Leo.

liam4mail · 10-31-2008, 09:29 AM

I just got home from a trip to town.

Erm, I woke up this morning and remembered I had to go to the bank. I decided to go to the pet shop to see what toys they had for Toby. I remembering thinking that I was so naughty I would probably come with another hamster. The thought process moved onto me deciding if one was too cute to resist I would get one and when I arrived to the pet shop I spent two seconds looking for toys (There were very few and all too small for Toby.) and then went straight upstairs to the animals.

I saw a lovely little cream female Syrian but I heard a voice inside my head saying "Stick to what you know!" On my way to the males I saw some very lovely gerbils but the voice needed to be repeated.

This guy caught my eye because he had similiar colouring to the female I was looking at. He then grabs a sunflower seed and starts eating it. A man after my own heart. "I will take him!" I yelled.

Ladies and gentlement let me introduce you to Leo. The first thing I saw him do was eat a sunflower seed, Sunflower is not such a good name for a boy so I took Sun, then got to Leo and I am a Leo and it is nice and short to remember, so there.

I want you to help me to identify his colour, etc. I apologise for the poor quality picture and video.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMQYEyZEKc4

He was £6.50. Apparently he is eight weeks old. Right. I was thinking not to buy any until he started to eat the seed. The way he was cuddled up to his brothers in the cage and barely opening his eyes I thought he was weaned. They were all licking each other. He had sever cute brothers and sisters and I wanted to take them all home (and the gerbils and a guinea pig!) I was told he arrived from the breeder yesterday. Apparently he was not handled so much. I bought a bag of the food he was eating in the shop. 74p. Bargain!

I will take some pictures later to check if he is a boy. I believe nothing I hear from pet shops. Looking at him now though he may be smaller than Toby when he arrived but he is as active.

I have plenty of food, bedding and housing for both boys! Leo is now in the Wilkinsons cage. I have him on wood chips for now as I had some to use up. He seems to be a bit of a digger, more than Toby is. He is climbing too so a vivarium will not be an option. He squealed a little bit when he arrived and seems to be tutting. He seems nervous but when he jumps I see him studying me and I tell him everything is alright and he is home.

Just as with Toby when he arrived he is in a bare cage. I will give him some water soon as I expect he may be thirsty. I will give him some bedding shortly after, just as I did with Toby.

Oh and as I type he is bar chewing!

His tail is not like Toby's. His bum is just like textbook pictures (though Toby's seems to be becoming more like pictures I see in books and yesterday I think I saw his testes). Leo seems to have a little bit of a snout though compared to Leo!

I hope he is as 'hardy' as Toby. I will keep an eye to make sure he is eating well, etc. I wish I knew his birthday. I guess I will wait to hear what you experts have to say before deciding an age but choose today as the celebration day. I guess when I get number three from a resuce centre I will not know his/ her date of birth either.

I am still in shock that I have another. I am terrible.

Meanwhile, Sir Toby is still sleeping and oblivious to all of this. He is feeling the cold and using the extra bedding I have supplied.

Leo's journey home was fine. There was no box chewing or drama like with Toby. I will give him some water now as soon as I have posted this.

leafpool14 · 10-31-2008, 09:47 AM

The amount of times I've walked into a pet shop and felt like that is unbearable, but the only thing in my way is my parents, I'm only allowed 1 hamster, or 2 hamsters in 1 cage

I cant believe it! He's the same color as my female hamster, Kimmi!
[attachment=0:2nzer4nh]phpA5tp82AMkimmi32454333kim.jpg[/attachment:2nzer4nh]

I'm not sure if this is right, but I'm sure hes a Black-Eyed White syrian hamster, or a fleshed eared white, you'll have to ask an expert (Souffle or Pophammy

)

Are you planning on getting another cage for Leo? If you do, try to get the cage, not another hamster LOL

But well done for getting him, He's a beautiful colour!

liam4mail · 10-31-2008, 10:00 AM

He seems to have a touch of cream to his face. I do not know. I am colour blind so that does not help.

