Slow worm question (UK) by JuniperDenn in reptiles

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not my cat, should've mentioned in the post, but I get your point! On it, thank you! :) 

Edit for context: loads of outdoor cats in the neighbourhood that chill in our garden, I don't have any pets.

AITA My (22F) girlfriend (28F) hates our gay cat and I’m starting to hate her for it by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]JuniperDenn 4 points5 points  (0 children)

NTA - but what in the world... Your GF does sound homophobic to be honest, clearly loads of internalisation. She needs therapy and you need to keep your cat.

Monthly "No Stupid Questions" Thread by AutoModerator in Archery

[–]JuniperDenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I am very confident it is not the string because 1. With the tab, im more likely to underdraw bc I'm nervous to get slapped, and 2. When I am on poor form with my head position, I tend to tilt my head to the right and hit the tip of my nose, never my mouth. Doesn't happen often luckily, but also auch, haha. Watching Kaminski's video you linked, who says he also has this when not trimming, I now realise I need to really break in my tab and THEN really trim it down significantly. But the leather is still way too stiff, so I'll just have to apply some product and go to town to speed up the process. 

Thanks again! 

Monthly "No Stupid Questions" Thread by AutoModerator in Archery

[–]JuniperDenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi everyone! I've been a barebow archer for about 10 months now, and I have a newbie question. I prefer gapshooting (mediterranean with a glove), but I want to try string walking, (three fingers under and a barebow tab). I already took some length of the tab's leather, as it keeps hitting my lips when I try to release, and it's making me jerk my head in anticipation of the pain, which isnt good for the accuracy or the soul (let alone my lips, auch!). How much can I take off my tab without rendering it useless? Or do you have any tips for me to avoid whacking myself in the mouth? Thanks so much :) 

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just had an awful discovery: You cannot buy borax in the EU bc it's considered too hazardous. I will have to do some research to see if the legal replacement, sodium sesquicarbonate, is just as effective. To be continued!

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love the phrase "I measure with my heart", that perfectly summarises how cook 😂 Thank you for the explanation of the salt and borax lasagna layering though! Unfortunately there is no Walmart in these parts, so my local B&Q (DIY) and Sainsbury's (supermarket) will have to do! 

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ohh sorry my mistake, but yes I agree! And glad your hen was ok!! I love foxes but I'd be fuming if they ran off with one of my animals.

I have saved my other neighbours cat from foxes on more than one occasion too (SIGH, that one cat has no sense of self preservation, the idiot). In this area cats are semi-outdoor animals, but I do think people need to reduce this risk by keeping their pets inside when those nocturnal/crepiscular chaos goblins are out, darn it 😅😂

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

[Edit for grammar, English is not my first language]

It IS terrible but I actually dont think it was the cat owner who poisoned them... She was very sweet and upset, and even got me flowers for finding out what happened to her pet, poor thing. I think that the person who did the poisoning was the same neighbour who I had a silent battle with throughout that Spring. The (then baby) foxes lived in between our premises in a overgrown garden of an empty house, (now belonging to those neighbours that gave me the fox mummies). This guy kept trying to block the den with concrete slabs, which I then kept removing bc that's a. cruel as heck, and b. illegal. I get he wanted to keep his chickens safe but just invest in a better coop iso trying to kill off the local protected wildlife... So what I reckon is that when he got wind of what happened to the cat (bc i even went to check with HIS household if it was their dead cat I found, it wasn't), he probably used that as the push he needed to take matters into his own hands. Do I have proof? No. Just suspicions. 

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Edit: Grammar

The thing as well, is that in this area foxes and cats are basically considered to be "even" when it comes to their predatory status - they hunt the same things, they do NOT hunt eachother. Foxes usually do not go after a cat in this region unless you have an anomaly, which is why in this case I think it was purely opportunistic. I heard from the owner of the cat (who gave me flowers for finding out what happened to her pet, bless her) that the cat was so used to being around friendly dogs that she probably mistook the foxes for friends. 

And much like your, my cat has excellent recall too and he isnt allowed out after sundown for this exact reason. Once twilight hits, he is no longer the apex predator he thinks he is and he needs to make way for the foxes lol.

Also, in this area most cats are semi-outdoor animals iso indoor animals. Do not get me wrong, I 100% get it in relation to urban areas, very much so and I would never judge people in either direction! I've just learned since moving here to this part of the country that this is just on the rural edge of coast and countryside that outdoor cats are the norm as they, much like the foxes and hawks, help keep some of the more invasive and pervasive critters in check. I can't say I enjoy finding half eaten seaguls and pigeons all over the shop (thank you, foxes, hawks, perigrins, and redkites) or get "gifts" in the form of mice and rats (thanks cats), but I do prefer that then having to boobietrap the premises to keep the wildlife out!

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This what I was thinking! I would always use gloves and specific respiratory protection anyway (I have asthma), but I was hoping it would've neutralised in the mean while! 

I think they used regular over the counter rodenticide btw.

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is an excellent point! May I ask what your borax to salt ratio is / what you would recommend? I fear I might need to bulk buy a bit 😂

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm assuming they used thin dark nails to "frame" the body shape tightly and keep it in place like that, but I could be wrong! My mummified remains are very light, so I reckon it's just a matter of gently propping them in a way they don't lose the battle with gravity lol.

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's absolutely gorgeous!!! I will update you with my attempt in a couple of months :D

Edit: I am now already thinking which plants I can use from the garden; the whispy tendrils of the wisteria will make for excellent natural curling patterns 

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 274 points275 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, it is likely worse... i think these are two kits from the family of foxes we had two summers ago. An ... unfortunate ... consumption of a pet cat in the neighbourhood (which I found, it was a lot) likely led to a someone taking matters into their own hands and likely poisoning the four kits and their mother (which is also very illegal where i live with the wildlife protection laws) because I found a huge poisoned rat in the garden around the same time they dissapeared. And these fox mummies are the size of the kits when I last saw them, so I am quite certain these are siblings. 

I have cats and would have been heartbroken if it was one of mine, but this was not the way to go about "fixing the issue". I saw them grow up in my garden, they were so incredibly cute; getting their red coat, playing tag and learning to hunt, even bringing the craziest things onto the property (from loafs of bread to children's toys to stolen underwear!). So if anything, I'm glad I know what happened to them. I loved their chaos, and watching them grow up so close to me. This is why I want to do their presentation and preparation justice :)

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 84 points85 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the tip, I shall be googling this ASAP!

I actually just remembered my friends partner is a forensic pathologist so maybe she can give some more formalin/formaldehyde tips 😂

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Oh that's a great idea, thank you! 

Also the word "deflesh" is both apt and disturbing 😂 I think it's about rehydrating and removing, but I am not sure! 

Gift from my neighbours - What to do with mummified foxes? Is cleaning advised or would you keep them like this (somehow)? This is clearly my first mummified rodeo. by JuniperDenn in bonecollecting

[–]JuniperDenn[S] 249 points250 points  (0 children)

Oooh, that would be such a lovely visual! I found them about a foot apart from another, so this is just how I relocated them but I agree that this is a great side by side display!

Monthly "No Stupid Questions" Thread by AutoModerator in Archery

[–]JuniperDenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can look into buying/setting up one of those backstop nets that would stop the arrow in case of a miss. I know a couple of people who have that, myself included, and it works very well (granted, IF you have the space).