Hi Fellow Doddlebug Lovers: I have been getting this wonderful digest for the past two months, ever since buying our first two-pound terror and want to thank everyone for your great advice and insight. When my significient other walked past the pet shop at the local mall, plunked down close to $300.00 after buying a 1.2 lb. female baby, the one who didn't bite as much as the other and asked me to hold her on my lap on the drive home, I knew we were in deep trouble. And I have this sinking feeling this is only the beginning, huh? Opps, just had to run and resue the tea service "Chutzpah" decided looks better sitting on the floor. Anyhow, back to my story. For those who haven't ever heard the word "Chutzpah" it's Yiddish and means a lot of things but mainly one who has the spine and guts to do as one pleases. We first named her "Dust Bunny" because she came out from under one of the dressers with dust on her little nose. That name finally became to cumbersome and after living with her antics for a few days we decided she fit many names. Monster, terror, trouble and I am sure you get the idea of what I am talking about. I am an interior designer and my surroundings have always been very important to me. I just always took it for granted that everything should always be in it's place and look beautiful. Why is it this is no longer how we are living? Our home now looks as if we have a two year old child running free with no supervision. We have now lived with "Chutzpah" for two months (she was born on April 15th.) and she has somehow changed our lives to conform to hers but I am not sure this is the end of OUR conforming to HER way of living!! I have read all the posts, sometimes wondering how other's could manage having more then ONE of these amazing creatures in their lives without having a nervous breakdown. I have NEVER seen anything move like she does, nor find places to hide those precious little items she tends to steal without my knowing until it comes time to find the car keys and anything other she tends to feel should belong to her. She is probably one of the smartest animals I have ever owned and only wonder what she really knows. The biting has not been fun, in fact it's been miserabler. I must admit, she is getting better and has greatly improved since first bringing her home. I have tried following some of the advice about tapping her on her nose, saying NO loudly and sometimes it helps, other times she couldn't care less what I say, nor how loud I say it. We have bought "Bitter Apple" and oh boy, she hates the stuff. I use it rarely because I forget. There seems to be good days and bad, days when she reverts back to when we first brought her home and then days like today where she just "mouths" my fingers, toes and ankles. I didn't know something this small could grab with teeth so hard that she could bring tears to my eyes and murder in my thoughts. Now the question! The book we purchased with her said that they sleep up to 14 hours a day. She seems to stay on a schedule.....up at 7:30 A.M. for about 1 1/2 hours and back to sleep till 11:30/12:00. Play a little while and then back to sleep for the whole afternoon and up at dinner time and back to bed by 9:30/10:00 when I finally put her back into her cage. The whole day she is able to run free, terrorize and play with our cat and then takes her naps in one of our hide-a-beds whenever she feels the need. I only put her in a cage at night because I don't trust her to sleep with us because of her ability to bite and get into things. She has not yet sat quietly in our laps and fallen asleep as I have read others do. I would imagine this is because she is still so young and her energy level is way beyond ours. Do we have any hope of this darling ball of fur every becoming a little less active and curling up in our laps like others or giving kisses instead of making us feel as if we are both human teething rings? Any good advice from someone who has lived through this situation will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and my best to everyone who makes up this wonderful team effort of love and information, Terrie Vancouver, WA [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1681]