Well, I think today might be the big day...MOVING DAY!
Mouse has come so far in the last week, I am just amazed. She still isn't happy about being picked up, but I think she will learn more from being with the other rats full-time, than from being on her own. She's gone from being a rat that cringed every time the others went near her (the first day she sat in a corner for at least half of the intro with her eyes squeezed shut), to snuggling up to the outside edge of the rat pile when they stop to nap. She is starting to explore, she's figured out how to use her hammock, she's dragging tissue around as bedding, and this morning, she accepted a treat from my hand. It's not perfect, but it's HUGE progress! :joy:
We've still only had a handful of aggression issues out of the other rats, and only Pez and Hazel (everyone else seems to love her, especially River), and there's been no blood, just "puff-flip-pin-wash" type issues. Nothing that I haven't seen my girls do to each other on a bad day. So I think maybe today will be the big move.
I keep looking at Mouse and thinking how mind-numbingly boring the last 5 months have been for her, and how much better the rest of her life will be. We will get there in terms of her acceptance of humans (I'm pretty sure she's going to pick that up by following the others and by some more forced socialization sessions), but in the meantime, she really needs to be with her friends. She lights up when she's with them.
Here's a photo of her from yesterday:
Her confidence has gone up exponentially and she is ready to be a Rat, and that makes me happy. I think I finally understand what the story below means:
* * *
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."
* * *
Happydance! :dance:
