Klaus and I are missing Al. The night we got back from the vet Klaus was still high energy and curious, but the next day he was visibly depressed.
He didn't want to come out of the cage on his own. I worked from seven AM until noon and felt bad he was alone all night and morning, so as soon as I got home I cleaned my room and used the playpen to extend the rat-proofing into the living area. I opened the cage door and set up the ladder and everything but he just sat on the shelf and looked miserable. I tried talking to him, coaxing him out with food, initiating play - I even took a nap with the cage still open and left treats on the floor but still nothing.
I got fed up and just picked him up and put him on the floor myself. This woke him up right away - he was running around, using the treat puzzle, hung out in a hide outside the room while I did dishes, etc. Towards the end of the night his butt even started to get bouncy! I quickly made him a digging box with bits of nut inside to entertain him when I went to bed.
But I work a lot and can't be around to do this all day. I hate knowing he's alone and bored when I'm sleeping or at work. I know the best remedy is to get a friend but I really wanted a break after this group... it's not just to be able to save funds again, it's that my heart hurts. I dropped the ball with these guys and wanted some time to pull better resources together.
Is being able to free range at leisure and hang out while I'm home enough, or should I just buckle down and get a friend? I'd like to look into fostering but unsure how that would really work. I guess I don't really know what my options are?
Ideas/advice?
