Luciana has pointed out that the rats haven't received nearly enough blog coverage lately, as they've been eclipsed by Poppy.  So I will talk about the ratty boys today.

Usually I spend my time with the ratty boys at night.  I go in to read to Luce before bed and spend time playing with the rats.  I am usually wearing lounge wear, with one of my garments having a pocket on the right side and the other garment having a pocket at the left breast.  These pockets are important, because they often contain the nightly cat treats, which the rats love.

They learned fairly early on how to check each pocket for treats and to lift them if found.  I now know enough to guard my pockets if they contain cat treats.  The rats quickly figured out a countermeasure to my countermeasure.  They have always enjoyed running up the inside of my sleeves and playing around inside my voluminous lounge wear/pajamas.  I noticed some persistent activity in my right hip area, and found that Quince had climbed into my sleeve as usual but instead of playing like usual, he had zeroed in on the pocket and was working on chewing a hole in the fabric to get to the cat treats.  It didn't take the other two very long to figure that move out, so now I have to be really careful with guarding my pockets from both sides.

Watching the three of them play together and wrestle like all brothers do is so entertaining!  One will take a flying leap at one of their brothers from 2 or 3 feet away, and the two start rolling around wrestling.  As soon as the third sees what the others are up to, he will stop whatever he's doing and launch himself into the pile.  Like all brothers, sometimes it gets a little out of hand and someone ends up getting hurt (not injured), and he gives a loud squeak to let them know.  Usually they settle down at that point, but now and then I have to pick someone up and remind them to be nice, which usually serves as a little distraction which is enough to lower  the intensity of the play.  They have such a cool relationship!  I love the way they all like to snuggle up together to sleep.

The video is of the boys trying to get the jawbreaker out of Luciana's mouth.  They like to inspect your mouth if you have the audacity to eat in front of them, and if they like the smell of what you have, they will try to make it their own.

'Tis the season where everyone on college campuses across the U.S. is stressed.  Students are slacking on thing like sleep and personal grooming.  The halls are filled with students wandering around in sweats with vague, glazed, worried expressions, fueled on only caffeine.  Professors are starting to lose track of what day of the week it is, as all days are all filled with grading and very stressed students (who probably should have started their final projects a few weeks earlier than they did) looking for help.

I'm in my last week of classes, and that means I have many--so many!--final projects coming in over the next few days, which means lots of grading.  Though I don't enjoy the actual process of assigning grades, I do enjoy seeing their projects. Finals are next week. Only one of my classes is actually taking a final exam, and the other three are submitting projects.  Two classes will also be doing presentations next week.

Poppy is still in her very curious toddler phase.  She wants to taste and play with everything.  It's so fun to watch the intensity with which her little tongue explores every texture within reach.  She also likes to sit on my keyboard and watch my screen while I'm working, and that makes typing quite challenging.  My friend Allegrea was wearing a ring with wavy ridges on it, and Poppy just LOVED playing with that.  She was obsessed!

Her parents are still doing a fantastic job at taking care of her.  I am so proud of how well they've raised her and continue to do so.  I wish more humans would be as active, involved, and loving with their children.  She has quite a charmed life!  When she's in the herbivore room, her parents are always near (less than a foot away), with one on each side of her.  If she gets too far away, they call her back to them.  She is getting really good at flying.  I'm quite impressed by how well she is doing.  She is eating on her own.  I've seen her daddy escort her to the food dishes many times, and she is usually the first one to come and get their nightly produce treats.

When she comes out to play/work with me, I try to always bring her an assortment of items to explore and play with, so her brain continues to build neural networks.  Science (and simple observation) has shown us that an enriched environment makes a better brain and a happier being, so we are working hard to keep Poppy happy, healthy, and smart.

When I return her to her parents, they are always so happy to see her come back.  They immediately start chirping to call her over (they have very distinctive sounds that they use to communicate with each other) and when she arrives they check her over to make sure she's okay and then tidy up her feathers.  I swear I've seen them shoot glances my way that make me feel very small for returning their child to them in such a messy state (though she looks fine to my eyes).  She then hits her daddy up for some food.  He tries to escort her to one of the dishes a few times, but usually gives in and feeds her.  Then she goes to hit her mommy up for some food.  Daddy seems to do more of the directing and guiding, where mommy just feeds her without making an effort at getting her to eat on her own.

