Isabella New Digs

A little while ago we decided that our rat Isabella's cage was too little and boring. So we set out to make a cage out of some wood left over from the bookcases and shelves I made for the boys bedroom.

We screwed the boards together and made a shelf and a divider with two holes for her to climb through then we bought some hardware "cloth" which is basically wire mesh and stapled it to the back and to the door that we made out of the basement railings that we took out  when we finished the basement.

Later I made a latter out of some balsa wood I had and we got some large PVC connectors and made a little play tunnel. She seems to enjoy it and the kids like to watch her play around in it.

I just got the news, after being one of the winners from his school science fair last month, Andrew got 3rd place at the District 3rd and 4th grade Science Fair in the life sciences category. Way to go Andrew!

At Christmas we got a pet rat that the kids named Isabella. So when it came time for Andrew to decide if he wanted to do a science project (in 3rd and 4th grade it is optional) one option we discussed was to use Isabella. We ended up deciding to run taste tests with Isabella to find out what her favorite food is among the different food groups. I know you can't read the board from the picture, so I will just tell you. It was peas. We had a lot of fun running the experiments and I'm sure Isabella enjoyed the extra treats and attention.

Cara loves this rat and if we aren't careful she will probably squish her to death.

In the pre-test waiting area. Isabella learned how to jump and climb on top of the sides though so she didn't wait here long. We designed the box with a divider that we could pull up to let Isabella through to the food.

One of our first tests. She wasn't as interested in the food at first as she was in exploring the box. Eventually though she learned that if she quickly picked a food we would let her eat it and then get out of the box to play on the table.

Andrew says that we would do a science project again next year. Good thing since he says he wants to be a scientist when he grows up.