Trying out-of-cage time and scatter feeding

Okay so we are trying something new. I cleared out a space in the living room corner. Put down a blanket and used the old playpen walls I had in the closet. I sat in there with her for about twenty minutes tonight. I was terrified she was just going to climb the walls and escape into the apartment but she was actually... okay.

She didn't try to escape the pen. She just ran around sniffing everything. I put some mugs and boxes in there for her to climb on. She was super fast, just zooming from one thing to another. Her whiskers were going crazy. It was the first time in weeks I've seen her look curious instead of just stressed and angry. It was actually kind of nice to watch.

Then for dinner, no bowl. I felt mean doing it, but I took her food mix and just sprinkled it all over the bedding. Mixed it in with the moss and the paper. She looked confused for a second when she went to the food platform and it was empty. But then she started sniffing and digging.

She's been doing that for the last hour. Just rooting around in the bedding finding seeds. It's definitely more work for me to set up the playpen and make sure the food is spread out properly but... honestly? It's quiet. I haven't heard the chewing sound yet. She's back in the cage now and I'm just waiting to see if it lasts. Fingers crossed. I'm exhausted but if this works it's worth it.