Today I gave the rats a hard boiled egg in the shell.

 

Cricket discovers the egg first. He sniffs it all around, tastes it, and tries gnawing it with his teeth. He can't get in.

 

Cricket abandons the egg as a bad job.

 

Snip discovers the egg next. He sniffs it with great attention, but he can't get in.

  

Snip abandons the egg.

  

Then Widget sniffs the egg.

  

But he can't crack it. As he leaves, he pees on it.

  

I crack the egg just a little.

  

Cricket discovers the cracked egg. He is intrigued. There's something tasty in there.

  

Cricket pulls off a little bit of shell and takes his first bite of egg.

  

It's a hit! Cricket peels off more shell and takes two, three, four more bites.

  

Cricket makes off with the egg. He digs his lower teeth into the soft white and steadies the egg with his top teeth on the shell. He can't go far, though, the egg is heavy and awkward. His brother Snip is behind the cage. Snip hasn't noticed yet.

Snip notices the egg. Snip makes a lunge. Cricket half carries, half pushes the egg all the way behind the cage and around the other side. Snip follows close and gets a bite of egg.

Snip eats his first bit of egg.

Snip grabs the egg and tries to abscond with it.

But it's too heavy. He pulls off another piece instead.

Cricket and Snip alternate in tearing pieces off. For a few seconds, all is quiet.

Cricket, tired of sharing, rolls the egg toward the middle of the room.

Snip retrieves it from Cricket, takes more bites.

Full of egg, Snip wanders off.

The abandoned, half eaten egg.

Widget rounds the corner of the cage and comes across a piece of shell. He happily nibbles the shell's inner lining, not yet aware of the bonanza a few inches away.

Widget discovers the egg!

Widget pulls off chunks of egg.

And sits back to eat each piece.

Widget eats for several minutes, then leaves the egg to explore.

The End