Post by dalamar on Sept 30, 2008 23:57:38 GMT -5
So the babies have their own room now. Its a great room too, nice and big, it has two closets, one for stuff, and the other for their refrigerator and food. I put down some cheap carpet so they wouldn't dig and make a mess of the white one. They seem to like it well enough, and when I open the door to let them just room around the apartment, they still go back to their room to sleep.
I thought that they would spend all their time playing outside the room when I had the door open and I would have time to clean. Well that didn't work, they only wanted to be where I was. Naturally Bear and Piper were the first to notice that I wasn't at my desk and went looking for me, after that the other two followed.
So of course with all the extra help, cleaning the room took about an hour when it should have been 15 minutes.
Piper has stopped digging at the carpet since I made it clear that I do not approve. And while I was out of town this weekend, someone tore up the screen on the window that I left open (no I didn't mean to leave it open). So now the two lower windows stay closed, and I need to get a screen for the higher one. I know they can't get up there, because I'm going to have to find a ladder to get to it (though, Bandit might learn to climb walls...).
Since the move the boys haven't changed at all; they still fight over who gets to bite my feet, and they still try to tackle me when I'm walking around.
Bandit started digging at one of the doors on the second day. Well since nothing else has worked to get her to stop digging at the carpet I tried something else... When I caught her I yelled at her as if she were a teenager doing the same thing. After she jumped out of her skin she bolted for the room, but I got there first and closed the door and scooped her up off the ground and took her back tot he door and told her, harshly (not yelling) never to do it again. Then I put her in the cage in their room. Well, since then she still plays with me and chases me around the house, and vice versa, but she doesn't dig at the carpet!
That didn't work for Piper, I just had to put her in the cage over and over for a week until she figured it out. When I yelled at Piper she just started at me and then started digging again.
Oh! The new toy! So when we were in Maryland, I found that when they dig in dirt, their fur doesn't get dirty, just their paws. So I got them a big box and a bag of dirt. Its been a huge hit, and they make less of a mess than I thought. I just make sure to put the top on a few hours before I let them play in the rest of the house, basically to clean the paws.
All in all being in a new place has been good, it was just a pain getting here, and I'm going to be pretty poor for at least another month. But the babies are happy and we'll get them back on their diet soon enough!
Oh, I almost forgot! They've learned to turn on the robot vacuum! Piper will follow it around until it stops though the others tend to get bored after about 15 minutes. And Bandit has learned that she can ride on top of it!
I thought that they would spend all their time playing outside the room when I had the door open and I would have time to clean. Well that didn't work, they only wanted to be where I was. Naturally Bear and Piper were the first to notice that I wasn't at my desk and went looking for me, after that the other two followed.
So of course with all the extra help, cleaning the room took about an hour when it should have been 15 minutes.
Piper has stopped digging at the carpet since I made it clear that I do not approve. And while I was out of town this weekend, someone tore up the screen on the window that I left open (no I didn't mean to leave it open). So now the two lower windows stay closed, and I need to get a screen for the higher one. I know they can't get up there, because I'm going to have to find a ladder to get to it (though, Bandit might learn to climb walls...).
Since the move the boys haven't changed at all; they still fight over who gets to bite my feet, and they still try to tackle me when I'm walking around.
Bandit started digging at one of the doors on the second day. Well since nothing else has worked to get her to stop digging at the carpet I tried something else... When I caught her I yelled at her as if she were a teenager doing the same thing. After she jumped out of her skin she bolted for the room, but I got there first and closed the door and scooped her up off the ground and took her back tot he door and told her, harshly (not yelling) never to do it again. Then I put her in the cage in their room. Well, since then she still plays with me and chases me around the house, and vice versa, but she doesn't dig at the carpet!
That didn't work for Piper, I just had to put her in the cage over and over for a week until she figured it out. When I yelled at Piper she just started at me and then started digging again.
Oh! The new toy! So when we were in Maryland, I found that when they dig in dirt, their fur doesn't get dirty, just their paws. So I got them a big box and a bag of dirt. Its been a huge hit, and they make less of a mess than I thought. I just make sure to put the top on a few hours before I let them play in the rest of the house, basically to clean the paws.
All in all being in a new place has been good, it was just a pain getting here, and I'm going to be pretty poor for at least another month. But the babies are happy and we'll get them back on their diet soon enough!
Oh, I almost forgot! They've learned to turn on the robot vacuum! Piper will follow it around until it stops though the others tend to get bored after about 15 minutes. And Bandit has learned that she can ride on top of it!
Dig boxes are wonderful things. I have dig boxes with sand, rice, beans and paper (shredded). All the different textures offer them lots of stimulation and as you noted they don't need to be washed if they're digging in soil. Rice works that way too. 
. And I'd love to see a video of them and the robo-vac. That sounds priceless 