Dedication To Hammy

[HandcuffedAngel]

Special thanks to dbl120902 for this idea.

I have a ham who is also getting old. She has not quite been herself lately, and I fear she is going to pass soon. I tried to get photos, but my camera is a piece and when the photos did come out (all 2 out of at least 15 I took) they weren't the greatest.

But I just wanted to share her with everybody since she has not been a prime here. I am sure you will hear more about her as she makes more and more changes. She never went into the background even when Combat and Isabelle came into the house. She is still very well cared for. I even bought her Yogies (which she never got before) for her final times here. Just something she never knew that I thought would be nice for her to have before she went over the Rainbow Bridge.

The old girl is a biter. She was biting at the camera while I was trying to take pictures. She's blind and deaf (you can see her cataract in the photo), but she's still a little doll. I'll be sad to see her go.

For those who don't know her story, Isabelle was brought to me around a year ago by a girl I kind of knew. She asked me to babysit Hammy and another older boy she had. She brought them both over with supplies and all and left. She called about 3 times. The second time she called was a couple days after the boy passed.

She told everyone else they were old and she expected them to die. I'm guessing she'd had them for around a year and a half-ish. She never came back for them and hasn't called for a very long time. All the better since I think I am the better parent since I saw both of them through to the bitter end.

I love her and I will miss her when she's gone.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/AngelWithoutGrace/HammyHindLegs.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/AngelWithoutGrace/HammyOnTheEdge.jpg

[PetLuver21257]

Cute hammy!

Well, at least she is in good hands now as her final days are arriving. When she goes, are you going to get another dwarf hammie? I mean like not right away if that's how you are, but will you ever again? Because I really like your company here on the hamster forums! lol

[HandcuffedAngel]

Yes, I have previously decided that I will get another ham ... a much friendlier one at that. :laughing:

I agree with many people on here who say that the best way to heal is to save another.

But when I get mine, I'm getting it from a rescue, not a pet shop. We actually have a lot in rescue up here in Michigan in desperate need of good homes.

[PetLuver21257]

Good, rescues are good, but if you do happen to stumble into a petshop where a hamster looks VERY unhappy and is being abused by the other hammies, but is very sweet and doesn't bite humans, would you buy it?

[HandcuffedAngel]

If I were able to make it happy and healthy ... yes.

[HandcuffedAngel]

I think my cage is big enough for 2 dwarves ... anyone think I should get 2?

I would get an already-bonded pair because Zouave has expressed how hard it is to introduce 2 and I wouldn't even want to try it (though I do have 2 cages) because I am having a hard enough time with the bunnies right now.

I have also considered getting a ham to fill up the other cage and also getting mice for the big tank ... or possibly fish. My mom really likes fish but her tank at work doesn't seem to be doing well.

I have 2 30-gallons and a 40-gallon long that are crying out for something to poop in them.

[dwankrista]

what a cute little hammy and, even though she may be a temperamental little critter, i'm sure she appreciates all you have done for her. kudos on giving this little hammy a loving home for her final days! a lot of people i know would have deemed her a lost cause and god knows where she would have ended up. i seriously admire you for that!

whenever you get new critters you know what to do: pictures, pictures, pictures! :D i love coming on the hammy board and looking at the cuties, even though i haven't had a hammy myself since 3rd grade (i do have two ratties and recently lost the love of my life, my mouse, louis). hammies are just too adorable.

[animalmagic]

Yeah, it seems silly if you've got the space, time and dedication for some more animals, then why not give a great home to some furries that need one? :)

[HandcuffedAngel]

I agree. I have all the supplies here, too. My mom would so kill me ... but she has been extremely impressed with how well I got Combat in such a short time. She gets so mad when I clog up her vaccuum with rabbit poop!!! Hahaha!!!

But these tanks are empty, cleaned out, and just taking up space and people always ask the usual question, "Why isn't anything in there?"

When people see an aquarium ... they want to see the animal that inhabits it. People get really distraught when a tank is empty. I feel distraught when I have to look at my empty tanks and think about what beautiful life could be thriving inside of it.

Oh, right. I have an empty 10 gallon, too. I always forget about that little thing.

Gosh ... so much space and so many animals that could be living in it.

Hammy is not and never was a lost cause. She is still such a sweet baby and she's not temperamental ... just blind and deaf. She's scared. If I try to grab her, she gets frightened and bites.

She just loves to nibble. She's such a sweet baby. Not handleable because of her disposition, but I love her nonetheless.

[dwankrista]

i know what you mean. i feel so bad being unable to bring any other critters into my home at the moment. i lost louis a couple of days ago and my heart has just been broken. i have three cages here right now that are just empty and, as much as i would love to have brought home some of the little meece at the pet store yesterday i just couldn't bring myself to do it. i keep telling myself i'm not a bad person for it, but i feel so selfish being unable to open my heart for any other mice now that my best friend is gone. :(

my dad is currently building a ratty grotto for when i move back home in april to begin my fieldwork, so i'm looking forward to adopting another girly rat or two. i'd love to have boys but i'd prefer them neutered for safety's sake with so many girls around and i don't trust the vets here to do the procedure on such a teeny critter. we don't have any rescues here, either, and i lucked out with the rats since we only have one breeder and she came here for norway. so, i'll be getting some more girls from her. :)

[HandcuffedAngel]

Not every transition is easy.

