys and i had 3 expectant mums...
One isnt feeding them ( they have no milk bands and they were born yesterday but then the wrong female has been sitting on them so i have removed her) 
Then the other two have culled their own litters (first time mums so might be that or the cold?)

I just hope the non fed litter are going to be fed now but if not i have a show female that is about to drop so i might be able to sneek a few in with her if she gives birth soon.

but i also have a 2 week old litter that are looking good ( not brilliant rossetts though) and some of these are broken .. pink eyed broken satins. I think one of the good swirly bucks is a broken and has your name on it Ian


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## ian

That buck sounds perfect, just let me know when they are ready and maybe can pick them up at the Bug Meet. I think theres one tonight actually, I cant make it but I will def be there for the next one if the abys will be ready?

Ian


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## laoshu

There is one tonight , unfortunatly i cant go tonight but i will be at the next one and they should be ready then so will fetch them along for you.


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## ian

Thats great, see you then.


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## Kallan

I like snow... cos I can do this!


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## WillowDragon

Ooo I LOVE that last one!! Very clever


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## julieszoo

Wow - puts the usual snowmen to shame


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## WoodWitch

Superb!
:kewl


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## Kallan

We got more snow today 


Snow hippogriff by Noweia, on Flickr


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## Wight Isle Stud

That is just showing off !!!- I made a snowman, as perfect as can be, i though i'd keep itas a pet, so let it sleep with me,i made it some pyjamas, and a pillow for its head, last night the b ******d vanished, and wet the bed. (polite version ).


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## MoonfallTheFox

We haven't got snow yet, but right when the cold hit, the mice and rats started looking rough. Then started to sneeze. We're off to the vet this week for meds.

Mine live indoors, too. >.< I moved the mice further from the window and hopefully that will help. Our house is a stable 72 all the time, sometimes 69 at lowest, but we have 30+ year old metal paned windows that just FREEZE the air in front of them. Ick.

The horse has been well and so have the chickens, it was 19 degrees last night. Got the horsey all bundled up in his winter blanket and the birds have a heat lamp (I have exotic varieties who don't do well in cold) and water heaters in all the water to keep it from freezing over.

I hate winter. I'm about to go to a riding lesson and it is going to be COLD. I don't start riding until a whole hour and a half after it gets dark. Then the horse will have to be all wrapped in fleece on the drive home so he doesn't get a chill. Ugh,


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## moustress

Kallan: :!: Love it!


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