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Originally Posted by Serendipity7000
I am so sorry. She is at peace now and playing free over the Rainbow Bridge. The funeral sounds very special.
It is maybe a bit soon to decide what next regarding pets but there is no right or wrong. Some people need time to grieve first, and others get another hamster quite soon and still grieve for the previous one.
When Charlie died I couldn't get another hamster straight away - he was also a real heart hamster. But the grieving really got to us. It was very hard. Within 2 or 3 weeks I felt I wanted another hamster but waited a bit longer.
All I can say is - when we got another baby hamster - we were all happy again and it was wonderful - we didn't realise just how sad we had all been for so long. Every hamster has their own personality and I followed advice to get one that was a different colouring so their own individual. And yes it was a culture shock going from an older hamster to a whizzy baby - but boy it gave us so much happiness and laughter. You love them all differently just as you do with people I guess - for their own particular personality quirks - but you never forget the one who passed.
I would say it actually helped get us out of grief getting another hamster. And in fact I decided I wanted two as I didn't want the double grief of being left with no hamster to care for again. Until such time as we decide to stop keeping hamsters. Because somehow that made it much harder. Not only was there the grief of Charlie dying, but it had become such a big part of my life thinking about caring for him, feeding him etc. It was a selfish feeling but I still needed a pet to care for and I know others have more than one hamster and say it can help to still have the other one for comfort when one dies.
We now have a Syrian and a Roborovski hamster. I actually feel it helped me move on from the grief getting another hamster or it may have always been a stuck grief with bad memories. Newt brought new life and happiness to our house - and he is a completely different personality!
I think maybe it is different with dogs slightly. They live so much longer. Hamsters mature quite quickly.
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I can understand fully what you are saying. I have only had 3 hamsters but each one had their own personality. I was looking forward to sharing some apple with Stella for breakfast this morning so I know what you mean about becoming attached to caring for them, you dedicate a part of your life and your self and so there is a little hole when you no longer have that role. Isadora and I loved giving her her favorite treats. I never grew tired of watching her happy with her treats or her little face when she would look up at me during a cuddle. She had the most trusting, affectionate expression, they are so completely innocent even when being mischievous! And she was sometimes mischievous but she was also very very sweet. Stella was my daughter's first pet it was a long time before we could get a pet because I had some health issues and we wanted to be sure we could afford to care for their needs which took time given that we have started our lives from scratch more than once (hubby is Swedish I am American, moving overseas multiple times takes a lot).