I'm getting slack with my blog posts as it has been a while since I last posted anything. We haven't been doing as many things on our weekends as Daniel has had exams and hasn't wanted to go anywhere. There's less to share when we're not out doing interesting things. But that's about to change,… Continue reading Rocket update and letting the “weeds” grow
Tag: hamster
The magpie and Rocket
I recently got a large bird-feeding house with a high capacity because I was having to refill the tube feeders so frequently I thought this would last longer. However a magpie with a discerning palate has discovered he can flick through the seed picking out the bits he likes. He empties it in less than… Continue reading The magpie and Rocket
Home-grown and a Rocket update
This is my lunch most days. It consists of my home-made sourdough which I bake several times a week now. As well as avocado, beetroot, tofu and today I have home-grown radish and rocket. Not much grows at this time of year but radishes and salad greens do. I've also had a constant supply of… Continue reading Home-grown and a Rocket update
Hamster, home, and water leaks
A couple of people have asked me how Rocket is doing and he's doing great. I took this video of him the other day rolling in his sand bath. This is just his travel sand bath as we had to take him in a smaller cage for our holiday so I used the smaller sand… Continue reading Hamster, home, and water leaks
Angus for a holiday and Rocket relaunched
We've come to Angus for a holiday that is three years overdue. We booked it originally for April 2020 but covid cancelled it so the holiday was rescheduled for 2021. Covid cancelled that too and it got rescheduled for 2022 but I made the mistake of booking a time that did not coincide with school… Continue reading Angus for a holiday and Rocket relaunched
Rocket with his broccoli
Rocket the hamster pics and video
We're loving having Rocket. He's such a cool little dude. He seems quite happy in his new home. At least he never tries to escape even when the door is open. He likes taking food from our hands but doesn't like being held. He loves, loves, loves his wheel and is very fond of food… Continue reading Rocket the hamster pics and video
Covid in the house, school camps, and Rocket the hamster
Ben has had covid this past week. He started feeling unwell on Friday night over a week ago. On Monday he took a lateral flow test and it was positive. He says he's felt achy, very tired, was a bit feverish and headachy for a couple of nights, and lost his appetite. He's much better… Continue reading Covid in the house, school camps, and Rocket the hamster
Meet Rocket
We adopted another hamster from the SPCA. When Bella and Daisy died I looked on the SPCA website and saw Rocket there. He had been there since August and we decided he needed a home. We don't know how old Rocket is or his history other than the SPCA taking him from his previous owner… Continue reading Meet Rocket
Another hamster death and the fox returns
Daisy our hamster is dead. After Bella died earlier this month I decided I wasn't going to make the same mistake with Daisy and a few weeks ago I took her to the vet. It can be hard to tell when a hamster is unwell as they're out at night when we're asleep and both… Continue reading Another hamster death and the fox returns
Finding comfort in science
I've been very hard on myself this past week about Bella and so I took some time last night to do some research into the disease the vet diagnosed her with. He said it was proliferative ileitis which is a bacterial infection in the intestines thought to be caused by the bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis. It… Continue reading Finding comfort in science
Two deaths in one week
Bella, our hamster, died on the same day as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on the 8th September 2022. Bella's death hit me harder than I was expecting. We haven't had her for very long but I noticed over the past month that she was losing weight. I started to weigh her regularly to see… Continue reading Two deaths in one week
Sniffing for hamster piss
When we first got hamsters I wasn't expecting to spend my evenings and weekends sniffing hamster bedding for hamster piss but this is what we do now. For a while Bella was peeing in a sand bath which was great as I didn't need to go searching for her toilet but she's stopped doing that… Continue reading Sniffing for hamster piss
Hamster escapes!
Bella (our hamster) escaped from her cage last night. Daniel was still partly awake when he heard a thud in the hall outside his bedroom. Eventually he dragged himself out of bed to check on his hamster and one of the tunnels had fallen off. She has three levels connected via tunnels, and one of… Continue reading Hamster escapes!
Our animal friends
Several months ago I bought a lemongrass plant which I thought would be nice in curry. However, Victoria has taken a liking to the plant and has absolutely shredded it. It's the first thing she goes to in the morning when she wakes up, even before her food bowl. Last weekend we made some birdfeeders… Continue reading Our animal friends
Hamster house video tour
Are the hamster blog posts getting a bit boring? I'm sorry. I've just given Bella's house an extension and I want to give you a tour. Her house now has a third storey with a gym for exercise. Hopefully, this will help her slim down a bit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxyuZ9vwxPQ
Hamster house
We finally upgraded Daisy's house. It's surprisingly difficult to find good houses for hamsters. Pet shops don't provide cages with sufficient depth at the bottom for bedding material that allows burrowing. Daisy would frequently run circles around her cage and bite the bars - both signs of boredom and distress. The wheels you get from… Continue reading Hamster house
Hamster pics
Victoria thinks the hamsters are getting too much attention. "What about me?" I took this video of Bella taking a walnut into her house. Bella is a bit on the chubby side. I'm hoping that with a bigger cage she'll get more exercise and slim down bit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puFCk8SZIZU
Bella’s home
Bella has a new environment. It's quite a unique-looking hamster habitat by Omlet. Omlet has put a lot of thought into the design and the bottom level is a deep drawer that you can fill with bedding. Hamsters like to dig burrows and most cages you buy at pet stores have a tiny tray at… Continue reading Bella’s home