jamesm_87
06-05-2014, 12:28 AM
My hamster Smokey, a lovely little Syrian boy with a light grey fur, sadly passed away earlier this week of old age after just over 2 years with me.
http://i59.tinypic.com/swajco.jpg
Peeking out of his hut
I had owned Golden coloured Syrian hamsters in my youth and remembered how much fun they were to have as pets. Having a small flat with limited space for anything much bigger it seemed like a perfect situation to get a hamster again. I originally planned on getting one with the same colouring as my previous hamsters, however I fell in love with Smokey the moment I saw him. He was pressed up against the glass at the pet store, eager and desperate to come out and play and seemed so active and lively. I looked at another pet store as well before making my final decision but I simply had to go back and get him.
http://i59.tinypic.com/2ns0vur.jpg
Smokey caught in the act, about to start on his wafer cone treat!
He was tamed very quickly and within a matter of days was happy to climb up on my hand and take a treat. He was always an incredibly peaceful and good natured hamster who would quite happily play with anybody and never once attempted to even nibble my finger.
Early on he loved nothing more than spending his nights pushing food up into his tubes and trying to block them up, making lots of noise in the process. Over time though he became a bit more docile and peaceful, getting up for a potter round his cage and a little run and then heading back to bed to get some kip. He loved a dash on his silent spinner and a good gnaw on his bars or a treat during the night though!
http://i59.tinypic.com/2wqsylh.jpg
Smokey tucking into a treats bar
His favourite food was definitely Cucumber and he always took a slice off me, but he was also fond of Brocolli, Carrots, Cheese and Peppers.
http://i57.tinypic.com/200wrk8.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/24b29du.jpg
He was an absolute nightmare to toilet train and I spent almost a year trying a variety of methods without any consistently working. I had reached the point where I had pretty much given up and when rejigging his cage I bought some chinchilla sand for him to roll around in, he promptly chose to use this as a toilet and used it quite happily for the next year of his life!
The last month or so he had sadly started to deteriorate, losing quite a bit of his fur and more recently losing his strength, struggling to climb upwards which meant moving him to a smaller cage, all on one level.
Sadly just over a week after moving him to his new cage setup and buying him lots of new treats to enjoy, Smokey passed away. I found him peaceful curled up in the corner of his house and have buried him along with my other hamsters. RIP Smokey.
http://i62.tinypic.com/eiwg7q.jpg
King of the Castle!
http://i59.tinypic.com/swajco.jpg
Peeking out of his hut
I had owned Golden coloured Syrian hamsters in my youth and remembered how much fun they were to have as pets. Having a small flat with limited space for anything much bigger it seemed like a perfect situation to get a hamster again. I originally planned on getting one with the same colouring as my previous hamsters, however I fell in love with Smokey the moment I saw him. He was pressed up against the glass at the pet store, eager and desperate to come out and play and seemed so active and lively. I looked at another pet store as well before making my final decision but I simply had to go back and get him.
http://i59.tinypic.com/2ns0vur.jpg
Smokey caught in the act, about to start on his wafer cone treat!
He was tamed very quickly and within a matter of days was happy to climb up on my hand and take a treat. He was always an incredibly peaceful and good natured hamster who would quite happily play with anybody and never once attempted to even nibble my finger.
Early on he loved nothing more than spending his nights pushing food up into his tubes and trying to block them up, making lots of noise in the process. Over time though he became a bit more docile and peaceful, getting up for a potter round his cage and a little run and then heading back to bed to get some kip. He loved a dash on his silent spinner and a good gnaw on his bars or a treat during the night though!
http://i59.tinypic.com/2wqsylh.jpg
Smokey tucking into a treats bar
His favourite food was definitely Cucumber and he always took a slice off me, but he was also fond of Brocolli, Carrots, Cheese and Peppers.
http://i57.tinypic.com/200wrk8.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/24b29du.jpg
He was an absolute nightmare to toilet train and I spent almost a year trying a variety of methods without any consistently working. I had reached the point where I had pretty much given up and when rejigging his cage I bought some chinchilla sand for him to roll around in, he promptly chose to use this as a toilet and used it quite happily for the next year of his life!
The last month or so he had sadly started to deteriorate, losing quite a bit of his fur and more recently losing his strength, struggling to climb upwards which meant moving him to a smaller cage, all on one level.
Sadly just over a week after moving him to his new cage setup and buying him lots of new treats to enjoy, Smokey passed away. I found him peaceful curled up in the corner of his house and have buried him along with my other hamsters. RIP Smokey.
http://i62.tinypic.com/eiwg7q.jpg
King of the Castle!