One of the many very cool things about cockatiels is that like so many other birds, they generally mate for life and share equally in the nesting/parenting.  From the very beginning, Darwin (daddy) has taken equal time sitting on the eggs and later Poppy, feeding, teaching, etc.  They really do work equally hard at parenting.  It has been so fun to watch their partnership through this process.  I wish more humans raised their children with such a smooth, equal partnership.  Darwin and Hurley were so impressive for first-time parents.  I love all of my animals equally and with every fiber in my body--but I have a little extra respect for Hurley and Darwin after watching their self-sacrificing, nearly perfect parenting!  And they did it all without hands!  I am humbled by them.

They grow up so fast!

I started the week off with the best of intentions, and started working on a blog post on Monday morning.  I got pulled away from it and never managed to return.  The students are heading into panic season, with final projects due.  Despite my many warnings that programming projects cannot be started at the last minute like their other homework assignments, many of them waited until just a few short days before the project was due to start it.  I am getting urgent, panicky emails, phone calls, FB messages, office hours visits, non-office hours visits--they track me down.  It's frustrating to be so swamped with work, because they chose to ignore my warnings.  UGH!  Yet even though it was their own choice to put this off, I don't have the heart to say I won't help them or look at their code.  As long as they're willing to learn something, I will find time to facilitate it.  I will be a little irritated about it deep inside, though.

As rough as this semester has been, I am very happy that I've returned to teaching full-time.  I love everything about teaching except grading.   I also hate meetings, but they seem to be inescapable.  I am excited to see their final projects--especially my programmers and web developers!  I enjoy looking at their work but not giving them a grade.  It feels much more judgmental and authoritarian than I am comfortable with. Until colleges offer a grade-free degree option, I will have to bear with this one unpleasant aspect.

The only other unpleasant side effect of teaching full time again is that it has apparently brought back my laryngitis problems.  I am currently unable to speak above a whisper.  I squeaked through last night's class (literally!) and am already frustrated and crabby from being voiceless.  I got laryngitis once or twice per semester by the end of my previous full-time teaching stint, and then only had it once in the six years that I was only teaching one class per semester.  I will have to go back to looking for ways to prevent this and make sure I always have a "Plan B" for class in case my voice decides not to show up.

Poppy is so grown up (she is in the background of this picture)!  She is as big as her parents--maybe slightly bigger than her mommy (in the foreground of this picture)--except her tail feathers are still shorter.  She can fly fairly well already.  She still can't control the height very well and usually rises up to the ceiling.  She is able to steer and control where she goes, just not how high she goes.  She is doing well though and will have it down in no time.

She is starting to eat some things on her own (especially greens and apples) but still follows her parents around whining for food nearly all the time.  They still feed her, which is quite comical now, as she is so big.  She loves to come out and sit with me while I work for a few hours a day.  She intermittently chews/explores with her beak, naps, and snuggles.

Tica is enamored with Poppy.  They are never unsupervised, but under full adult supervision, Tica likes to headbutt Poppy, and Poppy likes to preen her ears and head.  They are just adorable!

Poppy's First Photoshoot

She's three weeks old today and  loves the camera!  These are some of the shots I took earlier today.  I saved my very favorite Poppy picture ever for last. :)  She's in her chewing phase right now, and since cockatiels use taste rather than smell for identification, she's extremely oral.  She's very gentle with her tasting and so far only chews approved chewies we have given her.  She has shown no inclination to eat on her own, despite me trying to offer her various foods throughout the day.  I'm guessing that since she's the only chick to care for, she will wean on the late side.

Her painful wax sheaths that cover each emerging feather are starting to fall now, making her a very mess little bird.  She's working hard to preen her feathers out, her parents are helping, and L and I are helping as well.  It's extremely uncomfortable for the birds to have those wax sheaths poking into their skin--it's kind of the bird equivalent of the unpleasant teething phase that human babies have to go through.

