Class was only dismissed hours ago, but I feel like to properly chronicle my time with Momotaro II I need to start from the very day I received him. I used to have a pygmy puff, Momotaro, but due to some differences of opinion between him and my cat...well...I couldn't keep him anymore. So, he currently lives with one of my brothers. Needless to say, this assignment does have me a little worried seeing as Walnut is very territorial.

Immediately following class, Momotaro II took to liking being perched on my right shoulder - never the left. I am not sure the reason for this exactly, but as long as he is cooing I know that he is happy. I went to the Great Hall for dinner and had a really hard time keeping him on my shoulder and not in my bowl of pumpkin soup. So, I eventually gave in and let him have the soup...but all he wanted to do was take a bath in it. I know that pumpkin is full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, but I thought that that was only when you ate it. I guess that Momotaro II knows something that I don't.

After dinner, Momotaro II and I headed back to the dorms where all I wanted to do was relax but, as I expected Walnut was not pleased with him being there and a mild disaster ensued. Don't worry, professor, Momotaro II is perfectly fine and managed to wedge himself under my dresser to avoid Walnut and his claws and came out with nothing more than dust caught in his fur.

So, a dusty pygmy puff will result in an unhealthy pygmy puff, so I took the little guy back to the common room and decided to brush him over at the study tables. A lot of hair was removed from him, so I suppose that with spring on the way in another month that shedding season is approaching. That, or the he was just really stressed out over what had happened in the dorms. Momotaro II also that that the clump of fur was another pygmy puff and got really excited. Does this mean that pygmy puffs are social creatures? I'll have to try and set up a play date with someone and their pygmy puff. He seems to miss being around the rest of the herd already.

Sincerely,

Kurumi Hollingberry

Momotaro II's fascination with pumpkin soup continues. I am starting to wonder if that pygmy puffs, just like humans, have their own individualized Amortentia. All creatures have their likes and dislikes, those scents that we are more drawn towards than others, but not even Walnut is drawn to catnip in the same way that Momotaro II is to pumpkin soup. At lunch, I ate a soup based in regular chicken broth, nothing out of the ordinary, and Momotaro II had no desire to dive into it. At dinner, it was back to pumpkin soup for me and, well, Momotaro II didn't even wait for me to put my spoon in it.

So, I cut dinner short and headed straight to the girls' bathroom on the second floor to attempt and give him a bath. I used Scourgify and some other simple charms previously, but nothing beats a good bath, right? I have a special pet shampoo that I bought for Walnut over the summer. It's primary purpose is for fleas, which I don't think Momotaro II really has issues with, but it was probably a better option than using regular soap. Animal skin can be very sensitive when it comes to such things.

The bath itself was an adventure. Bubbles everywhere and nearly loosing Momotaro II again when he really just ended up nearly floating out a window while being trapped in one of the soap bubbles. One thing is for sure, life with Momotaro II certainly is never dull.

Momotaro II is sleeping my pillow fast asleep as I write this and he sort of twitches every now and again. I wonder what he is thinking about, since it looks like he is dreaming. Walnut often twitches and purrs in his sleep and this seems to be the same thing. Do pygmy puffs dream? I honestly think if they do that Momotaro II is dreaming about being in a giant bowl of pumpkin soup.

Sincerely,

Kurumi Hollingberry

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the common room with Momotaro II and some of my fellow Gryffindor's pygmy puffs. Turns out that he wasn't really feeling all that lonely, at least not for pygmy puffs of the same gender. I was able to confirm that he was a male though - and not just because of his squeaking and puffing up at the appearance of a female pygmy puff in the common room. I...don't really ever want to see that bit of Momotaro II again, so I am not going to go into further explanation right now.

My main purpose for writing this entry isn't because of the discovery of THAT on Momotaro II, but due to the events that happened at dinner. Momotaro II hadn't been eating much recently, so I was getting concerned that he was maybe sick. Everyone else's pygmy puff seems to eat and eat and eat, but Momotaro II is very fussy and particular about what he puts in his mouth. I suppose I should be thankful for this.

Anyway, at dinner he ate the entire Gryffindor house table out of sugar cubes and also show a particular fondness for shrimp. This got me thinking a bit, so I headed to the library for a bit of research. I always thought that Momotaro II's coloring was similar to that of a flamingo's, but I never put much thought into it after that. That is, until he started eating only shrimp at dinner tonight. Flamingos can come in many shades and colors based on their diet because they tend to eat things that contain pigments called carotenoids. One of those is brine shrimp. While Momotaro II was not eating that sort of shrimp at dinner, he was eating shrimp that contain similar pigments. Not only that, but he also tends to favor watermelon and carrots. There are beta-carotene in carrots and lycopene in watermelon that can also cause coloration. Could this be what gives a pygmy puff its color?

I am tempted to feed him other things that contain different chemical properties to see if his coat's color changes, but I think he would resist that and I am not entirely sure how to go about performing this sort of experiment properly. Maybe something to look into later.

Sincerely,

Kurumi Hollingberry

So, I attempted to feed Momotaro II other foods that contained different pigments - more purples - to see if his coat would change color any, but it didn't work. In fact, he wouldn't even touch the other food. So, shrimp and sugar cubes it shall forever be for him. Unfortunately, with all that sugar intake Momotaro II began becoming a little more round and...pudgy than a healthy pygmy puff should be. This also meant that I wasn't being a very good owner and giving him the exercise that he needs.

I suppose it is sort of cruel the manner in which I gave him his exercise, but I knew that Momotaro II would be willing to chase after a sugar cube. I do the same thing with Walnut, tying feathers to a string and then dangling it in front of him. So, I did that with a sugar cube and ran him around the Gryffindor common room first, then one of the corridors, and then eventually at the suits of armor for about 30 minutes each time. Daily dose of 30 minutes of cardio is best I've read.

I really need to be careful and not spoil him. That is one of the dangers of having a pet, you WANT to spoil them and do too much. I'm afraid I have done that with Walnut, which is why he has become rather lazy. Hopefully it isn't too late for Momotaro II. I just can't let a day go by without giving him some sort of exercise...and I need to lay off on the sugar cubes a bit as well.

Sincerely,

Kurumi Hollingberry