Marty McVitie's Thread

Scarlett Empress · 06-11-2016, 10:42 AM

The plan was - find a hamster that needed rehoming, through the local RSPCA or an advert.

Obviously I have only been looking for a few days! But we thought we'd have a quick look at Pets At Home today, in case there were any hamsters in their adoption centre. Well, there were no animals of any kind waiting to be adopted - which was good, of course.

I had not intention of buying a baby hamster - but I just suddenly felt that I just couldn't bear to go home with no hamster, and I had a quick look at the little ones. They were mostly quite active having just been fed. There were a couple of proper 'hamstery' looking hamsters who were very cute, and a little white and ginger one who was quite pretty - and then this little face popped out of a pile of Carefresh and just looked so, so cross!

And that was it, really - there was just something about her.

I had taken my carrier with me just in case, and we popped her cardboard box in and I opened it in case she wanted to burrow into the pile of toilet paper and hide for the journey. She was out like a shot and spent the whole drive home parading round the carrier, balancing precariously on the cardboard box and falling off, and peering through the slits in the top of the carrier.

I put the carrier in the cage and took the lid off so she could climb out, and I expected her to dive for cover and not to see her for a good long time - but she wanted to explore!

She spent a good long time tootling round her new home, climbing over everything, crawling under everything, having a quick chew of everything. We sat and watched and chatted to her, and told her she was clever when she found her wheel and figured out how it worked. She didn't seem the least bit bothered that we were there.

I took some photos, but most of them are rather blurred due to the low light!

Just checking out where the door is...

I put this bendy bridge in to stop her jumping off the shelf and down the back of the wheel. Seems to work!

But she's just checking it out from the other side to see what damage she can do to it.

It seems that the back of the wheel was the most exciting part of her new home.

Let's just check out this barrier again...

My sister loves her nose!

Little grumpy face!

I was thinking if I got a boy I would call him Marty McFly but we thought Marty worked as well for a girl - and my sister said she looked like a ginger biscuit and referred to her as Marty McVitie so I decided to go with that!

pinkneon · 06-11-2016, 11:11 AM

Oh, she is adorable! In that first picture she looks like she's plotting her escape route! I also think she has a gorgeous nose! She is so gorgeous!

SKB_Hamsters · 06-11-2016, 11:55 AM

She is absolutely adorable, her nose is so cute. These photos are just too cute they really show her personality, and looks like she was having so much fun exploring her new cage.

Pebbles82 · 06-11-2016, 12:18 PM

Hello Marty! She looks full of beans

I love her colour too! Ginger biscuit dunked in tea.

Scarlett Empress · 06-11-2016, 12:29 PM

Thank you pinkneon! Ha ha yes I wouldn't be surprised if she was plotting something...! I just thought she was so beautiful when I saw her.

Thank you SKB! I think she's going to be a character. She seems to have worked out the important things in her cage - where to stash her food, where to go to bed and the best place to sit and groom!

Well, I have to tell you about when she was exploring - of course she had to squish into every space. I had tried to think about this when planning the layout, but I hadn't expected her to squish between the side of her wheel and the Perspex panel at the front of the cage - but she did. And she got to the top, and didn't seem to quite know how to get down!

I watched her for a bit, thinking she would figure it out, but she didn't seem to be able to decide what to do - and then - she stopped moving. I mean, completely - I looked at her little face, and it was completely still, no twitchy nose or whiskers, and I honestly thought she had stopped breathing.

I felt sick to my stomach - I really thought she was dead. I thought she had got so frightened at being stuck that her little heart had stopped!

So, I took the roof off the cage - and she moved! Phew! But I still wasnlt sure what to do, I didn't want to grab her and scare her, so I tried holding the box she came home in up to her to see if she could climb in, but she and the box couldn't get to the right position, so I couldn't see what else I could do a[art from grab her round the middle and pop her back down again! Anyway - she didn't seem all that bothered by it!

It didn't stop her exploring, but I think she has decided not to squidge up there again!

Scarlett Empress · 06-11-2016, 12:30 PM

Ha ha yes she is full of hamster beans Serendipity! I love her dark ginger colour, and that lovely grey tummy!

Pebbles82 · 06-11-2016, 12:31 PM

Goodness they do get into some scrapes. I don't think she'll try that again! Maybe you need something blocking that end a bit as well.

Scarlett Empress · 06-11-2016, 12:40 PM

Yes I'll have to have a think what I can do! I don't want to spoil her fun and stop her being able to squeeze through every little gap, but I don't want her getting stuck!

Honestly, approx. 20 minutes home and she has already added to my grey hairs - at least Smokey was home a while before she started to scare me to death!

SKB_Hamsters · 06-11-2016, 12:41 PM

Oh my goodness, that must have been so scary seeing her stuck, It so worrying for us seeing them trying to squeeze through such small spaces that they get stuck. Hopefully she learnt her lesson and won't do that again, I Would try to block that off to prevent her getting stuck again, just to be on the safe side. But it sounds like she wasn't bothered about you helping her out, which is a good sign.

Scarlett Empress · 06-11-2016, 12:55 PM

I honestly thought I had lost her already SKB but I wonder if, thinking she was well and truly stuck, she decided to 'play dead'? I will have a think what I can do to stop her climbing up there - we are off to Pets At Home again tomorrow to buy some chew toys, as she has enjoyed having a chomp at her tunnels, so maybe a few more distractions will help! She really doesn't seem terribly nervous. I was expecting to get bitten but she didn't even try!

I have been in to have a little chat with her this evening - I thought I would go and chat even if she wasn't up, just so she gets used to me moving around, but she was up and eating a pumpkin seed I had dropped in earlier. Then she went up the back corner at the side of her wheel and had a little grooming session. I put a Science Selective biscuit about 6 inches away from her and she came out and grabbed it, I don't want to start giving her treats too soon but I guess that would seem like a treat even though it's regular food!