Parker is my male teddy bear hamster who is the sweetest one of all even if he is a bit of a horny guy.
Guinevere is Parker’s sister and like most siblings they do not get along. A few weeks ago both got out at the same time and Parker beat her up. It was not a nice fight poor Guinie came away with several battle wounds.
Sasha is a short haired hamster that was very neglected by her former family. She has some severe issues with food but over the last several months she has gotten much better at letting me pet her and even hold her on occasion. She hordes food because she was not fed on a regular basis in her former home. I have yet to take her stash away from because I am afraid she will freak out. Sasha has severe separation anxiety and if she can hear me in the house she has to be out of her cage. Usually I just open the door and she gets out and runs around on her table and Tommy’s table. Eventually she makes her way to the floor and runs around until I go pick her up and put her back. Once I shut the door and turn the lights out she is okay again.
Kwan Yin or better known as Mamma is a new addition. She was rescued from a breeder that kept her pregnant so they could sell the babies. She is an old girl with lots of battle scars and a tattered ear from an encounter with a cat. Mamma is a very sweet little girl who spends most of her time sleeping. One thing about hamsters that are used as breeders they are never given the chance to be a hamster. So in Mamma’s case she does not know how to do hamster things. She is slowly learning them but for the most part she is happy to sleep in her oatmeal container, but she does enjoy running around in the ball if she is awake when they are out.
Dharma is a new addition as well. She is a tiny black and white mouse that came with Kwan Yin. I don’t really know the story behind Dharma, she is friendly and curious and loves running in her wheel.
Tommy is the only gerbil I have. He is from a neglected home as well and is very neurotic. He does not like to have his home messed with in any way. He likes things his own way. I have had Tommy almost a year and in that time he has yet to let me pet him or hold him. Which is fine, I am okay with respecting their boundaries and if they don’t want to be held I don’t hold them.
Lance and Pandora are my Robo hamsters. They are both from former families that treated them very well. This is an oddity but these guys were loved and cared for by their owners. They just could not keep them for various reasons. Both are great hamsters but like all Robo’s they are very shy and I don’t see them often. Lance runs in his wheel at night or if he is stressed. Panny comes out for fresh fruit or vegetables but pretty much stays in her den until night time.
Lakshmi or Satan as I refer to him most often is a solid black Russian Campbell hamster. He is just a bit bigger than the Robos but smaller than the others. Laki came to me from a movie studio that bought him and his litter mate for a movie. His litter mate was adopted out right away but Laki is mean. He does not like anyone near his cage, in his cage or trying to touch him. So because of his personality issues he can not be adopted out. He has never bitten me, because I don’t give him a chance. But he has a nasty temperament. Laki runs in his wheel an really enjoys running around in his mini ball. He will run over anyone or anything in his path and Tau is usually his main target.
Saturday I picked up 5 baby Russian Campbell hamsters that are four weeks old. They will be adopted out but having 5 babies in the house is like having 5 4 year olds in the house. They sleep a lot but when they are awake they are active and they fight with each other all the time. I have already had to remove the two smallest ones because they kept getting beaten up. Unlike the adult hamsters the babies talk. They squeak when they are upset or being picked on and you can hear it all over the house. So when the squeaking starts I have to go see who is upset and fix the problem. Removing the two little ones stopped a lot of the fighting and they are happier in their own cage.
Zara and Zoe are the guinea pigs. These two ladies are very picky and snotty and prefer to be left to themselves. They are very talkative when it is time for food or they hear the fridge being opened.
Teddy and Swirl are two new piggies that belong to a fellow rescuer who had to find them a home. I could not bear her having to give them to anyone so we took them and I am fostering them until she can take them home. If it never gets to that point they will stay with me. Swirl is an old boy who is blind from cataracts his cage mate is Teddy a furry little girl who really wants to be in with Zara and Zoe but Swirl depends on her for help. Swirl is Kali’s personal friend, she likes to sit by him when the cage is being cleaned and lick him. I have never figured out why, maybe she senses something since he can’t see, she has never tried to hurt him but she did snap at Teddy the other day when she moved really fast.
So as you can see we have a full house and they keep me entertained and busy. I can honestly say I am never bored with this many in the house.