Frasier, winter is coming!

Or rather, it's already here! And we've been busy making preparations to keep this little mink warm and cosy. [Intro] .

Whenever you're making special arrangements for an animal you need to take into consideration 3 things: their species their environment and their immediate surroundings. Frasier is an American mink which means he's well adapted to living in cold regions. He has a thick, double-layered fur coat which keeps him warm AND dry.

Sometimes we care for animals that are not native to Montana, which means we have to try and change the environment when it's not suitable for that animal. But Frasier is native to Montana which means he's feeling right at home with the temperature, humidity and light cycle. We don't have to do anything to alter the environment to suit his needs.

What we DO need to pay attention to, are his immediate surroundings. In the wild, he'd have a plethora of hideouts and he'd choose the one that he'd like the most. Sometimes he'd change it up after a bit or he'd stay put for the entire winter.

At Animal Wonders he doesn't have to go searching for a cozy shelter, it's our job to provide him with one. Frasier is housed on a solid cement floor which isn't ideal for any animal, but it's a temporary enclosure and we're doing everything we can to make it as comfortable as it can be. Cement isn't warm and if it gets wet, it doesn't dry very quickly, so that's our first focus; making sure Frasier has a space that's warm and dry.

I like to give animals options, so I've offered him several things to cozy into: a big, fluffy blanket, which you can see he's spent a lot of time in, a soft, pillowy cat bed, which he's ripped most of the stuffing out of, but he still curls up inside of it anyway. A litter box which isn't used as a bathroom, but as a den box and it has a snuggly octopus inside so he can cuddle into the tunnels of it's many legs. And I've just put down some straw to help insulate his feet and body from the cold cement.

He can use this straw to walk on or pile up in a corner and snuggle into it, or he can just poop on it - like he's doing here. Nice, Frasier. The next thing I needed to do was to make sure that he had a source of water, even when the temperature would dip below freezing.

I switched out his larger water dish for this heated one. Frasier loves his water. Mink are semi-aquatic and he'd happily swim in a pool of water, even in the winter.

When I first put his new water dish in, he immediately jumped in it and splashed most of the water out. Then, he'd drag it around his enclosure and spilled the rest of it all over his new straw. Eh, he was having fun.

After cleaning it all up and putting new water in, thankfully the new water dish has lost some of its novelty and he's sticking to just dunking his head in and drinking out of it. This is our first winter caring for Frasier outside, but it's good to see him using his natural adaptations to enjoy things, even in the cold. But I still wanna make sure that he has everything he needs to stay happy and healthy even when he decides to dump his water.

Thanks for joining me and Frasier, I hope you're staying warm, if it's your winter season. If you'd like to learn more about how we care for our animals, subscribe to our YouTube channel, Animal Wonders Montana and go on an adventure with us every week! And if you'd like to help us continue making videos each week, you can become a Patron and pledge a monthly donation.

It can be as little as one dollar or as much as you want. Go to patreon.com/animalwonders for more information. Thanks!

We'll see you next week!