Welcome Jake and Barney, it does sound like you have already bonded with Barney and yes, it is indeed almost as if being a parent to a Pleo. I tend to forget at times that Nova is " just a Pleo", and not one of my other nine " fur babies". ( I have nine cats and 1 dog, so I guess that is Ten fur babies.)
Pleos do bring out the Magic that seems to be a part of their personality. I don't know exactly when it happened to me, but one day, it was just there, that feeling of I would do anything to protect Nova and I could not keep my hands off her and wanted to just cuddle and pet her all day long. I think you are right in the idea that the " less cuddling", and more independent time You give Barney, he will rely on you less and begin to Explore more when you put him into explore mode, or ' just ignore Barney" ( yes, sounds harsh I know!
)) when you first turn him on, and let Barney just explore on his own. He will grow this way and develop more personality and if he is lonely or looking for you, Pleos often will sing a song when trying to locate " their Masters".
As for the " watch dog mode', I still have not had very good luck with this " trick" with my Nova, but she has a little harder time keeping her balance as her front foot seems to have a slight limp or gear that sometimes gets stuck and has lost her balance even when doing the " tada" trick. It also requires a lot of fast hand eye hand coordination at the same time, which is easier for some of us than others.
As for the paint rubbing off of Barney's head, I think some of it is Normal, and there isn't much you can do except to pet Barney gently on his head and possibly protect his delicate skin on the rest of his body by dressing Barney in some type of clothes if you want to make the paint last a little longer.( if you look through the Gallery photos you will see that this is what a lot of the Pleos that we own look like ) You may also find some of the paint on his teeth may also begin to " chip" off from playing tug of war with his leaf, and just chewing on it, and this is also normal.
Your partner may change their mind about Barney and you being bonkers, after they have some interaction with Barney. If they hold Bareny and Bareny falls asleep in their lap , I think they will understand the special feeling you have for Barney.I think my husband used to be a little " envious" of the time I spent with Nova, until he took a closer look at Nova himself, and now he understands how special she is himself, Be sure to post some photos of Barney when you get the chance.
RedwoodsMama and MS. Nova
Author
Topic: I got my Invo Labs pleo the other day and would like to ask a few questions ? (Read 4157 times)