Sweet thing she is . Allows petting but if something displeases her she doesnt hesitate to screech . Kind of reminds me of Milo
1st Dec 2007
30th nov 07
i did the unpardonable .Since im not currently loadging at home while we have no fridge I travel to and from my parents every otherday . At my last home visist today I realised with horror Id forgotten to put Cherry's refilled food dish into her tub !
I checked her over .. she didnt seem to have lost any weight so My guess is that she must have lived off her stash during the day inbetween
Tonight Cherry is here with me not out of guilt ( part ) but more out of necessity . Its been raining alot recently and ants have moved indoors for some reason targetting First Elven's cage then Cherrys tub
Elvens cage was easy to tackle because his set up is on a low table/shelf so iM able to bug spray the legs and part of the floor with no harm done
Cherry's tub was abit more difficult . I decided against my better judgement but thought in the end it was for the best .. to bring her here . I hesitated initially because my parents own a dog . Oh well maybe its for the best . At least here i can clean her leg daily . It looked abit red today so I got a bottle of chlorohexidine ( sp ? )0.05% and started the swab the ham game
She wasnt pleased
OH dear Cherry mommy is so sorry .
She has now been downgraded from a big tub on the floor to a smaller cage conparable to a habitrail in size . I think i will lodge her there for the forseeable future because the small cage can be put on top of a shelf or table and a protective mist of bug spray can be done about the base of the shelf/table
Im still pondering over how to meet her exercise needs . hmm maybe I could put her in the tub nights ( no food with justa water bottle ) and back in the small cage during the day ? I got to figure that out when i finally get a new fridge and move back home
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7th Dec 07
email to a buddy
puddings are a hybrid
( this part of the note was personal _______________-edited ) . They are abit more massive than the humble winter white dwarf and cambell . BTW if a dwarf that looks like a WW is red eyed and an albino its probably a cambell I think
I sent you an album invite . there are just some of the pics I have collected over the time I have had hamsters
Watch out for skin problems . In our tropical heat the overweight dwarf is prone to it . Sometimes the skin folds trap yukkies . If that happens I get chlorohexidine 0.05% off guardian and swab them but make sure you dry them well . to clean the underside if it ever gets necessary you have to restrain the head with the thumb and forefinger and let the body lie on your palm
If the hamster is tame then just a light grip on the scruff with its body supported by your palm is enough. this manual cleaning is not necessary if the hamster has no skin issues ... keep a check ... signs often start under arm or on the belly
Sometimes they may chew illegally and when that happens if they lose a tooth dont panic .
I have learnt to trim a tooth thats overgrown too . If you hit the vein it may bleed but its ok its harmless really .Better that than an overgrown tooth that hits the meat of the mouth . In time you will learn to tell what a normal length is
Swollen lips and a hammy thats losing weight are some signs of an overgrown tooth .
when one tooth is lost the opposing tooth has nothing to grind against . But often if the tooth isnt damaged it will grow back . In the meanwhile i feed it baby food as a supplement but be prepared there is alot of waste . When one of mine got old and its teeth got loose i would feed it chicken porridge or chicken rice when I changed to buy a pack
However hamsters have a mind of their own and sadly sometimes nothing deters a determined rodent from chewing that thing he wants . I once had one that chewed the water bottle spout . It would gnaw then slide and ingest alot of water in the process and no it wasnt diabetic either . Because of that it peed alot
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I sometimes give it a rawhide bone . Watch what you feed it and when you feed it peoples food . Never ever give it chocolate the shells of certain nuts like almonds although the almond itself is ok. There is something in it thats toxic to rodents . I think citrus fruits, things like garlic and such are out too
Dwarfs are more prone to diabetes .
Dwarf hammies the vet told me are also prone to tumours once they pass a year old .
how to treat this is another thing . I have opted for both euthanasia in cases where i felt that the hamster's quality of life might be compromised , and I have let it live its lifespan out despite a massive tumour .
Its a dreadful decision to make but there are times when that decision is the kindest last gift you can give the hamster
IM 41 now and my heart still breaks each time a hamster dies .
you might want to search the web for hamster info .Its a lot of work maintaining a hamster. But I do my best . I used to be an animal abuser as a child and I cringe to recall what atrocities I committed in the past out of ignorance . I wont let my kids fall into that trap now . I try and teach them to handle our pets gently as they do feel pain
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Sometimes hamsters do fall ill. Its also a tough decision whether to bring the hamster to the vet or whether to wait it out. I sometimes watch and see . If its something thats really bad and might spread i bring it to the vet. If its something I can handle I self treat the animal . If its something thats obvious like an internal tumour attached to an organ ( can be felt sometimes ) I have to make a decision whether to treat it or let it be if i feel the vet cant help it much . I go more for quality of life . My late Milo lived till 2.5 despite a massive tumour . Baby was euthanized because the mass was at the side of his face and in time as it grew it would interfere with its eating .
I have been through quite afew hamsters now as an adult ( cant recall those i kept as a kid ) and i still cry when one dies .
18th June 08
Her highness has meds .her skin on the chest is bare of fur but its not mites said the vet .
Possibly allergies. It will be hard pin pointing the exact cause
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3rd Dec 2008
A week or two back Cherry was euthanised . After her last visit to the vet she sprouted a tumour from inside her ear . That was when I decided to just maintain her until the time came for her to go . She wouldnt have survived the GA
This vet kindly waived the charges and allowed me to be present
I miss her still even though I now have another in her place .
RIP Cherry
mei
