Farewell Penelope

This experience has been filled with excitement and frustration. I never knew how intense of a process it would be to train an animal to perform a task. From all the readings and practice with Sniffy, I thought it would be an easy process. I soon realized that not all rats like to cooperate. Even though Penelope and I did not have success, I still really enjoyed this experience. I was always hopeful that each new day would be the day that Penelope pressed the bar. Even though she never made it far, I do think I learned a lot about the process of training. It was helpful to see firsthand how they make the connection between food and the light/noise of the food magazine. It is really neat to know how many things could be accomplished if you are a good trainer. This process leaves me hopeful that I can use these techniques on my cat and possibly future roommates or spouse. The most surprising thing to learn was that not every rat is motivated by food. I thought I would automatically be able to train my rat to press the bar, but Penelope showed me that not all animals are the same. I overcame the perception that all rats are mindless creatures that only care about food. I saw a small, but stubborn, personality in Penelope. I really enjoyed spending time with my rat, and I would do this process all over again.

I believe this picture accurately shows how my time with Penelope went. I will miss this stubborn little rat.