The Story Of Hamish

[Robodwarfs18]

Just to put it out there, this will be very long so I don't expect anyone to read the whole thing, thanks.

So when I was probably about 5 or 6, I got my first ever hamster. He was a Golden Teddy Bear and his name was Hamish. We was mainly my sister's as she kept Hamish in her bedroom but he was kinda the family pet as my mum looked after him. From memory, I think he lived in like a Superpet Crittertrail One cage which I now think is quite cruel to keep hamsters in but little me didn't know or care about that. I think the only reason we wanted a hamster was because we wanted a pet. He bit me all the time but it's probably because I poked my fingers in the cage and stuff. He had like a 6" wheel which probably would've arched his back loads. We probably had a dwarf sized ball for him. He never had any toys in his cage though he had a wire playpen. He lived in a loud atmosphere as he was surrounded by two screaming children. We used to constantly take hamish to my dads house in his Crittertrail cage and we let him run around the living room. At night, almost every night he pushed his head up and I think chewed the lid open and he would run into my bedroom and would bury underneath my cupboard and tear up my carpet for bedding and he would sleep there. As the sun rose he went back into the cage. He wasn't very nocturnal I don't think. My sister was fed up of him escaping so she tied ribbon around the lid but he still got out. One Halloween night, he escaped and went downstairs, into the kitchen, into the cupboard and ate the monkey nuts we got while trick or treating. He just went on adventures during the night until one night my mum left a basin full of water with flowers in it in the kitchen and Hamish got out and went into the kitchen. He climbed up onto the counter and must have fell into the basin. The next morning my mum had got up and went downstairs and Hamish was freezing cold and stiff. She knew that Hamish was gone and she didn't want to upset us so she told us that he had died of natural causes during a night adventure. We were not told the real story until about a year later. Looking back I realised something. I think Hamish only escaped during the night because he needed his freedom. Maybe that little guy didn't want to be locked inside a tiny cage with a wheel that he probably couldn't run on. He had no entertainment. Nothing to do. Maybe he thought under my cupboard was better and more peaceful. I feel bad for the way I treated him. And I'm glad I now spoil my hamsters because even though I'm spending all my money, I'm providing them with everything they need to be happy and I've never had an escaping hamster these days. I don't think anyone in my family has ever or ever will think that Hamish wanted freedom and we were taking that away from him. They all thought it was a laugh to find him in the strangest of places during the night. I think the reason my family think I spoil my hamsters by buying loads of toys, new bedding, treats, chews, bigger cages, different foods is because they never bought anything like that for Hamish and he was "fine" but that could've been the reason he escaped all the time.

R.I.P Hamish xx

[Pebbles82]

That's a good story - and I think many of us have had similar things and we learn from them. I think it's a tricky thing - if we give them their freedom, they can't survive and have accidents and injuries and day or get caught by a predator. As domesticated pets they aren't in their natural environment so we need to tame them and give them a good habitat so they are happy in their environment. All hamsters like to roam a bit but houses aren't always safe places so people set up runs and playpen areas around the cage sometimes, or when they're tame you can let them run around on a bed or in one room that has been hamster-proofed or something.

It's why bigger cages are a good idea - it gives them more of a habitat, rather than just somewhere to sleep.

Buying toys and treats is a balance too - sometimes we give them too much when they're happy with something to dig in and a bit of hidden food to find! But anything that enriches their environment is a good thing. There was a German study that said that when hamsters have enough substrate to dig in it reduces their stress levels hugely - because hamsters are diggers by nature! They forage for nesting and food in the wild and dig tunnels and burrows to keep safe in. Scatter feeding some of his food can make his life interesting as he gets a nice surprise when he finds it in the substrate and has something to forage for.

We need to look out for our little pets. I had something similar happen with a kitten when I was a teenager - we left it outside too long and it fell in something and drowned. I cried for days.

I am sure Hamish did want to get out of his cage if it was too small and I am sure he spent many happy fun times under your wardrobe!

[RememberWhen]

Thanks for sharing your story, I can also relate. My siblings and I had hamsters growing up, and when I think back on the size of their cages and lack of enrichment, it makes me sad, although we did love them and did the best we knew how at the time. And I spent a lot of time playing with my hamsters outside of the cage.

Serendipity's post reminded me of how I used to be the one who cleaned the cages, even of the hamsters who were my siblings and not mine, and I always loved loading their cages with bedding because I loved seeing them burrow.

[Robodwarfs18]

Thanks for the positive feedback you guys!