Hamsters Are Cool-You Should Get One

I had another post ready to reblog today and then on February 4, our dear, sweet Nibbles passed away in Ella’s arms on the way to the vet sick call hour. 

It’s been a sad week here because he was so much more to us than just a hamster.

Ella said something interesting on the day he died; she told us that he immediately felt lighter after he died. 

“How is that possible? He still has all of his organs”, she said. 

I said it’s because his soul is no longer in there. 

His soul. It had so much weight.

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First published September 14, 2018

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You really should.

I’ve noticed that since getting a hamster, I have been less stressed out, and just kind of even.

Even, man.

I do believe that our hamster Nibbles is directly responsible for this behavior.

That and it’s just good to have another living thing dependent on me I mean, Ella.

Yes, I realize it is Ella’s hamster but let’s be real, I am doing most of the taking care of the said hamster.

At first, I was all against it.

OMG NO, WE DO NOT NEED ONE MORE ANIMAL IN THIS HOUSE. (I was including the husband and two children into this equation so for the sake of this post, I have five animals).

But over the course of a month, I have fallen in love with our hamster and it has gotten me to thinking.

Maybe you need one too.

I mean, come on. They’re cute. Duh.

But there are lots of fun things you can do with your hamster!

Like, create a vegetable gym.

Every morning, we have created a fun little routine with Nibbles running around in his little plastic exercise ball while we are getting ready for the day.

On the downside, I have to change the ball at least five times during one hamster ball running session because similarly to humans, hamsters like to poop in the morning.

A lot.

So if you have issues with cleaning up poop, maybe a hamster isn’t a good fit for you.

Also, children might not be a good fit for you either.

You will also have to feed your hamster because IT’S A LIVING THING.

We got Nibbles pellets from the pet store but in addition to that, hamsters love things like strawberries and lettuce.

He’s also been known to like a Goldfish cracker here and there as well.

Side note- hamsters will stick food into their cheeks and save it for later. I won’t ever be able to unsee Nibbles regurgitating a Goldfish cracker and eating it right in front of me.

Oh, and they eat their own poop too.

We like to alternate his diet of strawberries, celery, lettuce, and poop but here is a fun infographic about what else they can eat:

Good Lord, my hamster can eat bread but I can’t. Talk about injustice.

So with all of that fresh fruit-eating, you’re gonna have a hamster who poops and pees a lot so when you enter the room where the hamster lives, it might get a little stinky. Or a lot stinky.

Which is why you need to clean your hamster cage once per week.

As well as invest in some wallflowers or Glade plugins.

The hamster cage cleaning job belongs to my husband.

What? He lost the coin toss!

Also, it’s tricky for a child to do so if you are all “my kids are doin’ all of the work“, then maybe don’t get a hamster until they are old enough to take apart the cage and then put it back together appropriately.

Otherwise, you will have a hamster on the loose which is what happened on night one after Ella didn’t properly latch the top compartment.

It was all good, he was found hiding behind Ella’s hamster facts poster she created in order to get Nibbles in the first place.

I think he just wanted to read the lifespan thing up close.

He never ran away again, probably because he knows he’s on borrowed time.

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Which leads me to the next topic: hamsters don’t live very long.

2020 Kari note- this is so true. We only had our sweet boy for 1.5 years. 

I’ve also been told by several people that we seem to have really good luck with animals because of our 12-year-old goldfish, so maybe our hamster will outlive statistics ala Lucy the goldfish.

NO PRESSURE.

I really do hope Nibbles is still alive in 12 years but alas, they only have a 3-year maximum lifespan.

That’s depressing as hell.

Let’s take our mind off it by looking at a cute hamster picture.

Here’s another tip- hamsters get spooked very easily.

So don’t get all freaked out, start crying, and rip apart their cage to rescue them out of their tube when you think they are stuck.

They aren’t stuck.

They’re hiding because you walked into the room and scared the shit out of them.

Not that this scenario happened.

Just in case it ever does happen. To you. Not to me.

Heh heh.

Nothing to see here.

If you have a dog (or a cat), don’t let them get too close to your hamster unless you are holding the hamster or have them in their exercise ball.

Buddy is slowwwwwwly getting used to Nibbles, and dare I say is even starting to like him now.

He even cries if Ella’s door is closed during the day and when I let him in, he lays on the bed just to be in the same room.

Awww.

But he also licks his lips whenever he sees Nibbles, so I feel like he’s just waiting for the “big snack” to get loose.

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Don’t invest in the overpriced “play mats” or “fenced in play areas” that pet stores lure you into thinking are something you need.

Instead, buy a less expensive hamster wheel or plastic ball (see above).

We also put Nibbles in an empty bathtub (thanks to Pinterest for this idea), with the drain plugged so he can run around a bit. Ella got the great idea to put a bath towel in the bottom so he doesn’t slip and can run fast. She puts up a little hamster obstacle course with dixie cups, paper towel rolls cut up, wooden blocks for chewing, and his hamster wheel.

Like a mini Six Flags.

Being a hamster is pretty fly.

It’s good for them to get out of the cage, so twice a day we get him out and have noticed that since doing that, he is sleeping during the night.

He’s also been sleeping during the day too which makes me think he is exhausted from all the play.

Or all the carbs.

Bread, man.

Head here for lots more tips and if you do get one, I want pictures.