All About My Pumpkin

[Thin Lizzy]

I so love Pumpkin's Palace, I wouldn't mind moving in lol!
I always love seeing Pumpkin's expressions, so amusing, always makes me smile from ear to ear.

[dreamtree1234]

Gorgeous playbin and palace layout for your stunning beauty, SKB! As always, I love your great designs and I'm sure Pumpkin is thrilled to have so many amazing things to explore. Pumpkin looks adorable grooming herself. She always has such great expressions. Lol, Pumpkin being so thoughtful to keep her food nice and cozy with the tissues. I suppose she wanted to be sure that the food was kept warm and comfy during the cooler weather. Pumpkin makes me laugh at all her silliness - love it!!!

[SKB_Hamsters]

Thank you cypher, Ruth Edwards, BorisPasha, Thin Lizzy and dreamtree1234.

Ruth Edwards, Pumpkin does make the cage easy to clean - she either pees in her sand bath or in the litter pan in her house - although currently she using her sand bath again!

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Pumpkin Updates

Recently Pumpkin and myself have been working on her HOM entry - it was a little difficult trying to come up with prop ideas for the photoshoot. I am very pleased with how the photo looks with Pumpkin enjoying her mealworms with the DIY present props - it did take a few attempts as Pumpkin kept deciding to pose with her back to the camera. As well as making the props for Pumpkin's HOM entry I have been making a few DIY christmas toys for next layout - which will be Christmas themed! It a little strange making Christmas toys and it still November though.

Pumpkin also had a little trip out on Wednesday afternoon to the vets. Sunday evening when looking back through the photo I took earlier that day and when I saw a photo of Pumpkin showing her adorable belly of to the camera - I noticed something which didn't look normally - a darker mark on her tummy below her left leg (right when looking at the photo). After comparing it to similar photos - I have a lot of photo of her belly! - I couldn't see the same thing. Here is that photo...

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Upon having a closer look - I noticed that Pumpkin has a small purplish lump and from where it was located I was very worried it may have been a mammary tumour. As I was very worried I thought it would be best to get an appointment at my local vet to find out what this lump was and help to put my mind at rest. I was nervous about taking Pumpkin to the vets as she isn't fond on unfamiliar people and trembles but fortunately was fine (although she was trembling a little whilst in the waiting room). She was on her very best behaviour and let the vet pick her up and get a good look at her lump - at first she was restless but then relaxed. After the vet put her back in her carrier Pumpkin gave the vets hand a good sniff whilst the vet was talking with me before going to sleep. The vet thinks the lump due to the colouring is a hematoma - and that she probably has knocked herself and it a little bruised at the moment. I have to keep an eye on it and if the lump gets bigger then to bring her back in case it is a tumour but she thinks the lump will go away on its own.

The vet I saw was very knowledgeable on hamsters - she was talking me saying she gets a little worried when she sees people with carrier in the waiting room not knowing what animal she will see especially as she seen animals including tarantulas - so she was very pleased when it was a hamster. The vets also said that Pumpkin is in excellent health and her fur is in wonderful condition - she is a satin so her fur is extra smooth and soft anyways but she also loves her linseeds to! On the journey home Pumpkin was a little nervy as she asleep when we left the vets and woke up in the car. However she was rewarded with mealworms and at 8:30pm she was demanding cuddles like usual.

Here are a few photo I took Sunday afternoon of Pumpkin...

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Pumpkin also had a very busy evening last night - I went to bed early as I was very tired so I switched my red lights of earlier than usual. A little while after turning her lights of I could hear Pumpkin digging away. This morning when I woke up I saw that Pumpkin has completely hidden her house entrance in a pile of fitch - she had a very busy night! And a little while later after Pumpkin trip to the toilet - she using her sand bath again!!! - she gave me a cheeky grin before returning to her house!

[cypher]

Sorry to hear you've had a scare with Pumpkin, I can imagine how worried you must have been, I hope it is just something that will clear up on it's own very soon, she certainly sounds as full of beans as always busy girl
Great news that she's finally stopped peeing in her house too!
Lovely photos as always, she's such a character & I love her expressions

[dreamtree1234]

I'm sorry that you had a scare concerning Pumpkin's health, but I'm glad that the vet believes it is a bruise. I hope that this is the case and Pumpkin will heal completely and quickly. She sounds like she was quite busy and looks as cute as ever. I'm glad that she now is back to peeing in her sand bath again. That expression must have been priceless.

