One up for Lo, Nil for the Hamster

[Lo]

My hamster, Molly made good her escape a week or so before Christmas. I know where she goes but I can't get to it - a wall cavity behind the kitchen sink unit.

I had no option but to go home with her still on the loose but I laid down a plastic dinner tray before I left containing a generous array of both dried and wet food, hamster treats, water and a big bundle of hamster (furry) bedding.

I stopped off on the 28th and noticed she'd had the LOT! Including the lump of cheese and the fresh sprout I placed down :lol: She'd also taken the bedding but not before she'd gnawed away a lot of wool from my deep-pile circular kitchen rug :( Then a few nights ago I heard this weird scratching noise and narrowed it down to the area beneath the bathtub - the bathtub is against the wall that backs on to the kitchen which makes sense. She was scratching or gnawing at the bath panel - not good news.

The situation was getting desperate so recently I stopped laying out anything and then last night I decided to leave the kitchen door open this time and shut all the other doors, leaving just this one to my Den open. I then laid out a trail of tiny roasted chicken bits right up to my computer desk and later last night, right on cue, in she wobbled like a lamb to the slaughter - I say wobbled because OMG! She was ENORMOUS :lol:

So fat in fact I was able to grab her and toss her into her Rotastack Jungle which I had dismantled, cleaned thoroughly in her absence and reassembled before preparing it for the Royal arrival :D

I was watching her earlier trying to get up her tube - she's so plump all I could see were these tiny feet and a big ass wiggling about at the bottom as she tried to squeeze herself up her tube :lmao:

I think I'll have to reduce her diet or certainly refrain from giving her too many treats as one should never allow their pets to become clinically obese. She obviously was planning to hibernate during the big freeze and may have over-eaten. Goodness knows she had enough food laid out to last her a couple of months! :eek:

[xzx]

If I were that hamster I'd look up at humans and be afraid I'd be a quick snack. It probably thought it over and realized she needs to be the mother of more hammier to keep you fed. Animals think weird things, I live by horses and they actually have horse shrinks, ha ha.

[Lo]

If I were that hamster I'd look up at humans and be afraid I'd be a quick snack. It probably thought it over and realized she needs to be the mother of more hammier to keep you fed. Animals think weird things, I live by horses and they actually have horse shrinks, ha ha.



Horse whisperers? Cool!

All of my hamsters to date, with the one exception of Molly, were "tameable". When I bought Molly, the lady in the pet shop told me she'll jump and that all of the brood would be the same. They were a batch of girls and in spite of my experience I was never able to tame Molly - she would jump like a flea and ergo, was very hard to capture if she escaped due to my mistakes of not securing the hatch down properly.

I only got her this time because she's now slower-moving due to being overweight and old. She'll sadly perish before spring - they don't live much beyond two years :(

But the fact I have not been able to handle her has in no way slighted my love for her - and, all animals if I am honest. You have to be pretty strong emotionally to keep hammies because of their short life span. I will never replace her and one never replaces any pet - they just provide a home for a new little soul.

In all truth, xzx, I don't even believe in caging animals but once they have reached the pet stores it's a bit late to get all political about it so I buy one just so I can give it a home. SOMEONE is going to buy it and I would rather it be me so that I can care for it in the proper manner as opposed to some spoilt kid who'll let it starve three weeks after the novelty has worn off :rolleyes:

YES, it was my fault that Molly escaped but in a way I'm glad she got to have a few adventures :D But from this point forward, she'll be caged and looked after properly - in terms of close to hand!!. I'll be more vigilant in future as she's clearly in need of careful observation.

Thanks for your reply :)

[theBlackman]

Meany. Locking up that poor innocent hamster. Freedom is a god-given right, at least that's what "they" say.

Face it. In her native habitat (the Andes) hamsters run free. Except those few unfortunates that are raised for the dinner table.

On the other hand when you run out of comestibles you can always have Roast Hamster. :D

[Lo]

Not all the time I've got a massive whole leg of lamb to roast (today) :D

I actually think she's happier now in her cage for it's not as restrictive as many cages, it's quite expansive and she's shown no indication of wanting to escape as yet. I think it's the cold weather and at least when she's caged, she knows she has a regular food supply and all of her housework done for her :p

I'm glad she's had her little adventures but she's getting old now and needs that security of a warm bed and someone to "Mollycoddle" her!