I clicked Sumbit and went and got him water. When I came back he was in the corner of the cage, facing inward, and seemed in shock! I took one look at him and decided he had had enough for one day.

I put the water in. Then I rubbed my hands in some bedding and put it in the corner Toby slept when he was in that cage. Unfortunately Leo was sleeping in the corner Toby used to wee in!

I felt a bit bad waking him but I put my glove on and picked him up and placed him on the bedding. He screamed a little. He walked away from the bedding and toured the cage. He found the water and had a drink. That is a good thing at least. I left him alone. He climbed a little bit and I just ignored him after that. I looked just now and he is asleep in the same corner! Well, I cleaned the tray well after Toby left the cage. I am more concerned that it is cold and he is sleeping with no cover. I placed the bedding on top of him. I am sure if he moves in his sleep the bedding will find it's way around his body and he will soon realise the benefit. Perhaps this is the first time the poor little guy has ever met some bedding!

I am glad he has had a drink. He is put aside for the day now. He has had a lot to handle for one day. I am glad he got to have a look at me and found his water. If he shows activity later I will give him a dish of food.

Yes leafpool14 I need to think about a cage for him. I might get the one that Toby has. I might negotiate a deal when I alreayd bought one and I might actually buy two considering I have vowed to get a rescue hamster in the future.

I love that picture of Kimmi and this is indeed a coincidence!

leafpool14 · 10-31-2008, 11:56 AM

Leo is probably feeling a little distressed from the journey, and just wants to sleep it off :P
You could give him some porridge tonight if he hasn't already eaten, or in the morning, just a little spoiling to make him feel more welcome and settle down in his new home

My cage arrived today!! I will upload some pictures on the 'Housing' section later tonight. I'm off to take some piccies now

talk more about Leo when I come back

Leafpool

liam4mail · 10-31-2008, 12:17 PM

Yes I was thinking porridge too. I will see how he is and if he decides to wake up. It is terrible that they are awake by day in the pet shop.

leafpool14 · 10-31-2008, 12:33 PM

When I go to the pet shop, they're all curled up, sleeping on each others faces

But as soon as you bring them home, they will start to get into a sleeping routine. If you want Leo to be active at night, your going to have to put him in his ball, and interact with him all night until you go to bed, then he would spend the rest of the day the next day sleeping it off :P

liam4mail · 10-31-2008, 12:57 PM

Toby does his own thing. Sometimes he is awake when I am getting up for work and sometimes he is already asleep. He wakes at different times in the evenings but whatever time he wakes he always seems to go back for a nap shortly afterwards. I should remember he is still young and will sleep more than when he is older.

Leo is still sleeping. He had his face against the tray at first, which looked so uncomfortable. I could then see a bum against the tray and now I do not see anything. He has disappeared into the bedding.

leafpool14 · 10-31-2008, 01:19 PM

It must feel really frustrating seeing Leo sleeping awkwardly when he's got lots more comfortable places to sleep!
I've loaded some pics of my ZZ1, it arrived with a crack on the clear plastic bit, bits not jutting out, and seems to be fine

liam4mail · 10-31-2008, 01:32 PM

If it has a crack send it back!

Well after Toby's playball session I served them both porridge. Leo has yet to exit the nest. I can see him moving though.

I always offer Toby my hand to use as a step from the playball and he dislikes it. He tries to avoid it. We have had progress with sniffing, one foot, then two. Tonight he had a nibble and hurt. I yelled and then put the ball close to the floor "Your porridge is getting cold!"

I would love to see Leo eat that porridge.

liam4mail · 10-31-2008, 01:43 PM

He is eating porridge! He is standing in it though. I hope he has the sense to lick his paws clean. He was certainly cleaning his siblings today so I think he should be alright.

I am doing the same with him as I did with Toby. I have his cage right beside my bed so he gets used to everyday noises.