Let me begin by saying I have a bad track record with animals. Not something I'm proud of; something I wish to change. When I was young, I "loved" animals. Under extreme persuasion and whining, I would coerce my mother into getting me a chihuahua and a bunny. Unfortunately, I'm very much of a "novelty-chaser" and as the novelty of pet ownership wore off, I neglected the poor things and when mother, being a single mother, felt overwhelmed, we found new homes for them through friends and church-members.
When my little brother became old enough to also start on our mother for a puppy, we obtained Gir, an adorable pomeranian. Unfortunately her life with us was not the most pleasant. She was kennelled in the bathroom, only allowed out during play time (which was never enough) and walks. We have had her for almost 6 years but when we moved to an even smaller apartment this year, I knew it just wasn't fair to her to live with us the way we made her. Luckily I found her a home at a friend's family where she has more free roam of a house.
I made a vow never to own a pet I could not support ever again.
So why is this an introduction, a beginning, instead of an end?
I've learned that the average life span of a dwarf hamster is about 2 years. 2! I felt confident I could manage at least 2 years of commitment. Even if it lives longer to 4, it is a much less daunting number than 15. The little critters didn't take up as much room, are contained, and goshdarnit, I wanted to try. Especially, to do things right this time.
After a few hours of research online, not only did I feel like it was managable, I felt like it would be a good fit. Their nocturnal nature would be great since I work during the day. Cleaning the entire cage would only be a hour or two task once every 1-2 weeks. Yes, this might work out. And to further motivate me, I'll be keeping this log.
I decided to look through craigslist first. The only listing I found for one was a lady offering a dwarf hamster with cage and leftover supplies because she bought it for her child who was too young and was rough with him. When I met with the lady, she came out with the hamster in the cage, a ball, and some supplies. She explained that the cage was a bit broken so they had to glue it and to clean it, to use the vacuum attachment or just manually with gloves. Fine, whatever. I was going to give a complete cleaning anyway. It was dark, night, so I thanked her and drove home.
When I arrived home and set the cage down, I saw the hamster in the observation tower portion of the cage. He was so cute and round and I decided then to name him Mochi. He looked like a mochi with some cinnamon dusted on top. He stayed there for a while so I got a better look at the cage.
It was filthy.
Because certain parts of the cage were glued, there was no way to clean it. The observation tower had droppings on it and the wheel axel was crusted with dust but there was no way to clean them unless you submerged the entire cage. Not only was the cage filthy, the bedding looked off. I looked at the supplies the lady gave me and... yep. Pine shavings and guinea pig food. I decided I would buy a new cage and supplies as soon as I could. "Just hold out for one more day, Mochi." I told him.
Mochi had wandered down the floor level so I decided to let him get accustomed to me by sticking my hand in. He immediately retreated back to the observation room quaking with fear. Maybe it was because I was a stranger or maybe either the vaccuum or the little child (or both) had scarred him. Poor thing. I would have to be patient.
Whenever Mochi came down, I slowly stuck my hand in, no sudden movements, just for Mochi to get acclimated to my presence. He would scurry on the wheel (which wouldn't spin sometimes) or run to the observation room. I did this for about 5 minutes at a time on and off for about an hour or so then decided to call it a night.
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After getting ready for work, I checked on Mochi. He seemed to have settled down a bit. I stuck my hand in again and slowly wiggled my fingers. While still skittish, he didn't retreat to the observatory or run on the wheel as much as half-circle my hand. He even rubbed his side against it, if briefly. I tried to pet him with my index finger just softly and he gave a little nip. Nothing hard or ouch-worthy. Just a reminder that I was to be patient. Still, the non-retreat seemed like a good sign! I hope he will realize there will be no terrorizing child in his future.
Now I'm at work, on my lunch break.
Since I need a cage and supplies as soon as possible, I'll have to stop by petco after work. While controversial, I have decided to get a habitrail plastic cage, if I can. The modular design is very appealing to me and changing the designs everytime the cage is cleaned would make a fun activity for both Mochi and me. I know a single kit is not enough space for Mochi but I figure it would be ok for now. I have ordered a habitrail cristal and an ovo club trainer for expansion through amazon and I think that should be ok. Of course, it depends on what I can get at the store. (I'm hoping a habitrail twist is available.)
My shopping list:
- Cage
- Food (natural, if possible)
- Treats (natural, yogurt, & sunflower seeds)
- Bedding (carefree natural)
- Nesting fluff
- Chews
- Proper hideaway (if not included with cage)
- Potty training kit
- Cleaning supplies (nature's miracle, cleaning wipes)
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