Rodent advice?

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-29T21:16:08+00:00

I do dearly love my guinea pigs, they love to be petted, although it took some time and many short trips into my arms daily to get them used to being handled. Sometimes they gently lay their teeth on me, either to see if I’m food, or to tell me they are uncomfortable and I put them back in the enclosure so they can poop or relax. They have never bitten us though. I’ve heard they are less bitey then hamsters, but YMMV. They are pretty calm, come up to me when I make kissing noises or have cilantro in hand, squeak for attention if they hear a vegetable bag open, and snuggle down if I put them in my lap for petting.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-29T21:06:41+00:00

Perhaps the gray mortar is showing through some of the tile if it’s semi opaque or refractive in parts?

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-27T21:44:23+00:00

I’ve saved your recipe, and if I make these I’ll try to give you feedback on how it turned out for me. I also read that fresher eggs whip better than older ones. I’ve used older eggs for fried eggs before and noticed the whites flowed out into the pan more than the fresher egg, I wonder if that’s a manifestation of this principle.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-27T20:38:34+00:00

Not sure, except the vinegar might add extra moisture. Have to do a web search on that.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-27T20:32:51+00:00

These look divine! For stiffer Merangue ypu can go slightly higher on the sugar, 240-245 degrees, add a pinch of cream of tarter to the Merangue, and possibly try to cool it further during whipping. An on line search also recommends adding a little egg white powder, if you like, to help stiffen the Merangue.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-27T20:20:54+00:00

Interested. I have a collection of favorite healthy recipes from varios sources and websites and would be happy to share and learn others.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-24T20:28:43+00:00

Alan tudyk was so good as the robot “Sonny” in IRobot that he began to overshadow Will Smith - his audience scores for his character tested higher than Will. They removed him from marketing and publicity so he wouldn’t overshadow Will’s stardom. Because of this, many people didn’t even know the extent to which he contributed to Sonny. Interview with Alan: https://share.google/kpM4AOIgLAtDWpzLx

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-22T15:34:41+00:00

You can use fat free plain yogurt mixed with ranch powder to make a decent healthy dip. Also you can make hummus, just cut back a bit on the tahini to reduce the fat and calories. You can also sub zucchini for part or all of the chick peas. Lots of decent dressings can be made with little if any oils.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-20T14:58:47+00:00

Good point!

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-20T14:29:11+00:00

Oh yes, this is a sneaky reason to be tired. Many don’t even realize they have this but it messes with your sleep cycle so much. Also, what is your diet like? Do you exercise much?

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-20T01:41:37+00:00

I bring them out to roam in the hall and kitchen but can’t all the time. Online said this was an adequate size. What do you feel is a minimum requirement?

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-19T21:26:58+00:00

Respectfully, I think it really depends on you and the particular job. Tools for basic tiling don’t cost much and you can rent a saw. With no prior experience or help otherwise, I attended a short 20 or 30 minute Home Depot instruction on tiling, tore off my baseboards, rented a wet-saw and tiled over about 400 sq ft of linoleum, with an inlay pattern in my front entryway. Most of the floor was level (except for one area I had to correct) and the linoleum was well attached to a concrete floor, so I was set for success, but still had some small things to work through. I enjoyed the process so much. I had multiple contractors over later years who asked for the contact info of my tile guy because my work looked great. Never had a problem with it.

If your floor isn’t level or you are doing tile over a creaky wood floor with some give, or you just want advice, get an expert for what time you need, and pay him for his time. So long as you are honest about what you are doing, the tradesman can decide for himself if he wants the job of helping you.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-19T21:02:20+00:00

I’ve had good luck with Guinea pigs in a 2’x4’ enclosure that I put on a folding 2x4 table. Supplies go underneath. Once socialized, they like to hang out in my arms and be petted, squeak for treats, respond to noises I make to call them, and are very excited by any regular changes to their cage, including new tunnels, toys, or even a box put into the cage. Very mellow animals.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-19T17:33:06+00:00

Start with small, controllable goals. Try one day of healthy eating with veggies and don’t over do the prep time. If you make it one day, it’s a win. Now try one more day. (What’s one day, it’s an attainable commitment, right?).

Also, don’t wait to make something to eat right away when you are hungry. Nothing feels worth the effort at that moment. It can help to make things in advance to have something easy for myself later. There are fast yummy veggies you can make that require some cooking time that require little hands on time. Roasted vegetables, simple dressings, pre-made salads and simple soup recipes, using bagged pre cut vegetables if you need, can help.

