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Bronwyn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2007
Messages
2,957
Location
Guelph, ON
Well, Phoe has been in QT for 8 days now and is still as cute as a button. Oh, and more importantly, still not sick. ;)

Time for me to jump into the deep end?
 
So I tried it out...it could have gone better but it could have been worse. My Nikon D40 apparently doesn't have a video mode and my baby camera was out of batteries so I unfortunately couldn't film the first intro.

Setting: The living room where no rat's played before. I made oatmeal and chopped bits of apple up to put in it and set it in a bowl on the floor.

Phoe + Elphie: Not bad. Elphie was fairly persistent and a little rougher than I would have liked but it may have been normal? She insisted on thoroughly sniffing (or even grooming at one point) that just got rougher the more she got into it so I pulled her off.

Phoe + Brie: Not sure. Generally Brie wasn't interested. She'd sniff under Phoe's butt and also a little rough but didn't push it. Ten minutes later she had Phoe on her back and someone squeaked really loudly. Instinctively I swatted Brie off and checked Phoe over and there's not a mark on her so if she was bitten it wasn't hard. The manhandling of the baby had me on edge so I suppose that's why I jumped in so fast. : /

Overall the Dumbos were more interested in exploring and weren't all that interested in the new kid. Phoe let them do what they wanted. I was her "safe spot" so she was mostly on my lap therefore most of the interactions were on me. Near the end Phoe and Elphie were clambering over each other so I figured that was a positive enough note to end for the day.

I'll admit it's intimidating leaving them to their own devices even if I'm right there. Phoe is just so small and harmless. I can't imagine introducing a tiny baby to them! They'd probably sit on them.

Should I move the next intro to the tub or was that normal and I'm being paranoid?

Edit: Also...Brie left the room after I scolded her and when I eventually put Phoe back in her cage and was bringing Elphie back to hers, Brie was already in there, sulking in one of the hammocks. :oops:

Edit 2: Phoe was grooming herself a number of times throughout this whole thing so that's a good sign, right?
 
That sounds like it went very very well. Brie going off to sulk is excellent, this means she recognizes you as the boss.
Squeak, most likely a protest from baby and nothing more.
I'd bring them to the tub, just so they are forced to deal with each other in there and not have a lot of exploring action going on.
 
I'm so thrilled to read that! I was fretting, naturally. :lol:

Am I allowed to stick my hand in to soothe the young one? She just seemed to prefer being semi-hidden on my lap or in my arms. Or is this like a parent having trouble letting their kid leave for kindergarten? :laugh2:
 
I soooo know how you feel. When I first brought Willow and Sunflower home Rose was so angry. She attacked them several times and I got so nervous I would take the babies away. But after I got over it and let Rose get her dominance issues over they were great with each other.

So your intro was a so much more successful than mine was.
 
Intro #2 complete!

I have a 411 MB video of this one buuut I'm not sure how to upload it. Photobucket doesn't seem to have made any progress. :/

In short, it seemed like the same deal as yesterday. Elphie's very gentle with her. Brie is the one to be watched. : /
 
Hmm...I opened iMovie which I assume is the Mac equivalent but I have the movie as an avi file which won't open inn that program. :think: I'll keep tinkering!
 
YouTube just rejected it after about two hours of uploading. :( It says it's too long which is odd as I thought I've seen 10 minute videos before. How frustrating!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puoc1S8oiCM

I don't know how to stick it in here, heh. This is Phoe and Brie for intro #3. Elphie was under the couch so she comes in later. This is one of three parts and I'll post them as they come!

Note: Yes, I know I sound like a four year old. ;) I was rambling hoping a voice might help them calm slightly...?
 
It looks to me like everything is going really well. Brie just has to get her bluff in on little Phoe so she knows who the boss is.

I so know how you feel about wanting to interfere. Every time Rose would go after Sunflower or Willow I would freak and take them away. After I calmed down a bit and realized it was okay, that Rose was just showing them who the boss is, things went a lot smoother. Rose would get her issues out in the first few minutes and then they would have a really great time together. Now they are all best buddies and sleep together all the time.

Phoe has really, really big black eyes in the video. How BEAUTIFUL.
 
I had to eat half a package of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate squares before I could do my first intro. I took a dust pan with me, just in case I had to break up a fight. When they had their first squabble, I nearly broke the handle because I was squeezing it so tightly so as not to interfere. It's just awful!
 
They look like they're doing just fine! Phoe seems to be trying to start her climb up the social ladder from the get go, keeping Elphie as the low man. She's still baby enough to want Elphie to protect her from the Big Bad Brie, though, hehe. She's caught on about Brie, though! Smart girlie.
 
It's hard staying out of it, eh?
I just watched intro 3 with Brie & Phoe... I like your play-by-play there. I wouldn't have a clue about what was going on in Meercat Manor without the announcer-guy... It's nice to hear you explain about Brie running the show and all...
Looks like things went really well! And you didn't even have food in there? Hugs to Brie!
If you take another bathtub intro you must hit London Drugs, they have cute little ducky or frog non-slip things to stick in the tub instead of that boring mat - I do like your jammies very much tho :D

Congratulations! Things look good!
 
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