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The House of Plague 3: Rat Wars
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leecetheartist? A real subtitle.
I went *shopping* yesterday. Got a ride with Lena, the kind friend who did the Emergency Food Drop. Saw real people. Bought munchies. Okay, so had to sit down while waiting for L, but do feel better.
The Rat Wars or more correctly, Rat Peace Negotiations, occupied most of my evening. I'm still trying to get Claude used to the mischief (plural for a group of rats). He did pretty well. He spent the whole of the running time of the movie Air Force One perched on my shoulder while the others came up and sniffed. I was pleased with Jasper, who made himself as non-threatening as he knew how, lying there with eyes closed, within sniffing range. Rats close their eyes when approaching a strange rat because they expect to get attacked. Given Claude's previous behaviour, this was fair enough, but he didn't attack. They do know one another now, it's beyond first introductions. Now Claude has to get to trust them a bit. Most of the fights are triggered by Claude himself on the "get them before they get you" principle. With encouraging words from me, "Calm down or it's your goolies, Claude," he did at least share the same neutral territory with them - me.
It's an interesting experience, watching Harrison Ford on the screen, bloodied and yelling, fighting Russian terrorists on board Air Force One (he's the President, btw), then turning attention to chittering on my shoulders, "Now, Claude, he's being nice. Meet him halfway...." Later, I moved a cane chest so that the rats could travel between one another's cages but unfortunately General Radek - sorry, Jasper - marched into Claude's cage and began to eat his food. Standard boss rat behaviour, but Claude eeked in terror and ran.
This morning when I tried again, Jasper again went into Claude's cage, but this time Claude went for him and I had to hike Jasper out. Poor Claude insisted on staying with me, so I've done everything this morning with him tucked in the dressing gown or on my shoulder. A rat doesn't weigh much but it makes a difference to one's typing to have one sleeping in your sleeve. I'll probably have to clean his cage out to remove evidence of the Enemy, though honestly, Jasper wasn't that bad. He wasn't the aggressor, all he wanted was another food dish.
We try again....
leecetheartist? A real subtitle.I went *shopping* yesterday. Got a ride with Lena, the kind friend who did the Emergency Food Drop. Saw real people. Bought munchies. Okay, so had to sit down while waiting for L, but do feel better.
The Rat Wars or more correctly, Rat Peace Negotiations, occupied most of my evening. I'm still trying to get Claude used to the mischief (plural for a group of rats). He did pretty well. He spent the whole of the running time of the movie Air Force One perched on my shoulder while the others came up and sniffed. I was pleased with Jasper, who made himself as non-threatening as he knew how, lying there with eyes closed, within sniffing range. Rats close their eyes when approaching a strange rat because they expect to get attacked. Given Claude's previous behaviour, this was fair enough, but he didn't attack. They do know one another now, it's beyond first introductions. Now Claude has to get to trust them a bit. Most of the fights are triggered by Claude himself on the "get them before they get you" principle. With encouraging words from me, "Calm down or it's your goolies, Claude," he did at least share the same neutral territory with them - me.
It's an interesting experience, watching Harrison Ford on the screen, bloodied and yelling, fighting Russian terrorists on board Air Force One (he's the President, btw), then turning attention to chittering on my shoulders, "Now, Claude, he's being nice. Meet him halfway...." Later, I moved a cane chest so that the rats could travel between one another's cages but unfortunately General Radek - sorry, Jasper - marched into Claude's cage and began to eat his food. Standard boss rat behaviour, but Claude eeked in terror and ran.
This morning when I tried again, Jasper again went into Claude's cage, but this time Claude went for him and I had to hike Jasper out. Poor Claude insisted on staying with me, so I've done everything this morning with him tucked in the dressing gown or on my shoulder. A rat doesn't weigh much but it makes a difference to one's typing to have one sleeping in your sleeve. I'll probably have to clean his cage out to remove evidence of the Enemy, though honestly, Jasper wasn't that bad. He wasn't the aggressor, all he wanted was another food dish.
We try again....
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