I'm still a little concerned about her weight but she's been on her wheel so hopefully she'll work some of that excess off. I just have to resist the temptation to give her fattening treats but just know I'll end up giving her a small piece of lamb :o I can't not treat her to a bit of that because it is so expensive in these parts and it's rare I buy it but this was half-price. But aside from that I'll definitely not give her any more cheese or hamster choccies since I can always treat her with a bit of tomato or cucumber/lettuce which won't be too calorific :nut:

[Lo]

Incidentally, The Andes? That's too cold a climate! They come from Syria, mainly, I'm sure! :rasp:

If they originated from the Andes, the plane crash victims would have had no end of food available to them and wouldn't have resorted to snacking on eachother :D

[theBlackman]

Actually you are right. I had a brain $$art. Siberia, Syria and the Gobi.

Still not the warmest places in the world. :)

[KoolKat]

Yay! Glad to hear you finally got her back. :D
Don't worry too much about her weight. As long as you hold off the treats for a bit, she burn off the fat with exercise from her wheel. :)
I think you were probably right in that she was probably fattening herself up to hibernate.

[KoolKat]

She'll sadly perish before spring - they don't live much beyond two years :(

Don't be sad, it's possible with the nice home you've given her that she'll live beyond that. Smudge was well over 2 years 6 months when the cancer finally got the better of him. If it hadn't been for the cancer (he was too little and weak to operate on and I also thought that it would be cruel even if he did survive because of all the pain which he wouldn't understand), I think he would have lived on for another 6 months before old age took him.


In all truth, xzx, I don't even believe in caging animals but once they have reached the pet stores it's a bit late to get all political about it so I buy one just so I can give it a home. SOMEONE is going to buy it and I would rather it be me so that I can care for it in the proper manner as opposed to some spoilt kid who'll let it starve three weeks after the novelty has worn off :rolleyes:

I completely agree with you Lo. When I've been visiting the local pet shops, I've felt sick sometimes watching some of the types of people who take little animals away with them. Often it is irresponsible parents giving in to the whiney sqealing of their spoilt child(ren) who want it, but the novelty will wear off after a week or so and the poor little animal will end up suffering, being abandoned or worse... :(
Even though I really would love to own a pet shop, I'd probably go out of business quickly because I'd be very strict about who bought the animals. I'd also put a stop to the school kids coming in their groups during lunch and after school to treat the place like a zoo, tapping on glass and making as much noise as possible etc. It's so distressing for the animals that I would have a rule that children under a certain age have to be accompanied by an adult and if they behave badly, they get thrown out.
As I said before, my pet shop would probably go out of business very quickly. :hmm:

YES, it was my fault that Molly escaped but in a way I'm glad she got to have a few adventures :D But from this point forward, she'll be caged and looked after properly - in terms of close to hand!!. I'll be more vigilant in future as she's clearly in need of careful observation.

Don't blame yourself, sometimes despite doing all you can, accidents can still happen.

When I was about 6 or 7, the school I was at had a class hamster called Sandy (later renamed Houdini) who lived in a wire cage and somehow always managed to escape.
The teacher even gave us the class project of ensuring the cage was escape-proof by attaching a buzzer via a circuit thing that would continually buzz if the top part of the cage came away from the bottom part, breaking the circuit. But she still managed to get out.

Eventually one weekend the janitor called the police believing that burglars had broken in again (there was a big problem with that) because he noticed the small curtains beneath the stage (that the chairs etc were hidden behind) were moving. When the police arrived and discovered Sandy, the teacher finally got rid of the old cage, bought her a rotastak and she never escaped again. :)

Even Rotastack is not perfect, however - I've found that some of the plugs can be loose and so I have to go over all the plugs and tubes and lids etc everytime I clean Button's cage to make sure he can't get out. When Smudge was in there, we took him while staying at my parents and he somehow managed to figure out how to open the roof hatch on a small rectangular carry compartment that was attached. Needless to say, after finding him and thanking the heavens that my parent's cats hadn't got him, we removed that piece.

[xzx]

If you love it so much and it's going to die you should get a male hamster.

[KoolKat]

What do you mean Xzx?
Females can be just as nice as the males. It just depends on the personality of the hamster. Each time I've chosen one it's been random fate that they turned out to be male.
My fiancé had a little female hamster called Fudge and she was a lovely little poppet.

[xzx]

My older brother had a hamster. He'd put it in a hamster ball and he'd roll around on the floor, pretty cool. Sometimes he'd get out and he'd (or she, can't remember) spend all night tearing at the carpet to get under the door crack. Anyway the hamster enjoyed the round, clear hamster ball, maybe you can get your one somewhere. It has a hatch and you put them in it and you'll laugh all day!.

[xzx]

What do you mean Xzx?
Females can be just as nice as the males. It just depends on the personality of the hamster. Each time I've chosen one it's been random fate that they turned out to be male.
My fiancé had a little female hamster called Fudge and she was a lovely little poppet.

