Rodents (Mice/Rats):
Sensing:
Because Rodents have a very bad vision and far more rods than cones in their retinas they see a blurry world with only faint colour, ranging from green to ultraviolet but are able to see with less light than humans. They rely on smell/ hearing rather than vision while navigating extensively by whisker touch. (Nonetheless they can perceive depth of vision by using relative motion parallax) Interestingly, rodents are able to move their eyes independently.
Communication:
Rodents can be tamed/trained or lured with smell or scared away with loud sound, moving (bigger) objects or earth tremors (heavy steps)
Space:
To create an interesting game/interactive possibility for rodents, a table-sized playing field could suffice, but a bigger field would increase the possibilities – depending on the game
An interesting idea would be to create a rather huge labyrinth-type game for the rodent which could be observed through cameras on a computer, giving options to remotely manipulate the field/game without the actual field being in the room (connecting digital and “real NPCs”)
Symbolism:
-Games/the digital and reality
-Manipulation and conspiracies
-Religion(?)
Ethics/Living Conditions:
Minding where the animal comes from: no highly bred rodents as to not support over-breeding Thinking about where the animal is supposed to live after the exhibition. Rodents prefer living in small groups – it is important that the members are of the same gender and compatible with each other (ideally siblings). Furthermore, removing an individual from the group puts stress on all of them – which is to be prevented. Regular veterinary check-ups. Careful transport A suitable environment (nesting/bedding materials, hiding places, secure environment, good ventilation, suitable temperature, natural indirect day light, appropriate home- and cleaning cage)
Logistics:
A stack of materials for the cage, food and cleaning – also regular contact with humans and a good placement of the cage.
Quite some electronics for the controllable labyrinth, otherwise other stuff.
The Rodents could be kept in the BioLab but It would probably be better to be kept them in someone’s home …