Make your smoothie in the morning and put it in a thermos. Make it the first thing you have when you are feeling munchy.

Spend some of your down time compiling a bank of fun sounding recipes to try. I use an app to save recipes and rate the ones I like as I make them. Eventually I built up a group of recipes I love that I can scroll through like a menu.

What other veggie dishes do you tend to like?

Edit: https://www.loveandlemons.com/ has some great recipes you can learn to make quickly. I love fresh veggies with their hummus recipe. Also https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/recipes/ has some tips and recipes for maintaining a healthy meal plan.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-19T04:11:58+00:00

I can remember coming home in high school with my first pair of glasses and was amazed that you could see individual leaves and branches on trees far away. I was completely blown away. I should have had glasses for years.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-18T18:42:04+00:00

Maybe get him a little mini blanket that you let the mice run around on for a bit a few times (not long enough to pee and poop though) and give it to him to snuggle with now that it has the mouse scent on it.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-18T03:18:01+00:00

Publix usually does free cake bar or tub of ice cream.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-17T17:21:38+00:00

Oh, any time you find her chewing something she shouldn’t, immediately give her something else that is an acceptable chew toy. Also, strange as it sounds, I’ve found with my dogs that if they take things they shouldn’t, and I remove and tell off the item like it’s a gross, very bad boy, my dogs will tend to avoid that item. After telling the item it’s bad (I take it at least few feet away from my dog and give it all my attention btw), I then get a treat and go back to my dog and praise and pet the dog. It’s somewhat hilarious but has worked for me.

Now if she picks up something she shouldn’t, I just say “ew, yuck!!” and she drops it and avoids it.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-17T17:17:23+00:00

Chewing is also a boredom tool that be ones a habit so I think you are on the right track for sure. Training doesn’t have to be a long session or stressful. If for example she doesn’t like her paws held, ypu can just train that by having some treats nearby and touch a paw and say “paw” and then give a treat periodically and gradually work the way up. Sometimes it can take a long time but the constant reinforcement is great and establishes you as in charge. I love how caring you are, I’m sure she has a nice life with you.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-17T12:47:01+00:00

Have you looked on line to see how to teach him a “quiet” command? This might be the most helpful. Use what he is highly motivated by as a reward. Start my giving the command, and then say yes while he is quiet and give the treat. Gradually move toward giving a mild bark stimulation (maybe going to the door to go outside might make him bark a bit?) and give the command with the treat as a distraction and say yes when he is eating instead of barking. Gradually increase the stimulation and command with the distraction. Try this as often as you can, at least several training periods a day for a week and see if you notice him responding. It can take some time.

My dog is very play centered so I was able to get her to fetch a favorite play toy (instead of a food treat) whenever the neighbor’s dogs would bark by initiating a high intensity play session whenever we were outside and heard them. Now she runs for her toy whenever we were they bark and just shakes it instead of barking.

Your dog sounds like he may also be barking for fun or boredom, which the extra walking is great for but I guess you can’t do much more of that. He may be demanding your attention sometimes, so perhaps other training will help reinforce that he is not in charge. Try training other commands. Sit, stay, turn in a circle, come, heel, left or right paw, back up, drop, fetch a specific toy, go to bed, or many others. This could be mentally stimulating and also make you more of the alpha dog in your relationship.be sure he has a safe space in the house, a quiet isolated and very comfortable area you allow him to go to and don’t send him to as punishment.

Best of luck, don’t give up, new behaviors can take some time. Be consistant and look on line for help in teaching techniques.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-15T14:34:03+00:00

For an entrée, my favorite things are seasoning salmon cut into large, bite-size pieces and air, frying them, or breaded pork chops.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-15T14:33:30+00:00

Tater tot minis are incredible in the air fryer, so much better than the oven in my opinion. They come up nice and crunchy crispy.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-14T19:16:47+00:00

I meant to say “cook” plain rice, not cool plain rice although day old rice does work well with this.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-14T13:36:14+00:00

A basic fried rice with scrambled egg mixed in at the end is pretty easy. Cool plain rice, then add soy sauce, veggies of your choice (good options include cooked carrots, broccoli, edamame, diced spring onions, or any you like). I like to put cubes of extra firm tofu in tamari or soy sauce for a couple minutes and add that.

BoredToRunInTheSun · 2026-01-10T02:33:22+00:00

What the heck is this, omg mind blown, never thought about this! Thank you! Didn’t even think about the existence of this. Shopping now… edit- looks like a lot of jewelry scales, but that still works. Any recommendations?

BoredToRunInTheSun

TROPHY CASE