Haven't been writing lately, my mornings have been really busy between Christmas stuff and work.
I moved the brothers' cage into the library on Sunday. It's basically in the middle of the room on the floor, since there's no stand for it. It's a few feet away from Shikoni. That night all three spent a lot of time bar-hanging and looking at each other, scurrying around. Not much vocalization. Everyone ate well, played well, looked but didn't talk. I slept on the futon to be there, in case of what I don't know, just in case.
Everything went just that way every day. On Wednesday family came over, Hunter (10) wanted to see my glider, and when I told him I had two more, he was so excited! He's another animal lover, our family seems to be full of them. We went in and I got the boys out in their pouch, they had been sleeping and so were very docile. Kioko didn't even crab, and that's unusual. Hunter petted and loved on them for a few minutes. Shikoni heard our voices and came out to see what was going on, so I put the boys back and got him out onto my arm. He jumped onto Hunter, which really tickled him! then back to me, then back to bed he went. Little sweetie.
I've heard some barking and other sounds from time to time, but nothing to worry about, until ...
Yesterday morning I was getting dressed and I heard the most god-awful noise, it sounded like crabbing but not quite, and sustained instead of dying out the way crabbing does. It sounded like the fighting or SM sounds I've heard online. I went to check, thinking maybe one of the little guys had gotten out somehow and was attacking the other cage. Nothing was happening at all, the sound had stopped and all three were in their pouches. I went back to my room and it started again, took their pouch out and this time I found Kioko on Washi's back, biting his neck. It looked like mating or fighting, I wasn't sure which. Reminded me of the way a cat will kill a mouse by biting the spine. I managed to get Washi out of the pouch and into the big cage, got severely bitten on the thumb and two fingers. Then I got the pouch with Kioko in it into Shikoni's little cage which is on top of the wardrobe, there's nothing in it but two bird perches, I couldn't reach well enough to hang the pouch but just laid it on the floor. I had to go to work, already running about ten minutes late so I left it that way. He should be sleeping all day anyway.
When I got home the first thing I did was check Washi, the back of his neck had been wet and I hoped it wasn't blood. Well, it wasn't, I looked him over really well and there were no wounds, he was moving fine. Gave him a drop of honey and put him away. Then I got Kioko, boy did he yell! Looked him over too, also no wounds and moving well, he didn't want any honey.
I started a post about this, and was very reassured to find that it's not abnormal behavior, so as long as no one gets hurt I won't let it distress me again. I thought that it might have been a dominance thing, I would have expected that to already be well-established between the two, but maybe Washi was getting rebellious and Kioko had to call in the Guard. Or perhaps it's from being so near Shikoni, that Kioko feels a little threatened in his role as the alpha male and so had to reassert himself, though I would have expected that a little sooner. I sure wish I knew what was going on in their little minds.
Kioko is back in with Washi, and all's quiet this morning. I gave them all crickets, which were very well received. I'll see about play time, I have to do the flashlight thing with Washi and Kioko and probably yogurt to entice them out of the pouch. More later.
Later -- well, someone had fun today! Washi was out playing, Kioko in the pouch, so I took K. into the bathroom. Flashlight on, overhead off; bowl of yogurt. He stayed in the pouch for the first couple of minutes, then jumped out and ran around on my shoulders and back for a little while. He got down and checked out the floor, under the sink; went to the door and tried to jump up on it but never climbed up the robe belt (Shikoni's rope to the top); only played five or six minutes then back up onto my lap and in the pouch. When I took him home, I was getting the cage door open and he jumped out! Gone before I could react. He ran around the library for probably twenty minutes! The room is crowded right now (still) with end tables, shelves, chairs from when we had the new floor put down: there's still work to be done in the front, so we don't want to put everything back just to move it again when the workers show up. Anyway, I couldn't see him half the time, but I could hear him running around. I sat on the floor with his pouch with two mealies in it close by; he'd come and sniff at it, but wouldn't go in, then explore a little more. Finally he got onto the cage, ran around on it for several minutes. I held the door just a little open, and he went in to get a drink of water.
Whew! All the while he was loose, Washi was watching him, clinging to the cage on the side closest to where he was. Poor little guy, he wanted to go play too -- right; I'd have had a nervous breakdown!
When I only had Shikoni, when he got out I could leave the cage door open and know that he'd go back home when he was done. I'm sure the new boys would do the same; and when we finally get order restored in the library, I may let them out to romp when I have time to stay and supervise.
I wonder how long it will be until I can start introductions. Right this minute someone's barking and someone else is answering ... communication!
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