HamWatch 2010: Day 4

Today I had a minor panic. Since the hamsters live in my office, I'm able to keep pretty close tabs on them all day long, which means I'm usually here during the rare moments when Willa gets up for a stretch. I keep my camera next to the hamsters and as soon as I hear Willa rustling around, I can hop up and snap a photo of the babies (as long as I'm not with a client, LOL).

This afternoon when Willa went on a little walkabout, I snapped this photo of the babies. I was editing the photo and it's become my habit to count the little critters a couple of times each day to make sure they're all there and healthy. This early, it's not uncommon for a baby to get lost, especially since their eyes aren't open and they're so vulnerable that getting lost means certain death, which I'd like to avoid. When I looked at this photo, though, I could only find eleven of the twelve babies.

I panicked, went back to the nest, and lured Willa out with some multigrain Cheerios so I could count again. Luckily, I discovered that all twelve were there, so it's possible that one was just covered up with bedding when I took the photo. Whew.

Well, as you can see, some of the hamsters are turning a bit dark. Four of the twelve, it seems, are going to take after their dad, Abe, who, as you know, is a lovely black hamster. It's fascinating to watch these babies develop daily and see them grow this way, and they make the most delightful squeaks throughout the day.

Speaking of Abe, Leo and I have been spending more time with him since Willa's been occupied with the babies. Abe's CritterTrail has an upstairs "condo" that's removable, and he'd brought all manner of bedding and snacks up to the condo, so the other night, we brought him (in his condo) downstairs to watch TV with us.

Here's the thing about Abe: he's kind of slow-moving most of the day. He only starts to pick up speed around 11:00 PM. So as we snuggled up in a blanket on the sofa, I felt confident taking him out of the condo and settling him on the sofa with Leo and me. Abe was quite happy to curl up on top of the blanket with some Cheerios and lettuce, and really seemed to enjoy "Top Chef" and "Leverage." But then he got curious and wanted to explore the entire sofa, and we were worried he'd fall off, so I brought him back up to the office.

This morning, though, I discovered that Abe has moved all his stuff downstairs, so I think maybe he didn't enjoy having his condo moved around. That said, he's getting much more comfortable with being handled, and actually seems to like being held, so I think there's more TV and movie viewing in Abe's future.

Oh...I've been getting e-mails about the cats. People want to know, "How are the cats handling the hamsters?" and "Where are the cats?" Here's the scoop: the only one of our cats that lives in the house full-time is Kate, who's almost twenty years old. Kate's almost blind, mostly deaf, and the fact that we even have hamsters barely even registers with her, so that's a non-issue.

Kate has no claws (certainly not my doing) and doesn't get along well with the other cats, who all have all of their claws. Kate's old and also has a heart murmer, and Leo and I don't want to get her riled up too much, so the other four cats live in a large sunroom and come into the house during the day, as long as they don't upset Kate. And when they're in the house, the door to the office (and thus, to the hamsters) is closed. I don't think the other cats even know we have hamsters, but I'm sure if they did, there'd be a lot of interest. Rest assured, though, the hamsters are totally safe and protected at all times.

Stay tuned for more HamWatch 2010, as we await the opening of the eyes, fur, and movement out of the nest!