For those of you who haven't yet committed my entire life to memory, here are some important links:
I'm really proud of those two posts, now that I'm reading back. I feel like I was channeling Sara.
Okay. Now, the truth of how and why I got the hamster, which you might have read in the comments section of that second post linked above.
Miss A's kindergarten teacher took a few weeks off right after school started, because of her wedding and also because her mom was hospitalized around the same time. Then she announced her pregnancy and didn't come back after winter break. The sub (who was awesome and finished out the year with the kids) wasn't into the hamster, and so the teachers sent a letter home saying whoever wanted the hamster could have him.
Miss A had long coveted the hamster, and Jason and I had considered getting her one for Christmas. And here it was! Like it was meant to be!
I will have to recommend a hamster as a pet. S/he's awesome. The kids know the hamster bites, so they don't manhandle her. We have her in a clear plastic Rubbermaid-style bin with holes drilled in the lid. S/he is fun to watch. S/he is low maintenance.
The bad news is, I'm always afraid Ice Cream is dead. Every time I go to check his/her cage, I feel worried. I just investigated online and found that hamsters have a lifespan of 2 or maybe 3 years. Yikes! Ice Cream is at least 19 months old. My aversion to handling dead things keeps me nervous around small animals.
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I would never, EVER suggest you dispose of the hamster inside of the cage when the his/her time comes. That would be wrong, probably not even legal, and it is most assuredly *not* what I did when our hamster died nearly a decade ago.
ReplyDeleteOr, if she/he is still warm, you could attach a small string to his/her paw to entice the cats to eliminate the problem for you. Watch for hairballs. This is also *not* how Mousie was disposed of, and *not* just because we didn't have cats at the time.
If you keep Ice Cream in a Rubbermaid, it just seems NATURAL that s/he would be buried in it. Like, I think probably that's what Jesus would do.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have a friend who buried her kids' guinea pig (who lived like 6 years or something INSANE and died when they were on vacation and had a housesitter) in her yard, with a giant rock over it, and like two weeks later, their dog dug the little corpse up and got covered in maggots. She had to give the maggot-covered dog a bath, in the dark, without her kids knowing that the reason Seamus stunk was because he dug up their rotting guinea pig. True story.
I still laugh out loud when I read that original post about abducting Ice Cream. Classic.
ReplyDeleteI am in the fear of dead things stage as well, as our dog appears on the verge. She's been there for a few years, but I have a feeling about these things. Mostly because her snoring is so intense, I have trouble believing that she is receiving any kind of oxygen. Sadly, we do not keep her in a Rubbermaid container, but that would certainly make things less complicated.
I had a cat in college and every time the washer, dryer, oven or microwave was on I always had this crazy fear that one day I'd open up said appliance and there would be my dead cat. Terrible I know but after awhile I even had my roommate paranoid and double checking the dryer before starting it. Luckily the cat made it and now happily resides with my sister. Probably another reason we should wait before getting another pet.
ReplyDeleteI had a hamster once, awesome pet, but apparently diarrhea or "wet tail" as it's called in the hamster world is fatal to them and once they get it, it's only a matter of time. Not trying to scare you even further, but is you ever saw a sign of it, it might be a good time to tell the kids that Ice Cream went to visit his/her grandma in FL and you don't know when they might be back.
ReplyDeleteWill you post a picture of this cage? I'm interested. Also, does the hamster and said habitat have a scent? I really can't handle that but my daughter is DYING for a pet...we won't be getting cats (allergies) or dogs (really really really bad experience). So far the Zhu Zhu pet is working wonders but really, how long can I drag that one out?
ReplyDeleteconfession...we had a demonic hamster who grew to the size of a small cat and after multiple bites, eating its way through the cage and finding its way to my room, it was time to let it go into the wild. i was deathly afraid to venture outside after that because i was afraid it was going to be the size of a dog and try to kill me. no lie.
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