When I last posted, I had just gotten Russell from Nantucket Hamstery. I had three hamsters, Russell, Bruno, and Olaf. All floofy male Syrians! Russell was in the Detolf, and Bruno and Olaf were in 40 gallon tanks. There have been a lot of changes since then, some sad, and some exciting.
I said goodbye to Olaf in February. He was 2 years and 2 months old. He had been showing a lot of signs of aging, but it was still a really hard loss. I got him from a friend's sister, he was the last one available in an accidental litter. That made it easy for me, I didn't have to choose! He was such a special hamster.
After losing Olaf, I began the search for a new hamster. I got Puzzles on March 3rd from a local pet store. I was really hoping for a WW or RCD, but I decided to look at the robos anyway, and there she was. Puzzles is a blue pied, and the absolute cutest robo I've ever seen. She's a very speedy girl and absolutely adores her wheel. Some nights she'll fill it up with bedding and then go crazy running around her cage until I get the bedding out.
I was able to do some enclosure upgrades this year. After seeing Victoria Raechel's video reviewing the Niteangel Stacker series, I knew they were exactly what I wanted (except for the price...) I ordered everything as soon as I could and waited for what felt like ages for all the parts to arrive.
In October, I welcomed another somewhat unplanned addition. I was still waiting for all of the stacker parts to arrive so I could connect multiple units, but I had everything to set up the individual units. I was starting to think about getting a fourth hamster if I found the perfect one, but I really wasn't planning on getting another until I had the stackers completely set up. Then I went to a pet fair and there was this little dwarfie I kept coming back to. Every time I reached in the bin, she would climb right on my hand. I tried so hard to leave without her, but I couldn't get her out of my head. So, I brought Autumn home and set her up in one of the stackers. She is one of the most perfect hamsters. She was tame from day one. She will still walk right on my hand with or without a treat (but treats preferred!)
In November I was finally able to set up the stackers. Although I was frustrated that the final part took so long to come, but it really came at the perfect time. November was filled with a lot of sadness as my 30-something year old pony, Ginger, declined and we ended up having to say goodbye to her. The day I lost her was also the day I set up the stackers. It was very healing for me and it helped a lot having something I could focus my energy on.
I did some cage swapping when the stackers were set up. Puzzles stayed in her 40 gallon, Bruno moved from his 40 gallon into the bottom stacker, Russell moved from his Detolf into the top stacker, and Autumn moved into the Detolf. I absolutely love the stackers. They look amazing and they're the perfect size.
In December, I said goodbye to Russell. Russell was incredibly special. He was a very long awaited hamster from an ethical breeder. I didn't expect to lose him after only having him a year. Sadly, he developed a cancerous tumor. I seriously considered surgery to remove it, but after consulting with my vet ultimately decided against it. He was doing really well for awhile, but eventually refused to take his meds and his behavior started to change a lot. I'm so thankful he got to enjoy his new enclosure, even if it wasn't for very long.
Bruno is still doing very well, although he is definitely a ghost hamster. He will be 2 years old at the end of March. He loves treats and he loves being left alone. I do typically see him at least a couple times a week, but usually just his butt as he goes back into his house hahaha.
After the loss of Russell, I knew I had to get another hamster. I had two unexpected losses back to back with him and Ginger, and I knew I needed something positive to lift my spirits. I looked all over Craigslist, Facebook, Rescues, Shelters, went to several pet stores, and I came so close with a few of them, but none of them felt quite right, that is until I saw the cutest baby black banded long-haired Syrian... 5 hours away. I tried so hard to get the little guy out of my head. I tried so hard to keep looking until I found one closer. But I couldn't stop thinking about him. Somehow I convinced my mom to take a little road trip to pick him up. We drove to pick him up yesterday. It was a 12 hour day, and although it was a blast, I can't make a habit of driving 5 hours for hamsters! The next one better be closer.
So... meet Perry! He's absolutely perfect. He has the sweetest face and so far, the sweetest personality. I'm so excited to get to know him more. He has been exploring every inch of his enclosure. After seeing Russell decline, it warms my heart seeing a baby romping around the enclosure, using the space to the fullest. Perry has been pretty difficult to photograph as he's constantly going, but I did manage to get a good one when he paused for a bit yesterday.
I'll try not to go another year without posting!
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