Alice in the Family

Mia Ham(ster)

October 22, 2009 -

Michelle T. - PetSmart Charities, Inc.

Alice is the most recent addition to my household. She’s a white-faced robo dwarf hamster, and she’s about the length of my thumb. She has big shoes to fill.

My previous hamster, Mia Ham(ster), came to me from a coworker. Mia quickly made the transition to my desk and made herself at home. She was also a dwarf hamster, but bigger than Alice. She was dark gray and very soft, and she was very personable. I would regularly take her out on trips around the office, in my hands, so she could visit with some of the other staff. She liked to run around on arms and desks, with supervision.

She was also a very greedy eater. Her favorite snack was a piece of turkey or cheese. She’d snatch any food you offered her and sit with her little back legs sticking straight out while she ate. She also had a big problem with hoarding. She was always greedy for food, but not always good about only taking what she could eat right then. After one trip to the vet, I learned quickly that I could "de-pouch" Mia myself with a Q-tip and some patience. Mia would sit still while I put the Q-tip in her pouch and pulled out any old food that she hadn’t gotten to for a few days. She never seemed capable of cleaning her pouch out herself.

When Mia died, I knew I wouldn’t be able to find a hamster to replace her, and I also knew that it would be hard to find a hamster who was as friendly and sweet as Mia. Alice is adorable and is quickly settling in to her new home, but so far there’s no touching. I’m trying to teach her that my hand equals good food and possible love, but for now she’s still a white blur of hamster as she speeds around the cage. She has created her nest and is using bits of flannel that I offered her, and if I poke a piece of fruit or veggie into her house, she comes out and grabs it. I hope that as the days go by she will learn that I am a good hamster-mom and start to trust me more. Until then I will have to be content to listen to her scratching and burrowing while I type at my computer. I’m looking forward to finding out more about my new littlest pet.