[Coco61]

Thank goodness you have a vet who is knowledgeable and careful with hamsters.
A scare is stressful but it sounds as though it will sort itself out. Relief!
Lovely photos again of your beautiful Pumpkin, such a cute face!

[Ruth Edwards]

I'm glad to hear Pumpkin is ok and it sounds like she made a friend of the vet. I think I will make a sand bath for Peach as I haven't found out where she's peeing yet!
Lovely photos of Pumpkin again, she's photogenic

[Thin Lizzy]

Thank goodness Pumpkin's fine, you must've got a fright SKB. The vet sounds really nice and very pleased Pumpkin behaved perfectly. What an absolute sweetheart.
So good she's stopped peeing in her house too.
Gorgeous pics of your beautiful girl.

[BorisPasha]

I'm so relieved Pumpkin is ok, what a worry that would have been for you SKB!

Your HoM picture is lovely, really like the props you made. I tried to do something with Artie but as usual he won't sit still, has his back to the camera or if he's facing the camera then his face is pointed at the floor lol.

I'm very excited to see what you've made for her Christmas cage theme

As always Pumpkin looks gorgeous

[SKB_Hamsters]

Thank you cypher, dreamtree1234, Coco61, Ruth Edwards, Thin Lizzy and BorisPasha.

It was quite a scare seeing an abnormal lump on her adorable tummy so it was so reassuring to have it check out by my vets - it really has put my mind to rest - I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful vets within a few minutes drive from my house. The hematoma doesn't seem to be bothering Pumpkin at all - I don't know how she bruised herself but after seeing the craziness she gets up to at night it could be anything - especially as she woke me up at 4am this morning as she was attempting to try to climb on top of her ceramic pineapple house! Pumpkin still has the hematoma on her tummy although it not as raised as it was the other week - although she doesn't make it easy to have a good look!

Pumpkin is also still being really good and is still peeing in her sand bath - I think she realised that if she pee in her sand bath I don't need to mess with her house as often. It also been so lovely not having to cuddle Pumpkin when she stinks of pee!

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Where's Pumpkin?!

The other evening I had to go out in the evening so unfortunately it meant I was unable to get Pumpkin out at 8:30pm for her cuddle time. Although when she was awake earlier that day I did tell her and gave her a treat for her to enjoy whilst I was out.

When I returned home, I could hear Pumpkin as soon as I walked through my front door, so I went to see what she was up to! When I walked into my bedroom Pumpkin was no where to be seen and she had gone completely quite. For a moment I thought she had returned to her house however she had a mound of fitch covering her house entrance like how she leave it when she is awake. So I keep calling Pumpkin waiting for her to emerge or for her to make a noise - still no response! So I kept calling her ...
... then suddenly her cheeky face appeared! So I quickly grabbed my camera and got a photo. Pumpkin was busy digging beneath the Autumnal knuff shelf which her pineapple house sits on whilst I was out. As that evening it was extremely windy outside so I asked her whether she was building a storm bunker! Then she disappeared back beneath the shelf!

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I asked her whether she wanted to come out for a cuddles and have a play in her playbin - then I could hear Pumpkin trying to get out another way from beneath the shelf but the base of her wooden wheel was in her way - which I had to move out of the way for her. For a moment I could only see her cute little nose poking through and then she decided to squeeze out through the gap - I didn't think she would fit but she was really determined to come out that way rather than the easier way - typical Pumpkin! Once she managed to squeeze her way out she climbed onto my hand for cuddles - and she had lots of fun in her playbin.

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Other times this week when it time for Pumpkin's cuddle time, she is often found upside chewing her willow sticks - as obviously their isn't any easier way to chew willow sticks! But that's the way she loves to chew on them! Before taking this photo she was actually completely upside down!

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As Pumpkin has been hiding so well from me this week she thought she would pose for some more camouflaging photos for you to - so "Where's Pumpkin?"

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