Angel-Dancer
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« on: November 12, 2009, 11:32:59 PM » |
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Brandon's science experiment is to see who learns the maze the fastest... the rats or the piggies. This is the maze Brandon, Dustin and I put together out of two pieces of plywood, brackets and screws. Tonight is the first night we put the rats in and than the piggies. I did not get rat pics, I will get some tomorrow. We did discover with our first night the piggies were more food driven and found the goal faster than the rats. The rats were more curious and spent more time exploring. Here are a few pics I got with the piggies tonight...Sugar is the white piggie and Coolwhip is the darker one. Hey Coolwhip go this way! No Sugar it's this way!  |
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minniesmom
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« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2009, 10:39:23 AM » |
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 What a cool project!
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KivaLuver
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« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2009, 10:44:38 AM » |
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This is a fun project. You can add to the excitement and the finish time if you add Shadow to the mix.  |
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Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.-Antone France
Animals share with us the privilege of having a soul.-Pythagoras
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dawnk777
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« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2009, 11:25:06 AM » |
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What fun! It would be interesting to watch that. Can you shoot video? Did they get any faster after they'd been in the maze a few times?
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~*Dawn and Jasmine*~   |
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Angel-Dancer
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« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2009, 08:16:41 PM » |
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We are going to video tape it when we start the actual project. Last night and tonight we are just letting them get use to it. Shadow will not be in the maze tonight. Brandon went to get him out and he burrowed deeper in his shavings. Maybe later, but right now the rodents are bigger than him.  |
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Angel-Dancer
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« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2009, 10:37:11 PM » |
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Tonight Coolwhip made it to the finish. Sugar was lost. The rats... get this... did not like the cheese I used so they did not even try to get to the finish. Brandon thought something was wrong with them and got worried, so we tried the cheese we usually give them and they gobbled it right up. They like mozzerella string cheese. Here are a couple of pics I got of them in the maze tonight. Jasmine is in the lead.  Sara is still at start.   |
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minniesmom
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« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2009, 12:46:15 AM » |
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Is this a school project, or just for fun?
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Angel-Dancer
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« Reply #8 on: November 14, 2009, 03:10:42 PM » |
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It is a school project for his science class. They had to do something with biology. Brandon decided to do it with the animals. Other kids are doing things with chemicals and such. The kids have 3 mos to complete their project. It is due next month. Brandon did a lot of the planning with his grampa. I bought all the materials and borrowed a circular saw from my sister. Dustin, Brandon and I spent a bunch of evenings and weekends putting it together. Dustin got pretty good with the saw, I was impressed. The pieces are not cut to precision, but it all works.
The experiment is kinda fun and I think the piggies and rats enjoy it too. They get extra treats and time to play.
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KivaLuver
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« Reply #10 on: November 18, 2009, 10:05:22 AM » |
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Either you have very tiny little dogs or some very large rats for that maze.
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Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.-Antone France
Animals share with us the privilege of having a soul.-Pythagoras
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k9krazee (Ashley)
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« Reply #12 on: November 19, 2009, 06:50:19 AM » |
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That's so cool!!
For my biology project (science fair project) I did a maze too! It was my clever ploy to get my mom's permission to get some new pets! I had a male and female mouse and my objective was to see who would learn the maze the fastest. It was flawed logic, I don't know why I even had a male and female in the same cage anyway. Well...first night the female killed the male, so that project was toast. I ended up doing "at what time does a mouse run the fastest through a maze?"
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Ashley and Crossbone ("Miniature ACD")
Living with my parents: Jack (Lab/Beagle), Micki & Mini (JRTs)
RIP Kyra: 7/11/04 - 11/3/12 & Shadow: 4/2/96 - 3/17/08
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Angel-Dancer
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« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2009, 08:12:45 AM » |
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Did the mouse ever get thru the maze? Our maze is so big to accomodate the piggies that the rats are intimidated by it. They like to find a place small and stay there. They take the bait and run back to the beginning. We have decided to put them at the end and see how fast they make it to the beginning. Our rat Sara makes it in 7 sec flat. Our rat Jasmine actually stops to eat and takes a few minutes. The guinea pigs still take consistently take a wrong turn at first, than go to the finish. It is kinda fun to watch. |
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dawnk777
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« Reply #14 on: November 19, 2009, 02:05:33 PM » |
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Wish I could come over and watch. It would be fascinating! What is the treat? Little pieces of cheese? Are the rats better at figuring out the pattern? Going through the maze the first time is probably like trying to figure out where your groceries are, after the grocery store remodels!
Our store remodeled a long time ago already and the other day I had to ask where the Manwich was. I guess I don't buy it enough.
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~*Dawn and Jasmine*~ |
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Angel-Dancer
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Kyra Our Service Dog in training
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« Reply #15 on: November 21, 2009, 02:33:36 PM » |
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That's funny Dawn. Yeah, I guess it would be like that in a grocery store. I have been lost in stores many times. The treats are cheese for the rats and the end is romaine lettuce, carrots and a little more cheese. For the piggies it is bell peppers and at the end is romaine lettuce, cilantro. We have discovered the rats know the maze, but they are more motivated to go from end to beginning. I never thought about it when I made the beginning the smallest part of the maze and the ending the largest that the rats would prefer the smaller part. Brandon asked his teacher if it was okay to have the rats start from the end to beginning and time them that way, she said yes. In that regard the rats of learned the pattern the quickest. The piggies are very food motivated, the rats are security motivated. It is interesting. The piggies are enjoying their time and the rats prefer to just be held and fed cheese like there out of cage time is usually spent. The chihuahuas and Reggie are loving cleaning up he maze. It is kinda funny to watch them in the maze, the hop over the walls.  Oh Dawn...BTW I just realized the names Brandon has chose for his rats... Sara and Jasmine are same names in your household. How funny... that was not planned at all. Brandon does not even go on DA.  |
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« Last Edit: November 21, 2009, 02:35:36 PM by Angel-Dancer »
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dawnk777
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« Reply #16 on: November 21, 2009, 09:06:37 PM » |
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Interesting factoid! I know that guinea pigs like to ask for food, so that doesn't surprise me.
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~*Dawn and Jasmine*~ |
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