Meet the newest family member
We got a hamster about a week and a half ago. The girls named her Puff.
Puff seemed very sweet, calm and friendly at the pet store, but as soon as we got her home she was terrified. She wants out of her cage, and she does NOT want to be touched.
The pet store where we got her had all the hamsters in an open-topped cage where anyone could handle them. I thought that would make her used to being handled, but it seems to have been more traumatic than helpful for her. Poor thing.
So I'm working on taming her by getting her to take food out of my hand. Hopefully soon she'll begin to trust us. She did finally take a piece of food out of my hand a couple of days ago. That's progress.
Meanwhile, the girls are loving watching her eat, run in her hamster ball, and build nests out of paper towels. They're thrilled with their new pet and don't seem to feel there's anything lacking.
We had originally planned to get a fish, but we decided a small animal might be more fun. I'd infinitely rather clean out a critter cage than a fish tank, and little animals in cages are pretty easy to care for (and to get a pet-sitter for when we go out of town). Their lifespan is short, so it's only a committment of a year or two, maybe three.
I tried to talk the girls into a rat, because they're more active, social and friendly. But they were insistent on the hamster, because it was cuter and furrier. Since BrightStar seems to like her hamster, I was willing to go for it.
Welcome to the family, Puff. I hope you'll be happy here.
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 9:25 AM[Permanent link]
6 Comments:
Welcome Puff! How adorable! I love hamsters.
Kid L has been begging for a new one. The last one lived for a little more than 3 years (we have never had one live that long before)
I hope she calms down soon so that you can touch her without worry of being bitten. Those teeth really hurt and go very deep.
CCW, the great thing is that this hamster has never even threatened to bite. She just runs away.
I enjoyed hearing the girls tell me all about Puff on the phone! I hope she gets comfortable in her new home soon.
It took my hammie a couple of weeks before it would let me hold it. I thought it appeared to be less threatened if I put it in a bigger space (like scooped it up with the hammie ball) like the bathtub and then I petted him in there and he let me pick him up, but he scooted out of my hand right away. Now he lets me pick him up, but, yeah, it took weeks. Also, if she's already eating out of your hand within DAYS, that is very fast, in my opinion. (But I got my hammie when he was just a baby, so he was probably more anxious than an adult might be.)
The hammies are pretty easy to care for, and, I agree, about the shorter life span = less of a commitment. I hope you enjoy Puff! That's a great name.
Aww, Puff is cute (and what a cute name). I'm sure that if she was friendly in the store, she will be her good-natured self again once she settles in and gets used to the family. Rats make good pets, too (I've had three), but I can see how a fluffy little hamster would be more appealing to little girls. :) Good luck with your new pet!
Puff just adds a bit more cuteness to that house... if that's possible. :)
Caring for an animal is a rite of passage growing up. The girls will learn a lot... as will you when they don't keep up their end of the bargain. ;)
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