Licky and LaoZi

Wonder what goes on with the two of them sometimes…

“I think there’s a booger at the end of your nose”

“Really?”

“Yup. Got it”

Hamster Survival Manual p.23

Exercise great caution when out in the open. Utilise whatever cover you can to minimise your profile and avoid detection.

Where possible, conceal yourself behind objects that can obscure your outline.

Once you have established that the coast the clear, proceed cautiously to your destination.

Wakie wakie!

If you happen to look into the cage and find no hamster in sight, check the outpost…

You’ll find a rather sleepy hamster peering out at you.

Quite often, she will be looking a little peevish.

Actually, make it really really peevish.

Peevish enough to take on any finger that comes her way. Beware!

Here is the scene that greeted us the following morning after cleaning the hammies cages:

 

How much can a single hamster poopy overnight?

33 doots. 

Yup,  Dumpling managed to produce doots galore over 12 or so hours.  What would possess a hamster to doot so vigorously? How much food must she have grazed through to generate all 33 doots and counting?

Questions to which only Dumpling would know the answer to…  and she’s not letting on. Instead, she’s sitting in her little porcelain house,  surveying the doot-strewn floor of her cage and, no doubt, preparing to doot some more.

Time lapse action

A red container, sunflower seed and Licky makes for entertainment:

Yes, she’s had a few nibbles off the sides. 

The sunflower seed is in my hand, off camera.

She’s got the seed… but has she overstretched?

*Backing up frantically*

Dang! She dropped it!

Faster than you can say “Sunflower!” , she’s popped out and grabbed the seed. 

Safe and sound in her beloved red container!

A Rat in Hand…

… is worth 2 in the cage.

Dumpling used to be a biter when she first came back from the SPCA. Over the months, she’s mellowed to the point of sitting quietly in the hand while being stroked. Provided you can coax her out to begin with – she’s still not one to actively seek out human interaction.  This is a more typical Dumpling posture when humans are around:

Classic Dumpling Moments

Dining in…

Dining out…

 

 

Keeping an eye on the next course in case it escapes

At the spa…

Romeo and Juliet (Act 1)

Licky and Laozi are two little love-birds with a paws-length relationship going on for the past 5 months. It’s really cute to see two of them sniffing across the bars between their cages every night. Even when one is asleep, we normally find the other one waiting patiently for the other to wake up.

We  first noticed some potential interest shortly after Laozi came back from the SPCA…  Licky wasted no time in signaling her interest in the new neighbour.

"O comfortable friar! Where is my lord? I do remember well where I should be, and there I am. Where is my Romeo?"

 Guys are typically really slow in picking up on these signals and Laozi was no different.

 

"Zzzzz... huh... wha?"

 We thought a little hamster soap opera would be an interesting change from the usual TV programming and moved the cages closer together.  Licky didn’t dissapoint and immediately took things to the next level.

"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? "

 I would imagine that it’s pretty hard to ignore a girl mooning you every night. At some point, anything with a Y-chromosome is going to start feeling something… The better half likes to think it’s LOVE, but frankly, I think the little guy’s just plain randy… 

"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun."

To be continued…

Breakfast in Bed

Dumpling (aka tangyuan) woke up today and decided that it was just too much trouble to get out of bed. But she was feeling a little peckish. So what is a hamster to do in such a situation?

Why not just reach over to the foodbowl, pull it closer to the sock and have a looky at what’s on the menu?

They could at least have served some juice along with the seeds!

She must have found something to her liking as she then settled down to a long, contented browse.

nom nom nom...

Licky’s 1st Moviniversary

Last Thursday was Licky Rat Rat’s 1 year anniversary adoption. To celebrate the happy occasion, she got a little cake and song:

She took a strong interest at the cupcake and moved in for a look: “Is that for me?”

Time to blow out the candles!

Happy Moviniversary, Licky! We are glad to have you living with us!