wowzer22
07-02-2013, 12:42 PM
Woke up this morning to find Bubbles had passed away
Heres my little tribute to him:
I first met Bubbles a couple of years ago, completely randomly, Id popped into my local (well known brand pet shop) to get some fish food!
The day before Id lost my 4 yr old hamster Smartie....so getting a new hammie was the absolute last thing on my mind.
So picked up my fish food...was walking towards the till....when I spotted the hamster display (fatal mistake) well I was only intending to look.
They had about 20 hamsters....all asleep...except 1.
This tiny syrian hamster was sitting on top of his food bowl shoving as much food into his cheek pouches as possible.
I walked over and crouched down to get a better look at the glass tank.
Much to my delight - (now this is going to sound really strange to some) - he kind of winked at me!
Whether it was the pressure of so much food in his mouth, or whether he had a spontaneous flicker ill never know but he actually winked at me.
They say that sometimes a hamster will choose his owner....well he chose me that day!
I walked round the store debating whether to buy him....the pain of losing Smartie was still so raw...but in the end I couldn't get him out of my mind.
To my horror when the shop assistant picked him up....she dropped him SPLAT! onto the cold hard floor.
She picked him up again and he bit her rather hard causing her to drop him again on the floor.
I was horrified...and probably against my better judgement brought him there and then - knowing how bad stress was for hamsters.
So got him home....and the very next morning found him cowering hunched up in the corner....with dirrahoea (sorry can't spell) - yep the dreaded wet tail.
Rushed him back to the pet store (who have an onsite vet clinic) - they took him in....assessed him and told me they'd refund my money and treat him for free.
The vet gave him a 5% chance of survival as apparently he was very dehydrated....screaming like a monkey (stress) and very weak.
I went away with strict instructions that no matter what happened to him I wanted him back - something really pulled at my heart strings that day.
Everyday I rang to find out how he was...the 24 hours he didn't respond....they even as I found out later were considering putting him down.
Then he turned a corner - 8 days later he came home (they gave him to me for free in the end as I ended up writing them a letter explaining how horrified I was about how they had treated him) .
So he was mine....he was very much a one person hamster....would come willingly out of his nest to my voice....but anyone else...NO WAY! he would bite everyone apart from me, he was always very wary of being picked up, I usually had to wait for him to come to the door of the cage, he hated hands in his cage.
He never lost his love of food...on one particular occasion he happily stuffed 2 monkey nuts whole into his cheek pouches...then added more food into there from his food bowl, went up his ladder (which went up thorough a hole in the floor in his cage) and got stuck......took me ages to get him out!
I have so many stories about him over the time I had him - he was a hamster in a million and Ill never ever forget him!
RIP Bubbles
Heres my little tribute to him:
I first met Bubbles a couple of years ago, completely randomly, Id popped into my local (well known brand pet shop) to get some fish food!
The day before Id lost my 4 yr old hamster Smartie....so getting a new hammie was the absolute last thing on my mind.
So picked up my fish food...was walking towards the till....when I spotted the hamster display (fatal mistake) well I was only intending to look.
They had about 20 hamsters....all asleep...except 1.
This tiny syrian hamster was sitting on top of his food bowl shoving as much food into his cheek pouches as possible.
I walked over and crouched down to get a better look at the glass tank.
Much to my delight - (now this is going to sound really strange to some) - he kind of winked at me!
Whether it was the pressure of so much food in his mouth, or whether he had a spontaneous flicker ill never know but he actually winked at me.
They say that sometimes a hamster will choose his owner....well he chose me that day!
I walked round the store debating whether to buy him....the pain of losing Smartie was still so raw...but in the end I couldn't get him out of my mind.
To my horror when the shop assistant picked him up....she dropped him SPLAT! onto the cold hard floor.
She picked him up again and he bit her rather hard causing her to drop him again on the floor.
I was horrified...and probably against my better judgement brought him there and then - knowing how bad stress was for hamsters.
So got him home....and the very next morning found him cowering hunched up in the corner....with dirrahoea (sorry can't spell) - yep the dreaded wet tail.
Rushed him back to the pet store (who have an onsite vet clinic) - they took him in....assessed him and told me they'd refund my money and treat him for free.
The vet gave him a 5% chance of survival as apparently he was very dehydrated....screaming like a monkey (stress) and very weak.
I went away with strict instructions that no matter what happened to him I wanted him back - something really pulled at my heart strings that day.
Everyday I rang to find out how he was...the 24 hours he didn't respond....they even as I found out later were considering putting him down.
Then he turned a corner - 8 days later he came home (they gave him to me for free in the end as I ended up writing them a letter explaining how horrified I was about how they had treated him) .
So he was mine....he was very much a one person hamster....would come willingly out of his nest to my voice....but anyone else...NO WAY! he would bite everyone apart from me, he was always very wary of being picked up, I usually had to wait for him to come to the door of the cage, he hated hands in his cage.
He never lost his love of food...on one particular occasion he happily stuffed 2 monkey nuts whole into his cheek pouches...then added more food into there from his food bowl, went up his ladder (which went up thorough a hole in the floor in his cage) and got stuck......took me ages to get him out!
I have so many stories about him over the time I had him - he was a hamster in a million and Ill never ever forget him!
RIP Bubbles