Hamsterif

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Hm... 🤨

I haven’t posted for about a month! The truth is, it doesn’t feel the same anymore. I don’t have my 2 girlies or my cranky boy. However, I am so so grateful to still have Albert with me. Those 4 were my original 4, and even though I shouldn’t have favorites, having that ‘group’ of hamsters was an amazing time in my life. Things feel different now. I’ve got Happy that I can hold if I want to put up with some nibbles. I’ve got Albert that I can hold but he doesn’t enjoy it very much (yes! Albert is tame!) Then I have Pie. I haven’t managed to build a bond with him at all and it saddens me to say it but he doesn’t feel like my hamster. He is very cute but he just doesn’t feel like mine. Then I have Ginger and Ocean that aren’t mine, but I feel more connected to them than I do Pie which makes me feel bad.

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I miss Cloud splatting down on my hand and shoving all the food she could into her pouches. I miss Cactus running up and down my arms and firing food from her pouches all over the carpet, and sitting waiting for me to pick her up. I miss Bear glaring at me from across the room and screaming if I did something he didn’t like. I miss the days where I wasn’t checking on Albert and thinking ‘is today the day...’

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Old Man Albert 🧓🏻

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New Wheel! 🤩

I travelled a fair distance to get Cactus and her sister Cloud. When I got there, there were 4 nearly identical baby Russian dwarf hamsters having various arguments. I picked Cloud out first, and then Cactus. We had some trouble on the way home but they settled soon enough.

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I put Cactus into the cage and she explored a little, before deciding she wanted the little pink and white house to be hers. She tried to get in through the window rather than the door and got her head stuck which made me worry for hours after that she was going to die - new hamster mum troubles.

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At first, I didn’t really bond very well with Cactus. I thought she was mean and cold. That changed when I moved her into a different cage and had her sat on my desk next to me. She would watch me work on the computer, and give me a certain look when she wanted to come out for cuddles. She would instantly run over to my hands to be picked up. We developed this amazing bond and I was completely in love with my little girl.

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At the start of March we noticed Cactus had developed two lumps; one on her cheek and one on her chest. The one on her cheek went away after about 2 weeks, but the one on her chest kept growing. I was devastated that my baby’s time was coming close, especially because my 18th birthday was coming up and I wanted to have her by my side for that. She made it and I held her for a little while that morning. That was the best birthday present, and one I thought I could only dream of having. That was the last time I held her while she was alive because she started becoming uncomfortable with it. After my birthday, we were constantly on edge waiting for when it was going to happen. She soldiered on for 19 days after before she finally fell asleep in her little log cabin for the last time.

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Cactus was cremated rather than buried because I wanted to keep her close. Her ashes are in a memory bear that resembles her. I also have a little collection of real cacti in her memory. She was a very special girl and I miss her so much every single day.

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It’s Been A While...

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Cage... Downgrade? 🤔

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Cage Upgrade! 👻

Bear and I first met when I went in to my local Pets at Home to pick up some bits and bobs. I saw his baby self in his cage looking out and fell in love. After a bit of begging, I ended up leaving without him. How annoying.

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A few weeks after this, I was back in the shop picking up some more stuff when I look over at the cage. And there he was, still waiting. A little more convincing, and he was being prepared to go to his new home. With me! I was so happy that I got my boy after all.

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Bear was a bit cautious, a bit curious, and seemingly VERY angry. He was so cranky and made the biggest deal out of everything. He was the first hamster I heard scream. He snatched food out of your hands, shoved it in to a pouch, then strutted off angrily. He glared at you from across the room. He broke in to Albert’s cage and trashed his bed. And the bites. Ouch. I was surprised, because he seemed like he would be very friendly, until I put my hand near him of course. A few bites, a bit of blood, and many divebombs later, and we had ourselves a safe to hold Bear. Were we proud? Damn right we were. It took a whole year but we got there.

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So now we had a slightly less cranky Bear. Still cranky, but no longer attacked on sight. He still snatched food though. He never stopped doing that. He had an incredible appetite, even more so for a dwarf hamster. Cloud and himself are probably feasting up there right now and bonding over their love of food.

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Trying to name Bear was hard. I had many names in mind for him, like Wilbur, Wilberforce (he used to army crawl a lot as a baby), Rupert, and of course Bear. Now I loved the name Rupert, but it seemed too soft for him. He looked like and tried to act like a Bear, so it was only fitting. But, I couldn’t get Rupert out of my head, so I settled for Rupert Bear. I never really mentioned his proper name anywhere, not for any reason, although it was mainly used when he’d been bad. So pretty much daily when you think about it... I think it suited him well, especially when his softer side came out as he aged.

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Well Bear, I have to admit I wasn’t expecting this just yet. I love you. Sleep tight scruffy boy.

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🐻

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Sad News... 🐻

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A... Different Way Of Moving Things

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Angry Cactus 🤬

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Good Signs!

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So...

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A Worrying Find...