Super short update... I'm pretty exhausted and still adjusting to the new job and schedule. I knew it might be hard for the red queen, so I rearranged her cage into zones before I started about a month ago. I will get a good picture for you guys when I refill the activity zone. A million thanks to
@JLcribber for the phone book shredder! It has become the focus of the activity zone, and it bares the brunt of the ire and frustration while providing a natural behavior outlet for her. The replacement is not going to last long, but I can make them in a few minutes and get rid of 3 or 4 newspapers at a time. It seems like the days filled with digging and arranging the "nest" are also very full of checking her foraging zone, having tea time, and in general she's more alert and content. I worried at first that it was too similar to nesting and would result in cage aggression and hormonal behavior. So far it's been very minimal... In fact far better than the days we went without her paper to dig, shred, and rearrange. In fact, when I replaced the shredder I was completely ignored to keep working on the paper project long after I got home from the new job. I caught her using a foot toy to dig through her shreds one day, and it is becoming a favorite thing to do as long as she doesn't drop all of them through the grate!
Here's a tea time picture to tide you over for while... I can put it in a big cup on her cage or a regular mug, but the little cups (hang on ss bowls) get thrown tea and all!