| Feature Hamster: Pearl Story by Jane Landis |
| We were at the pet-shop for a few supplies. I didn't go to the tanks, but hubby called me over to see a little Campbells who had his attention. We looked and smiled and went to dinner. As we got up to leave the restaurant, hubby asked if the shop might still be open. He'd never wanted one on a whim before, so we decided to see. The little scamp was a doll baby. He had a number of littermates and one special buddy. Turned out she was a girl, so I looked about for a brother. Then a huge adult Campbells climbed up on something to get my attention. The "something" was a tiny white hammy, rolled on her back playing dead! I shooed the big guy off her belly, and she did it again. I picked her up anyway, and once in my hand against my chest, she toddled up to my shoulder and burbled in my ear. She had three vicious bites -- side, bottom and foreleg. We got her home and settled and cleaned her boo-boos. She's nearly 5 cm long, three-weeks-old tops. When she wouldn't eat, I started preparing to lose her (as prepared as one can be). I expected to give her a few days alone to get settled, but after a short nap she stood up and begged at my voice. I put in a hand, and she climbed aboard and held on tight! She nibbled at some egg, and with encouragement, really started eating well later that night. She chirps nearly constantly -- a little bird warble -- and it's a happy sound. Her name is Pearl. She's white with a palest gray undercoat, a tiny smudge of gray on her forehead, and a few gray hairs ticked through her baby-fuzz coat. Her bottom looks like a polar bear cub waddling away – impossibly cute. A little over a day later, she's mastered the place -- burrows through shavings, rearranges toilet paper into huge clouds, plays in little tubes and runs a tiny wheel -- even a little roly ball. She eats well and has very healthy stool, and is just a precious, wondrous, happy creature. She doesn't startle, jump or get skittish. It's like she was born in my hand. I am so blessed to find such a creature. We didn't even see her the first time, so God sent us straight back! They wrote 10% off her price because she was "damaged." If they'd known her, they couldn't have charged enough. Picture update on Pearl Hubby burst out laughing this morning. I ran to see, and Pearl had put every scrap of toilet paper in her little wheel and was running through the snowstorm! |
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| "I finally got it all in!" |
| "Now for a relaxing stroll" |
| "Hey, it doesn't snow in L.A.!" |
| "Whew! Okay, again!!!" |
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