Here's an interesting behavioral problem that is beginning to cause
difficulties around my house.  I try my very very best to keep Moogie out
of my five-year-old girl's room because she has a gazillion toys, many of
them little or potentially harmful, all over her floor all the time.  So, I
usually keep her door shut when he's out of the cage.  The door doesn't fit
the frame right, though, and the doorknob is broken and won't latch (it was
this way when we moved in the apartment).  We've always just pulled the
door shut and not worried about it.  Now, when she goes to bed at night, he
sits by her door and scratches on it continually!  If he scratches long
enough, he can push it open and get in.  And the scratching wakes her up.
If I confine him to a different room (i.e., my bedroom) he scratches on
that door, until I finally give up and put him back in his cage.  I've
tried hiding around corners and squirting him with a water pistol when he
scratches.  He hates that and will quit for a few minutes, then it's right
back to it.  I've tried scolding, and I've tried scruffing.  Any ideas from
anyone else?
 
Also, kind of a funny: when I've squirted him with the water, he just dries
off and goes back to it; he doesn't seem to hold a grudge.  Last night, my
husband tried it.  My husband walked back in the living room afterward, and
after Moogie dried himself for a moment, he followed my husband in the
living room, and made a hit-and-run nip on his pantsleg!  Seth was
astonished (and amused, actually), said "You little s_ _ _!", and walked
over to Moogie; Moogie faced him and started wardancing all over the floor
in front of him, as though to say "Oh, yeah?  You want a piece of me?  Come
on, give me your best shot!!!" It was hilarious!
 
Vickie & the Rainbow Carpet Shark
[Posted in FML issue 2420]