Hambobs
11-02-2014, 10:07 AM
My 30 month old Chinese girl Blake left me last Thursday, curled up in her nest. She was active & happy to the end, and I'm grateful she didn't suffer much...
I got Blake in August 2012, along with her tankmate Bolt. Having been told that Chinese girl pairs weren't recommended, I asked for two boys, and named them after the fastest men in the world (the London Olympics had just taken place).
Having not kept hamsters for over 20 years, I was a bit out of touch with their needs & initially bought a Duna Fun for them to share. Within a month it became apparent that they needed more space, and that they were actually girls (as they clearly lacked the large, ahem, particulars of the boys...)
Unsurprisingly, they had also started fighting, and it was clear that Blake was having the worst of it - Bolt was much more dominant, and would scoff all the food I gave them, and block Blake from the entire upper section of the cage. I barely saw Blake as she kept to her nest most of the time.
So I made the decision to split them and gave Blake a Zoozone all to herself. It took a little time but she started to come out of her shell and her personality began to emerge...
- She loved her wheel so much I bought her a mouse ball as well, and she would always be found in one or the other, pedalling madly...
- She was a proper little camera poser (see the first picture, my favourite ever...)
- She even enjoyed free-roaming! Unlike Bolt, Blake really enjoyed zooming around the hallway floor once or twice a week. Not bad for a girl who started out so shy...
- She was a bit of a fussy eater, who didn't enjoy many vegetables, but would hoover up any type of biscuit I gave her. A girl after my own heart...
- In time she learned that if I said the word 'treat' to her, she would get something nice to eat, and she would go and stand under the cage door and wait for it to be presented!
She was never ill in all the time I had her, but last Thursday morning I noticed that the food I put out for her the previous evening hadn't been touched. I took the roof off her nest and found her breathing heavily. She wasn't interested in the food I offered her, and didn't have the strength to wriggle away when I stroked her, so I knew her time was coming. I had to go to work, but I cuddled her for a short while & told her that if she had to leave before I got home, I would understand...
I got home in the evening and checked her straight away. She had gone, but looked very peaceful. Rest in peace, my lovely funny girl...
I got Blake in August 2012, along with her tankmate Bolt. Having been told that Chinese girl pairs weren't recommended, I asked for two boys, and named them after the fastest men in the world (the London Olympics had just taken place).
Having not kept hamsters for over 20 years, I was a bit out of touch with their needs & initially bought a Duna Fun for them to share. Within a month it became apparent that they needed more space, and that they were actually girls (as they clearly lacked the large, ahem, particulars of the boys...)
Unsurprisingly, they had also started fighting, and it was clear that Blake was having the worst of it - Bolt was much more dominant, and would scoff all the food I gave them, and block Blake from the entire upper section of the cage. I barely saw Blake as she kept to her nest most of the time.
So I made the decision to split them and gave Blake a Zoozone all to herself. It took a little time but she started to come out of her shell and her personality began to emerge...
- She loved her wheel so much I bought her a mouse ball as well, and she would always be found in one or the other, pedalling madly...
- She was a proper little camera poser (see the first picture, my favourite ever...)
- She even enjoyed free-roaming! Unlike Bolt, Blake really enjoyed zooming around the hallway floor once or twice a week. Not bad for a girl who started out so shy...
- She was a bit of a fussy eater, who didn't enjoy many vegetables, but would hoover up any type of biscuit I gave her. A girl after my own heart...
- In time she learned that if I said the word 'treat' to her, she would get something nice to eat, and she would go and stand under the cage door and wait for it to be presented!
She was never ill in all the time I had her, but last Thursday morning I noticed that the food I put out for her the previous evening hadn't been touched. I took the roof off her nest and found her breathing heavily. She wasn't interested in the food I offered her, and didn't have the strength to wriggle away when I stroked her, so I knew her time was coming. I had to go to work, but I cuddled her for a short while & told her that if she had to leave before I got home, I would understand...
I got home in the evening and checked her straight away. She had gone, but looked very peaceful. Rest in peace, my lovely funny girl...