Nysse has been less active recently – sleeping more, exploring less, spending less time trying to steal food at dinnertime. If he were human, I’d say he’s acting depressed. But it’s hard to figure out what (if anything) is wrong when he can’t talk. It’s just like having a baby again.

Too little food? Entirely possible, since we’re working off standard portion sizes and random guesses.

Lonely and missing his previous family? Realizing that this is his new reality and he’s not going back?

Bored and understimulated, since he’s cooped up indoors instead of wandering around freely?

When in doubt, try everything. Which is the opposite of the scientific method where you vary one thing at a time, and probably not the best way to find out the answer, but hopefully the best way to get him happier again. We’re upping his food ration, and I’m also cautiously experimenting with taking him outdoors.

Morris has helpfully been demonstrating for Nysse how the doors work – you walk up to the line in the middle, really close, and sit there, and then a human comes and opens them. Nysse imitates him, but when I open, he just looks and listens and smells, but doesn’t actually dare go out. So I’ve gone out with him to keep him company – he seems to feel safer that way.