I'm seeing a glimmer in sight of actually reaching the point of being caught up with things (except our house projects, and that's hopeless right now) and I'm feeling so much better.  It seems like every time I've reached this point over the last few months, something ridiculously unexpected pops up and knocks me back down.  I'm feeling quite positive that this time I will reach that thrill of not being behind on things, even if it's only for a day!

In Solidarity: The Gordan Shumway Brigade

My morning was brightened significantly by the Animal Liberation Frontline newsletter.  Though you don't hear of it in mainstream news, our liberating heroes have been very busy saving lives for the past few months.  Thousands got to enjoy fresh air and freedom and the chance to control their own destinies, due to these liberators.  My heartfelt thanks goes out to the GSB!  Here is the latest news, and the communique is brilliant and inspiring:

The past 3 years, mink liberations have surged in Oregon. This was the fourth mink liberation in the Astoria area alone in the past three years. In July 2010, the Animal Liberation Front took credit for setting fire to to several vehicles and a barn at the Ylipelto Fur Farm, also in Astoria. October 4, 2009 saw another 300 mink released from the same location, which was also the site of the release of 1,500 mink in 2008.

On the evening of September 24, we visited the mink farm on Savola Road in the outskirts of Astoria, Oregon, cutting holes in their fences before making our way through their sheds and opening cages.

Capitalism is cancerous and deadly to every life it comes into contact with. We’re not interested in reforms and stall tactics, nor in the continuance of a culture that views lives as an economic resource.

On these cooling autumn nights we warm our fingers on the breeding records we took from your sheds and throw into our fire, and take comfort in seeing that some of us still have it in them to run into the wilderness beyond the fences.

For those whose sympathies lie with laws and commerce over lives, look around: retailers and restaurants are catching fire, windows are broken, tires slashed, and security costs are rising. Now might be a good time to consider another line of work.

This action was dedicated to the radical teachers, gardeners and foragers, to those embezzling from corporations, sharing indigenous skills, setting fires, molotoving cops, and all those working to challenge capitalism’s deathgrip in their own communities. Your work inspires us.

Fewer calls to action, more action.
The Gordon Shumway Brigade

Baby updates

My precious baby mouse passed away in my hand on Saturday night. (He was alive and well in these pictures.)  He had been doing quite well, and was getting very active and spunky.  He had completely taken over my heart!  He was happiest when with me, and would eagerly scramble into my hand whenever available. He loved to nestle his little head in between my first two fingers.  He also fought and grabbed with all four limbs when I tried to deposit him back in his snuggly little bed.   He was suckling well (preferably on the inside of our lips, as he seemed to prefer the softer skin), though it was a little painful when he started testing his teeth out as all little ones do eventually.  He wanted what any other baby wants--NOT to be alone, to be warm, safe, receiving food and affection on a frequent and regular basis.  Saturday afternoon, however, he took an inexplicable turn for the worse.  I miss him terribly and am devastated by the loss.  I feel responsible, as I failed him somehow.  I'm still very sad.

On the positive side, Poppy has continued to thrive and is HUGE and healthy.  She changes tremendously from day to day.  She also loves affection and food.  Her parents don't spend much time cuddling with her now that she can maintain her own body temperature with no problem, though they are feeding her very well.  She loves to come out and snuggle up on my chest and much prefers that to being left alone in her "nest".  These pictures were taken yesterday, and she already looks different today.  Her feathers are growing very fast!

He loves belly buttons

Little guy's favorite place to snuggle up and nap is in my cleavage, but that's not always available.  He decided L's navel might work as well, but it wasn't quite as roomy as he had hoped.

He is getting very spunky and naughty.  He screams at me for food and also if I move too much and disrupt his cleavage naps.

He really wants to suckle and is starting to suck on skin and open his mouth and try to suck the syringe.  I got him a tiny little nursing bottle and put the smallest nipple on it, but that doesn't seem to work for him.  He's a very fussy, slow eater, and I'm hoping to find something that speeds up the process, but no luck so far.