It will be easier for me because I am prepared for her death and it will not come as a shock whenever it does come. She is old and almost ready to go.

But unfortunately sometimes our pets go unexpectedly on us. It's hard, and I know it is. You are not a bad person.

[MouseyMari]

A ten-gallon could house 2 dwarves, but a CritterTrail X couldn't house more than 1, in my opinion.

Hammy is so cute!!

Once again, I'm sorry about Louis dwankrista:(

[HandcuffedAngel]

I never thought so, either. That was why I mentioned it. Phillip posted a cage smaller than the X and someone said it was fine for 2 dwarves.

I have a Safari here too, but I think they're gross-looking. It used to be Hammy's but when the boy passed away I moved her into it a couple weeks later.

[HunnyBunnies]

Thank you for sharing pics of your adorable hamster and your fabulous story. I commend you for being such a great pet owner, thanks for sharing!

[MouseyMari]

Dwarves CAN be territorial, so I don't feel that CritterTrails are really suitable for them. The floorspace isn't large at all. Plus, they have those tubes and sometimes fancy attachments, and sometimes (not all the time) dwarvies can have difficulty climbing up. That may not be true with some of the more energetic hams, but it was true with my friend's Chinese dwarves.

JMO:-)

[HandcuffedAngel]

Mine has always lived in it and she never had an issue with it. She loves going up to the top to sleep (there's only one tube anyway).

She's by herself, anyway. I'm not going to put 2 in there ... ever.

I got a couple photos of her sleeping today. Thought I'd share.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/AngelWithoutGrace/HammySleeping.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/AngelWithoutGrace/HamBall.jpg

Not the best ... but they do. :)

[MouseyMari]

I love it when they fold themselves:-) Cutie!

[Zouave]

I think my cage is big enough for 2 dwarves ... anyone think I should get 2?

I would get an already-bonded pair because Zouave has expressed how hard it is to introduce 2 and I wouldn't even want to try it

Sorry about your ham, but you gave a good life.

I once tried to intro two dwarfs using all the tricks I know from gerbils including a split screen. They went nuts screaming and one even climbed up the screen to jump on the other! So they stayed separate.

Right now I have two litters. A month ago I got a mom, aunt, and six babies. Five survivied and are fine. Oddly, a week ago the aunt also had a litter! I now an trying to keep the mom and aunt familiar with the first bunch's smells by moving them in with them now and then for short periods.

Soon I will have to start sexing and see who gets to stay with the adult females, and which are guys. whether any from the second litter can stay with the first is a tricky issue: if young enough the first bunch might except them. Maybe. We shall see.

A great way to remember and commemorate your deceased hams and other pets if with something like my MEMORIAL PHOTO GALLERY (http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=5199770&uid=924030&members=1)

[HandcuffedAngel]

Aww ... thanks for that. :)

I tried hard for her because I felt bad that her and her brother's owner just left them. I was just glad they came to me. Anyone else only expecting to babysit would have gotten rid of them once they had to start paying out-of-pocket. I never minded. She is my ham now, and I do love her.

I used to have a lot of dwarfs after my two "boys" had babies and I split them up by sex but the boys all killed each other. I haev a horror story of my own, though I won't share it, because it was a very gory moment of my life that frightens me to this day. This is why I haven't really given thought to having 2 hamsters in the same cage until now. I already know that Syrians always stay solitary, but after what happened with my dwarves, I'm afraid to bring 2 of them home to stay in the same cage. I have plenty of cages to bring 2 home and they could each have their own enclosure. I'm just not sure yet, which is why I have been asking questions.

I have ben considering bringing one home to fill up the Safari (though it's not my favorite cage). There are a few at our Tiny Paws small animal rescue with special needs that I have been thinking about getting. people don't go to shelters for small animals anymore. Everyone goes to pet stores.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks for the help and the link. :)

[MouseyMari]

I know what you mean by the shelters....A week or so ago my shelter had a beautiful BEW male hamster, and right now has a lovely little feeder mouse.......I begged my mom, but that shelter is rude and irrational she says, (you can't keep a chicken in a chicken coop! :rolleyes: ) so no. I was mad nonetheless. This mousie is a year old too, she'll die at the shelter:cry:

[dwankrista]

wow, i never realized shelters had so many little critters needing homes. here in newfoundland where i am from shelters very rarely get anything other than cats and dogs. there was a bunny once, a guine pig another time, and even a goat, but other than those three i haven't seen any critters there. i'd love to adopt from a shelter as my kitties are all rescue/shelter kitties and i wouldn't have it any other way. if shelters were an option here i'd definitely go that route. i only wish there were shelters willing to ship, but it would be quite a distance to our little island. :(