It amazes me how different these animals from each other in personalities
and all.  I have two and they are definitely unique individuals.
 
Byte-me is active and very playful, especially in the morning.  First she
will nose me when I first wake up, she checks to see if I made it through
the night.  She will flank me, out run me, and in general spar with me as I
walk by getting in front of me, balling herself up and running backwards
while leaping side to side.  Always brings a smile to me.  Sometimes I play
tag with her, she will always end up behind the bureau in a narrow space.
I will crouch down to her and ask if she is being silly, and her tail will
wag frantically hitting the wall and furniture..
thump.thump.thump.thump.thump.thump.!  She will eventually come out to lay
between my feet as I make coffee or do other things.  Just look up at me as
I work.  A frequent behavior trait of hers.
 
Nibble-ed on the other hand is not a social one.  She will hide until I
have been up a bit, then come out begging for a raisin.  The almighty
raisin is her Achilles heel!  I keep 'spare' raisins in a tupper ware
container.  If I need to find her, I just shake that container and a
begging face will quickly appear.  It took a long time for her to let me
pick her up.  She used to shake and tremble horribly when I did, but not
much of that anymore.  She also was a terrible biter.  I NEVER thumped
her, but did let her know I was pissed at the biting.  She has stopped
almost totally.  She doesn't like to be touched, and will turn to nip
occasionally, but doesn't nip.  Is her way of saying "Ok, don't touch
me!!!" Ha!  I respect that..  for a bit.  I try to handle her allot to
acclimate her to being handled, and that is working, slowly, but is
working.  She allows me to pick her up now, but stays still only a short
time before becoming squirmy wormy to get out and be put down.
 
They both sleep in bed with me.  I love to find those two 'warm lumps' in
the water bed.  Nibble is a thief.  Ha!  If I have my 7-11 big mug on the
coffee table, Nibble will have a fit until she gets the straw.  She has a
cache of treasures, cut wire from a wiring job I did, twisty ties, pens,
straws, door stops, a neatly stacked row of mini wheats..  ha!  All kinds
of treasures!  Byte-me is content to play in a walmart bag.
 
On occasion they will team up to terrorize the installation.  A few days
ago, they both chased me all over the house, they were running shoulder to
shoulder in perfect unison and step like a team of gladiator horses pulling
a war chariot!  Ha!  They would leap to my leg, hug on with all 4 legs,
then leap off to run around and do it again.  Ya just can't help but luv
em!  They love to play in the main bathroom where I have a mop and trash
can in the tub.  Is a favorite play area.  But..  ha!... yesterday they
unraveled a whole roll of toilet paper!  I found this huge white pile on
the floor.  Ha!  Byte-me gets on the vanity top, and I turn the water on to
a slow trickle... she has a fit trying to figure out where it comes from,
and will snap bite at the stream.  Good chance to shower her.  BUt when she
is wet, she runs for the water bed, gets between the sheets, and crawls a
hundred miles an hour drying herself off!  I see this lump racing from side
to side all over the bed.  Ya can't help but luv 'em!
 
Well, hope this rambling brings a smile as it  does to me.
 
Gordon, Byte-me and Nibble-ed
[Posted in FML issue 3066]