Update #53: 13/7/20

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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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But on the plus side, I’ve got 3 healthy hamsters enjoying life.

Update #52: 4/7/20

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Old Man Albert 🧓🏻

Albert is around 2 years old now and his fur is starting to thin out and go a bit patchy in some areas. He looks pretty scraggly! I am going to try a few things so he can restore his youthful appearance but I’m not sure if they will work.

Update #51: 25/6/20

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New Wheel! 🤩

Pie got a new wheel a couple days ago and he is loving it! When I got him I didn’t realise how big he was going to be which meant I didn’t have a wheel the right size, so I ordered one online. He had a flying saucer but he wasn’t very interested in it, but when I put the new wheel in he was so excited and ran so fast he couldn’t keep up with himself. This is the first wooden Trixie wheel I have had and even though it was tedious coating it, it’s a really good, silent, solid wheel!

Meet Pie! He is a male Russian dwarf hamster that I brought home on the 22nd of May. His favorite things to do are climbing and tunnelling! I can’t hold him yet but he is getting closer and closer to that point every day.

Cactus’s Story

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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🌵

Update #50: 9/6/20

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It’s Been A While...

It has been nearly 2 months since I last posted anything on this blog. My sweet Cactus passed away on the 18th of April and after that I lost a lot of motivation to keep this thing going. However, after thinking about it I have decided that I will carry on posting updates here, not only for the few people that read them but also for myself to look back on.

Update #49: 13/4/20

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Cage... Downgrade? 🤔

My last post was me talking about how I gave Albert the whole of the once split Detolf. And this post is me talking about how he now has just half again... I was unsure about how Albert would react to having so much more space due to him being slightly old and being so nervy, and not to my surprise, he was terrified. He couldn’t handle all the space and seemed to feel very unsafe. He stopped eating and barely left his man cave. Thankfully, about a week since I’ve put him back in a smaller section, he is back to his energetic self and is having the time of his life on his wheel! Sometimes, bigger isn’t better after all.

Update #48: 28/3/20

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Cage Upgrade! 👻

After Bear’s passing, I was left with half a Detolf empty. Knowing that I wouldn’t be getting another hamster any time soon, I decided the best way to use the space was to give it to Albert. The second I removed the divider he was zooming up and down the length of the cage. I think he likes it.

✨ Waking up to Cactus on her wheel ✨

Cactus ventured out this morning for a quick drink and some football!

Bear’s Story

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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🐻

Update #47: 19/3/20

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Sad News... 🐻

It is with a heavy heart I announce the passing of our favorite cranky boy, Bear. He was very loved by us all and was a brilliant source of entertainment due to his unique personality. He left us shortly before 2am this morning after a final feast of his favorite foods, some cuddles, and kind words. Rest in peace, Rupert Bear.

Update #46: 7/3/20

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A... Different Way Of Moving Things

Cactus has an odd way of moving things. She uses her pouches on occasion, but the way she uses the most is simply picking it up in her mouth and running around with it half hanging out. She does this with bedding, food, and pretty much everything else. And I love it.

Update #45: 5/3/20

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Angry Cactus 🤬

We took our trip to the vets on Monday to get Cactus checked out, and boy was she MAD. I have never seen her so angry in all my life. She was screaming and kicking stuff everywhere, trying to bite the vet and all. She was the complete opposite to her usual angelic self. We couldn’t actually pick her up so she stayed in the carrier while we stared at her. Eventually she rolled on to her back and we got a good look at her chest lump. The vet wasn’t too concerned and said if she’s acting normally then I shouldn’t worry too much - I am still, of course. Our options were: full sedation and surgery to remove the lump (very risky), part sedation and further investigation of the lump (risky), or to leave it as it is. We chose to leave it as it really isn’t bothering her at all. However, if it grows or she starts showing discomfort to the point it’s severely affecting her quality of life, I will most likely take a gamble on surgery.

Update #44: 2/3/20

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Good Signs!

Cactus was on her wheel last night and is still full of energy. Her behaviour hasn’t changed one bit through all of this which I’m really happy about as it indicates the tumor isn’t bothering her. We are taking her to the vets today to see if there’s any way to help her. I’m worried about it getting any bigger as it’s already quite a size and it growing would likely make it very hard for her to get around. I’m just so relieved she is still her normal bubbly self.

Update #43: 29/2/20

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So...

I was hoping to deliver some good news in this post, but unfortunately there’s no good news to deliver. I checked on Cactus like I was planning too and the lump on her face has only gotten bigger. Not only that, but a massive lump has appeared on her chest that I somehow missed last night. These lumps weren’t there 3-4 days ago so they’ve come up really quickly. I’m really upset but she seems to be her usual active, happy self and thoroughly enjoyed my attention which is helping me feel a bit better. She is due to go to the vets on Monday to see if there’s anything we can do to help her. She’s stocked up on her favorite foods right now.

Update #42: 28/2/20

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A Worrying Find...

Cactus emerged from her slumber and my sister immediately took her out and ran away with her. I go after her and my sister says ‘there’s a lump on her’. This is the worst my heart has dropped since I realised Cloud wasn’t going to pull through. It is on her cheek so I’m praying to the hamster gods that it’s just a piece of food she’s storing, but I’m also aware she’s an older hamster - 1 year, 5 months. For now I’m just going to see if it’s still there tomorrow.