EYES!

Poppy's eyes have finally opened!

We have had a new baby join us, as well.  I'm currently feeding and caring for this little mouse who was dropped off by a student Monday night.

One Week

What a difference a week makes.  She seems to be growing heavier each time I pick her up!  Her eyes are very close to opening, and we should see them in the next day or so.

She's apparently been named Poppy, as I discovered when L gave me the birthday present she made for me.  It's a beautiful digital image she made me with a picture of what she thinks the baby will look like when she is full grown.  The picture's title, as you can see, is "Poppy".

Baby's fifth day

I took her away from her parents for a couple of hours this afternoon to let her crop empty out.  It also gave her poor, thin parents a chance to take a break and fly around.  They spent most of their free time eating.  This allowed them to digest a little more of their intake, rather than just giving it back to baby.

Baby was very demanding during the time I had her with me. She demanded food and took short naps, and that's normal. They basically sleep, eat, or beg for food. They are growing so rapidly and will eat themselves to death if given the option! That's why baby is spending a few non-eating hours with me every day now.

None of the other eggs have hatched, and their incubation time is up.  We will remove the eggs tomorrow, so the parents have less to worry about and tend to.

It's time to come up with a name for baby, because she seems to be thriving, and I'm feeling more optimistic about her surviving.  Also, the girls are demanding it.  They each have names picked out (none of which thrill me), so there will be some negotiating over the next few days until we all agree on something.

Baby's fourth day

She continues to grow by the minute and gets stronger every time I visit her.  No, I don't know what the gender is, but I would rather go with "her" than "it".  I have a 50% chance of being correct.

I'm getting increasingly neurotic about her, examining every part of her and constantly researching whether this or that is normal.  She's quite transparent at this point, so I can see so many colors and shapes inside of her that I get concerned about each one.

Now every single time I go in to check on her, her crop is full.  I can tell it's moving, because the shape and coloration of the contents show through and change.  I'm worried that her parents are overfeeding her now.  I will probably take her to the avian vet on Thursday or Friday, just to calm my increasingly neurotic obsession with her health and development.

Happy little ratty boys

The ratty boys' permanent cage arrived this week.  The friend from whom we were borrowing their temporary cage had an unexpected opportunity to take in two abandoned rats, so they will  be  living in a rat mansion too, when we get the cage back to her.  She will then hook it back up to the other large cage she has for them.

L did a good job researching cages to find the biggest and safest one available.  She also managed to find one at a pretty good price AND on sale!  That's my girl.  She wanted a luxury home for them, so she generously offered to forego presents this Christmas and her upcoming birthday.  I don't plan to take her up on that, but I appreciated her offer.

They absolutely LOVE it.  They have already explored each of the levels, and really like running up and down the ramps.  They are just adorable!

Baby's third day

Mommy and daddy are doing a spectacular job of keeping baby fat and warm.  I am still helping out with some supplemental feedings.  It's hard work for them, and they have both thinned out a bit.  I'm giving them lots of extra produce to keep them strong and able to share their food with baby.

Annual Day

L's Annual Day performance was Saturday.  She was feeling  very poorly as a result of a horrible cold, and I really struggled with the decision of whether to let her perform or keep her home.  Because of the nature of her dance, her missing the performance would have meant her partner (Gopika, to her Krishna) couldn't dance and then the whole group would be asymmetrical on the stage.  I felt so bad for her, because she was so obviously miserable.

This was her first time dancing as Krishna, and since she was portraying a male, her makeup and jewelry were much simpler than usual.  She still had a chapped red nose, the poor thing.

She did a really good job on her dance, and we were so proud of her for being such a little trooper through the whole thing.

I was feeling increasingly rotten through the day and was quite tired and stressed, which I assume is why my brain left me, and I didn't get her performance on tape.  She came out, and I was trying to get a good picture of her, which isn't easy in a dark auditorium.  They were about 1/3 of the way through the dance when I realized I wasn't taping.  Then I decided at that point that it was too late to start (WTH was I thinking?!), so I got  none of it on tape.  What an idiot!