Living with Anteaters

Just one of those days

Pua in the closet by herself.

Ori in the hammock

Ori and an avocado slice

So Aurora is a picky eater. If food is not ice cold I may as well have given her a bowl of dirt. The consistency needs to be just right too but we're pretty good at judging that now. If she doesn't have what she wants she will make her displeasure known to me by clawing at the walls.

Might have fund a practicle solution to Auroras need for ice cold soup. Only I think we'd need to design a holder for it so it wouldn't get tipped and spilled http://www.amazon.com/Chiller-Serving-Bowl-Lid-Cup/dp/B004S9APL8/ref=pd_sbs_hpc1

In the mean time I tried an experiment with a storage food bowl holder by filling it with water and freezing it.

Sept 18
Trying an experiment tonight. Filled the storage part of a storage and feeder combo w/water and froze it. After some reassurance it would not eat her and there really was food in this new scary thing, Aurora was willing to eat from it. Now how long for her to learn her food will be cold without having to wake me by picking at the walls?
 
Sept 19
The frozen bowl worked good and kept her food cold enough for her liking all night but I still had to show her there was cold food when she asked.

Not feeling peppy tonight but am snuggling with mom. Like having a living heating pad. Humans average 5 degree F warmer than Tamanduas.

Siting at the desk window spying on the neighbors.

I found a giant avocado mom was hiding from me. That was fun!

In the nest with the rest of the anteater family now.
--
Random factoid: Long-tailed tamandua have have nasals that differ markedly from other tamandua.(Article XXXIII. -THE TAMANDUA ANTEATERS. By J. A. ALLEN.)

Yummy ketchup

Sept 20
I'm in the mood for soup. Yumm.
It was beef soup. Really it's just my usual food soaked in vinegar to soften it then blended with water. Aurora prefers that over "real" food. I like it sometimes. I preferred when mom still mixed blue cheese in it to get Aurora to eat more but she doesn't need to any more.

No room for three at the table

oh maybe there is room for three

Ori digging into an avocado

This book looks exciting

Ori trying the serious look
And look at that hairy chinny chin chin

I think you just licked my brain!
Yes this incident did end in a spilled food bowl. The bowl did start in the middle of the shelf. Ori keeps pulling it closer all the time, the lazy kid.

Pua tries some soup

Got up at 7 but I think it was too early. Napping in my hammock.

I joined Aurora in the nest but want to play with Ori. I checked the shelf but she's not there eating. I'm confused.

I found her. I found Ori. She doesn't seem to happy. Not sure why. Wasn't that an outhouse? Oh well following her back to the closet for play time.

Got some outside time but found it creepy. Just sat in the tree for a bit then came in. Then we all ran around the house. I tried to ride Ori Several times but she's not good at giving rides.

Hanging out in my sink tonight

Sept 22
So watching the anteaters run around the house last night and Pua trying to ride Ori I noticed Pua and Ori are nearly the same size but Ori is still a fair amount smaller than her momma. Pua really is a midget. No wonder every time I meet another adult anteater in person I'm like "It's huge" ha. She's built like a bulldog though so most of her weight really is muscle(as 15-17 is kind of heavy considering her smaller size).

I don't know what they are watching in the other room but it sounds scary.

Look what Aurora did
Since she was removing it along the 2x4 I just removed the rest across the top and have added a shelf

Hey there, got treat?

Sharing ants

Ant bear
Taking a break from picking at her log.

Checking out the new shelf

Gimme treats

So another reason for the shelf was to put Aurora's food bowl right in front of her so when she wakes up she finds it and doesn't need to wake me.

She liked this idea quite a bit
Aurora and Ori

Add in the frozen bowl and all is well

Where's the food

Pua having soup

Excuse me could you move
This soup is colder than the other side

I said move *shove*

Darn your stubborn
Fine I'll just keep to sipping on this side

Sharing soup
Notice Pua moved her mouth to Aurora's side. She looks happy.

This experiment later came to an abrupt end when someone knocked the bowl down from the shelf. Filled with frozen water, what was essentially a large block of ice, hit my wooden stool and broke it in half. I need to get better at anticipating potentially negative outcomes.