I meant he should find her a husband, LOL! :lmao:

[dumah's wraith]

Lo, I've nothing against your hamster, but how do you know that lamb you ate wasn't being maltreated?

And whatever hamster you buy will be replaced, and that one will be bought by the neglectful schoolkid.

[chip5541]

Posted on my Facebook page....

My kids Hamsters....

My sons fish died a little over a week ago and he got very upset. My
mother-in-law took him to the pet store to get another fish and instead
comes home with 4 Hamsters. 1 for each of my kids. I reached in to pet
one of them and the little bastard bit my finger and drew blood!!! Since
when did hamsters start doing this!...

My fear was realized. We now have one dead hamster. This morning we found one dead and the mean one was eating the dead ones face.

[xzx]

EWE! My brother's ham bit him before.

We had nice big fish named Oscar and I'd feed him flies. My old friend caught some fish in a creek and put him in the same tank and it killed Oscar because it was contaminated by the creek. RIP

[KoolKat]

Anyway the hamster enjoyed the round, clear hamster ball, maybe you can get your one somewhere. It has a hatch and you put them in it and you'll laugh all day!.

Smudge had one of those and he loved it, although as he got older he just enjoyed sitting on our laps and exploring the couch instead. When he did still enjoy being in the ball though, he loved to follow us around or if one of us were on the computer, he'd go over to check on us. We once had a visitor round for a glass of wine and it was so funny because he was a bit nervous of rodents, and Smudge kept rolling to his feet. He kept gently turning Smudge's ball around to get him to go away, but Smudge insisted on checking out the newcomer until we put him back into his cage. It's now been passed down to Button who loves it just as much as Smudge used to. :)

And whatever hamster you buy will be replaced, and that one will be bought by the neglectful schoolkid.

At the end of the day, even if everyone who cared about the animals stopped buying them, the neglectful school kids etc would allow the pet trade to continue and no pets would have any good homes. We can't stop it happening, but what people like Lo and I can do is at least offer some of the animals a kind and happy life where we can.
When I finished college, I spent the last of my bursary buying a sweet little pair of Bourke parakeets that had sat in a tiny cage at the local petshop for most of the year. They were in terrible condition and I knew deep down that they wouldn't last long, but I didn't want them to die in there poked and terrified by kids. They perked up when we brought them home. Sadly they passed on that Winter within a month of each other, but in the short time we had them, they were allowed to fly free around the room with a spacious cage to sleep in and had treats, food and clean water. I don't regret for a second taking those two on. The pet shop has since been taken over by new management so there are fewer birds in larger cages now and they all look a lot happier. :)

My fear was realized. We now have one dead hamster. This morning we found one dead and the mean one was eating the dead ones face.

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that. :( What type of hamster were they? Syrian hamsters have to live alone as they are not sociable with their own kind and Dwarf Winter White Russian hamsters are only sociable with others of their own kind if introduced to each other when young.

My old friend caught some fish in a creek and put him in the same tank and it killed Oscar because it was contaminated by the creek.

Sorry to hear about Oscar. Unfortunately wild fish can carry a number of diseases that pet fish can't withstand due to imbreeding affecting the capabilities of their immune systems etc.

[Lo]

KoolKat - thanks so much for your understanding on all counts of my earlier post regarding Molly :flowers:

I know completely that feeling of espying people buying pets for their screaming brats who "want..want..want" and "get..get..get" but what we don't get to see is how the clumsy kid decides to perform an experiment involving a hamster and a liquidiser - heard about it all too often amongst little boys via animal cruelty sites :mad2: Obviously, some children are responsible and caring so I can't impune them all LOL!

Nobody can say they are the best owner nor the most selfless and indeed the less clumsy. But it helps if you are pre-armed with a whole lot of information if lacking in experience. In fact these days information is so readily and "freely" available online so there's no excuse for neglect via lack of both. I still maintain that some sort of Animal Owership Licence should be enforced.

Molly has now shed a substantial amount of that weight and she is less lacklustre. I put that down to her having resigned herself to the thought she was going to have to hibernate and, after capture, she actually had more exercise on her wheel than she got outside of the cage and her body shifted the weight off now she was warm and safe again and with no desire to hibernate :)

She's now gnawing at the bars again after days of showing no interest - a good sign in that she is recharged and ready for her next adventure! Oh well, she won't be getting one but it comforts me to know that she THINKS she can get out because she has done three times before! All the time there is hope in her, there is determination and I feel happy knowing that her fighting spirit is very much back and alive!

Thank you again, you are such a comfort when it comes to my animal worries!! :):flowers: