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xuser1 · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:53 pm Post subject: Lady the Dwarf Hamster

Bought Lady the dwarf hamster for my Kindergartner approx 6 weeks ago for $8.99, from the Pet store.

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Expenditures to date:

Cage: $49.99
Bedding: $3.99
Hamster Food: $4.99 (Supposedly special high quality for hamsters)
Natural Almonds: $7.98 (2 X $3.99 - Lady LOVES Almonds)
Natural Sunflower seeds: $2.99
Sun-Maid Raisins: $.99
Grapes: $2.97 (3 X $.99 - Lady LOVES green grapes!)

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Scheduled expenses:

Veterinary check-up: $47.00 (She has a very small bald patch developing behind her right ear that we may need to have diagnosed. I called the vet today and it's same price as our 50 lb. dog's check-up - $47.00).
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Summary: In less than 2 months, this $9 hamster, with a life expectancy of only 2 years, has cost me over $120, with yet another 22 months of expenses to be incurred. But the look on my kindergartner's face makes it all worthwhile!

Henry J · Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 2030 Location: Colorado

Re "Summary: In less than 2 months, this $9 hamster, with a life expectancy of only 2 years, has cost me over $120,"

Cheap != inexpensive ? Laughing

heather · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:53 pm Post subject:

Plus hamsters are soooooo cute and fuzzy!

Heather Very Happy

xuser1 · Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:25 pm Post subject:

Oh, and did I mention baby carrots? No, not regular low-priced carrots that we would wash ourselves and slice up into manageable pieces; it has come to my attention today that we are buying expensive pre-washed, ready-to-eat, packaged Baby Carrots, for a FRIKKEN rodent!

Henry J · Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 2030 Location: Colorado

rodents

xuser1 · Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 1:58 pm Post subject:

Okay, I'm now convinced that Lady the Dwarf Hamster is highly intelligent and able to communicate with humans!

A couple days ago, I went to check on Lady who as usual, was asleep during the day (she's active during the night, sleeps during day). During daytime, she's usually buried beneath her bedding sleeping, and when I called to her, she perked up, stuck her head up through the bedding, looked around and saw me, and immediately came to the front of cage.

She stood there for a couple minutes looking at me and twitching her nose, then went to her wheel (it's a transparent green plastic wheel, open on one side, closed on the side where it attaches to the cage, and she usually runs on it several hours per night). She stood upright at the bottom of the wheel, and scratched frantically at the closed side of the wheel, facing and looking at directly at me, as if to draw my attention to her in the wheel (never saw her do that before).

Next, she tried to run first one direction in the wheel, then the other, but the wheel was not moving. I noticed there was some bedding wedged between the wheel and the cage which prevented the wheel from turning freely. She then hopped out of the wheel and watched me as I adjusted the wheel to turn freely.

Upon seeing the wheel turning freely, she immediately jumped in and tested it for a couple seconds one direction, then a couple seconds the opposite direction. Satisfied that the wheel was now working, she hopped out of the wheel and came to front of the cage to look at me and twitch her nose for for a few seconds, and then burrowed back under her bedding to sleep.

Coincidental behavior perhaps; but I'm convinced that she knew, and was communicating to me, that her wheel was not working so that i could fix it.

ClutterNan · Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 7809

wow! Bill... I'm impressed... she recognizes you as the Master OF THE HOUSE! Smile

Interesting story.
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heather · Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:37 am Post subject:

Wow Bill and some people think animals don't have feelings and can't think. That was great! What a smart hamster!

Heather Very Happy

xuser1 · Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 7:41 pm Post subject:

Lady was laid to rest today at 8:15pm CDT, about 29 months after her arrival in this world. Burial service was held in our backyard.
Crying or Very sad

Shane (age 8) held it in and didn't cry...unitl about 30 minutes later.

Silver · Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 4223 Location: Georgia

It's always sad to have to bury a sweet pet like Lady. Over the past few months I've enjoyed your posts about her.

rstegman · Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 3529 Location: Sunrise Florida

The next one you buy, will be cheaper....

Get a pair and have whole litters escaping the cages and running around the house.... I mean, you will have lovely pets for a long time.
Sorry, fell into story idea mode.....
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