Hi everyone,
I live in Portland (OR) and we’d had a a blizzard here. Two of my neighbors trees fell and knocked out the power. I had to leave the house in a rush and wrapped the tank with a wool sweater before leaving. The roads are not as icy today and I went back to get them and they are all at the bottom not moving they have been in cold water for about 30 hours. My question is: is it possible that they are dormant and will wake up (I placed the tank by the heater to bring the temp back up) if warmed up?. I feel awful and sad
I wanted to update that I placed the tank by a heater, and added a tiny bit of hot water to bring up the temp quickly, and four hours later... THEY STARTED SWIMMING! I couldn't believe it. I think there were a few casualties, but for the most part, the majority survived. I am looking into a generator so in case of an emergency I could plug a little space heater in the room they are in. I was glad to get them when I did because the power was out for a total of 8 days and they wouldn't have survived.
Do you know how cold the water got? It's normal for them to sit around and wait when the water is cold...they are fine in the 50s and upper 40s, but shouldn't be kept at those temps over the long term of course.
I don’t know for sure how cold it got, but I would guess it was in the mid to low 40’s. Neighbors said that when they went back to check on their house a few days later, their dog’s water bowl was completely frozen. I’m glad I was able to come back when I did cause they wouldn’t have survived much longer
My lil guys have endured a few power outages. Like you, I pop a wool sweater or two over top of the tank immediately. When it starts getting below 55 in the house, I will warm up a few cups of tap water until it's warm to the touch, put it in a not-leaky ziploc bag, and put the bag in the tank. That lasts a few hours and keeps the tank at a more reasonable temperature. I use two bags overnight. I'm glad these guys are so hardy and yours made it through!
they have been in cold water for about 30 hours. My question is: is it possible that they are dormant and will wake up (I placed the tank by the heater to bring the temp back up) if warmed up?. I feel awful and sad 
I was glad to get them when I did because the power was out for a total of 8 days and they wouldn't have survived.
