Originally, it was my sister who wanted another hamster after Hamlet died. She said she would look after him and that I didn't need to do anything with him because she'd do it all. But my sister is lazy. So, I ended up looking after the little fluff ball.
We were in pets at home, and searching through the shelves of animals. I saw lots of really playful hamsters climbing all over their toys and houses, others racing around chasing each other, some stuffing their faces with food, but my sister caught sight of a tiny grey ball of fur in a wooden tunnel, like the plastic ones children play in. As we looked closer, we noticed that he was breathing excessively and making high-pitched squeaking noises; he was stuck. My sister called for help. A young lady came over and had to tap the wooden tunnel gently for him to come out. She somehow managed to push him out and he waddled to the back of the cage. Even though all the other hamsters looked friendly and playful as ever, and this one looked a bit choked up and scared, we knew that this hamster was the one for us.
We took him home. Oh, and when I say him, at the time we thought he was a she. The lady who gave him to us, told us Hamuelle was a girl, so we got him a pink cage. But when it was starting to get hot, we noticed that two balls were poking out near his bum; Hamuelle was a boy. So, we just decided that he was going to be the coolest gay hamster ever (not to be sexist).
We sorted his cage out nicely for him - making sure not to include any confined tunnels. He had these beady black eyes and soft grey fur. When he got out of the cardboard container, he went straight to his house filled with bedding. The lady told us to leave him be for a while to get settled. So we waited until the evening and then stroked him as much as possible when evening eventually did fall upon the world.
Hamuelle soon became very playful once he settled in. He loved running about in his ball and hanging from the bars of the top of his cage (we had to cellotape them so he didn't escape during the night). However, playing in his ball wasn't his favourite thing to do. No. That hamster loved to eat. We gave him standard hamster mix every other day, but he wanted more. He was the most diva-like hamster ever. I'd feed him chocolate drops every once in a while, which he loved. He'd wait at the top level of his cage, his nose sniffing through the bars and his mouth upon, waiting for me to give him some. To make up for all of the unhealthy chocolate I was feeding him, I gave him cucumber, grapes and raisins (he loved raisins!). I'd also give him sweet popcorn (more often than I probably should have - but he could be one persuasive hamster if he wanted something!). Boy, did he love popcorn. I'd put it in his bowl, and he'd flick all of his normal food out of the bowl searching for more. His cheeks were usually as wide as anything whenever I looked at him. I'd stare at him like he was a naughty child. He'd stare back and then scurry off into his house where he'd eat it all. Hamuelle also didn't like his house very much as you can see in the picture. I mean he was a BIG hamster. He'd take all of his bedding out and make a little nest for himself on the bottom level of his cage and sleep there. It's amazing how much hamsters can fit in those little cheeks of theirs.
However, in August of this year, my mum phoned me and said that Hamuelle was falling over. I instantly thought, well, if he is going to die, I'd rather him go sooner than later, rather than suffering. Hamuelle had had a stroke. When I saw him, he wasn't running about. He was still eating well. But, I didn't get him out of his cage for a while. We let him rest and, thankfully, Hamuelle did get better. He still wasn't the same, but I got him out of his cage and treated him as I usually would. A few weeks ago, however, Hamuelle had another stroke. Looking at him wobble his way over to his food bowl and fall on his back when I gave him popcorn brought me to tears a few times. He began to lose his appetite and would rarely come out from where he was sleeping. I said goodbye to him on Wednesday night because I knew that he was going to leave the world. And sure enough, when I got back home yesterday afternoon, he had passed. We buried him underneath a plant pot in our garden.
Considering the fact hamsters usually only live between two and three years - they even say three years can be a push - Hamuelle did extremely well! I loved that little, (I'm using that word loosely) happy hamster and hope he sleeps well in heaven. I also think he'll be asking for a bigger house when he's there!
Love always
Lauren :D
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