Halloumi, or 'Loumi as I liked to call him, came to me on the 14th June 2009. Previously known as Toasty/Speedy and who knows what else, I christened him Halloumi so he could have a fresh start in a new life with me, where he would be wanted and stay forever and not passed around any longer. I had just returned from a holiday with my friends and had a random craving for Halloumi - the name just fitted him so well. I got him from a lady who ran a rattery (where I'd boarded Rio) who had gotten him from someone else, who had gotten him from someone before that so I have no idea how old he was, but I'd have guessed he was at least a year old when I got him. I just fell for him, you all know I have such a soft spot for greys!
He was a bit nervous to start with but with frequent, confident short sessions of handling his confidence grew and he finally trusted me and he was a reformed character. I was told he was "nippy" but he never showed any aggresion. He was a lovely boy, so big, his fur so dense. He began to enjoy handling, exploring and stealing treats from the box. He used to sleep on the sofa with me while I was watching TV (I have pictures on my phone somewhere!) and was generally a pleasure to have. He loved his imac fantasy, especially when I upgraded it with an extension.
As the last few months wore on, he spent more time sleeping but still loved coming out and pottering around his cage, even if he didn't use the wheel any more, I guess it was just old age hitting him, although I never knew how old he really was. He began losing weight and I tried my best to fatten him up with lots of yummy treats, but it didn't make much difference. Last week I took him out for our usual cuddles and realised he could no longer walk properly, he kept falling over, it seemed to have happened so quickly. His poor wee back legs had given up on him. I knew his end was near and spoilt him as much as I could. As you may have read, I kept expecting him to pass as he grew weaker and weaker, but he was still hanging on, he was a fighter. Today I made the big decision to have him put to sleep, he had no quality of life, it must have been so frustrating for him. By the end he had lost ALL movement in his back legs and couldn't even eat on his own, I had to handfeed him and try and clean him up the best I could. I'm totally gutted he's gone, but I knew it was for the best. He'll be up there in hamster heaven running around like he used to.
Run free LoumLoum, I'll miss you, my wee man I wish we had more time together xxxxxxxxx
Halloumi ??/??/?? - 1st February 2010, gone but never forgotten xx
As you can see we bonded well and he was very comfortable having a snooze on me last week. (excuse the mess of his fur, it was when he started going "wobbly" and slipped in the babyfood!)
Last year
Run Free 'Loumi xx
Linear Mode
