Long distance hello

I heard they now wet their own houses instead of doing their business on the beddings. Their cages have also been moved. Saw Lu and Luce over the webcam yesterday. I want to hold them in my hands....

Roasted pigs

When I woke up this morning I walked straight up to their cage. Lulu was all fours on the roof of the house, watching - what, I don't know. But she was watching, not intently, just sort of taking in the surroundings. The morning was bright and hinted on a sunny day ahead. Outside, the birds chirped. Her head lifted a little to the chirping, and listened attentively. Now this is why I say she's intelligent. It seems she pays attention to everything around her, listening, seeing. And she can do this longer than any hamsters I've ever met.

Today Lulu slept in the tunnel while Lucy slept on the groud floor of the cage. The house wasn't popular today.

Gave them guavas in the evening. Held a slice of it near Lucy, and she bit on it, before holding the fruit with her two hands and ply it away. Hamsters are cute when they eat! There are a few corns left on the dish. I supposed they've had too much of mixed veg. Will give them some eggs tomorrow.And bread. Boy do they love bread!! I think it was during the particularly busy week when I first gave them bread. Lulu stuffed everything in her mouth.

Went to visit Hamster's grave. This was my first visit since I buried Hamster in January. Except for the slightly sunken ground, the burial spot has blended in with the rest of the ground, even grass has grown on it. Poured some sand on the spot to even it out. Hamster had eyes just like Lulu's; big and black. It had white midsection, also like Lulu, but with a tinge of grey and black on its brown fur. I never found out Hamster's sex. When it was alive I was told it was female and Lulu, male. But I later found out that Lulu's female, by then Hamster was already resting in peace.

While I cleaned the cage (sometime close to ten), I left Lu and Luce to run around in the living room. I dislike keeping them in the small cage. It's imprisonment. Pets should be roam freely if possible, and I want Lu and Luce to be able to stretch their legs, run fast and wild to their liking, and enjoy as much freedom as possible.

Hamsters are like Play-Doh. They can be round and yet in a blink of an eye they're flat. Lulu and Lucy can run the tunnel for what seemed like eternity, and just suddenly they're lying low and still like roasted pigs. When I saw them doing that this evening after cage cleaning I took out the videocam and shot twenty minutes of hamster antics. They're doing it right now. Still as roasted pigs. Eyes open, as if pondering something.

Houseless Hamsters

Took out the house to wash and left to dry. Lulu and Lucy are taking their turns on the wheel right now. These days, Lulu has taken a liking to the tunnel. She'd hoard her food and slip into tunnel where she quietly takes her bite, and sleep in the tunnel during the day. This evening I noticed Lucy doing the same thing.

Hamsters on wheels are the cutest thing ever, bums swinging from side to side, legs propelling...

Lucy blues

Since moving into the new cage both Lu and Luce have discarded their old habit of bitting the bars....until last night. Lucy was her old adamant and stubborn self again, chewing savagely on the gate. Cutest thing is she knew it was the gate, and she wanted to get out. When I opened it she wasted not one second and scrambled out.

Put Lulu and Lucy out to walk in the house last night, taking turns of course, and under my watchful eyes.

The angelic side of Lucy finally wore off and she was forcefully driving Lulu down the tunnel again whenever they met.

Two weeks update

Friday, 25th June
2.00am
Lulu and Lucy fought. Had they not knocked the ladder I wouldn't have noticed their scuffle. Instinctively I put a hand in between to break the fight and was given a couple of scratches. Nothing serious, only two small grazes on my skin. Lulu however was not that fortunate. At first I didn't notice it, because after the fight Lulu went straight up to the house and licked herself. I checked Lucy for wounds but found none. Lulu then came out of the house and there on her left foot was a nasty bloody wound. I was concerned she may have anything severed but upon closer inspection -luckily- found all her toes to be intact. I'm taking no chances for the night. Took out the old blue cage and transferred Lucy into it.

Mid day
Put ointment on Lulu's foot. For the first time the hamsters slept in a seperate house each. There was nothing to suggest any outoward incidents hours earlier. Both slept soundly.

11.00pm
When I came home in the late evening, Lucy was inside the old cage again with Lulu. Apparently at dinner time Lulu was enjoying herself on the tunnels and Lucy, who was in the cage next to Lulu's, kept watching Lulu on tip toe, hands on the rails. She then entertained herself on the old wheel - the only amusement in the blue cage - but stop too sudden and flung out. That didn't stop her from pathetically watching Lulu in the greener pastures. Out of sympathy Lucy was brought back into the cage with Lulu, and both were happily playing in tunnels.

Now, I don't know of course, but sometimes things happen that suggests the two know when I speak to them. I warmed Lucy that if she ever is naughty again I will put her in the blue cage indefinitely. After that, she became an angel. Normally when the hamsters came across face to face in the tunnel, Lucy would be the one furiously pushing on Lulu's head till Lulu has to reverse, no matter how far in Lulu has climbed the tunnel. After my forewarning Lucy quickly backs up, and went the opposite way whenenever she encounter Lulu in the tunnel!

Last week of June
Haven't been watching Lu and Luce due to a busy week. Whenever I do, Lucy would most of the time be running in the wheel and Lulu was either in the house, lying and resting, or take her turn on the wheel but that is normally short lived as Lucy would push her way into the wheel again. When Lucy finally gets tired and takes a nap, Lulu happily has her scarce opportunity on the wheel.

Found out Lulu has a scar on the midsection. I suspect it was a wound from the fight on Friday that went unnoticed. Poor Lulu! The blood has dried up but the gash looked deep. By the end of the week though, both wounds were healed. The injury on her foot left a light grey scar.

Sad thought

I have decided not to bring Lu and Luce with me to Singapore. It is a very saddening thought. But leaving them for 2 weeks with a busy vet at every checkpoint is not what I have in mind for them. What if they fight? What if one changes the bedding and they get an infection?? What if they don't have enough to eat and drink?? It's not difficult for anyone to overlook hamsters when there are other more interactive pets around, like dogs and cats. I can't risk all that. I'll miss them. I may get other hamsters but there can never be another Lulu and Lucy.

My God, another fight. I wonder what's with them nowadays. Maybe they have been arguing, I don't know. They still share a house despite there being two. They seem to enjoy each other's company in the day. But it can be totally different when after the sun sets. I guess there is truce between the two for the meantime. Each is busy with her own hamster business.

Quarantine - no way

I just found out that in order to bring small mammals into Singapore, a two week quarantine is imposed on the pets. It's daunting to think that Lulu and Lucy are subject to the quarantine and for 14 days! Still unddecided on whether I should take them there.

Earlier, the two can't look each other in the eye without starting to fight. More than 5 times I had to break them up. As a last resort I forced them to face each other for about half a minute and miraculously after that, there was no more hostily in the cage. Lulu's enjoying herself in the wheel right now. The new wheel is a little larger and she fits comfortably in it.

House Warming!

Got a new cage today! The plan was to let one stay in each cage but this new cage is more spacious, and it has colourful fun tunnels; so now I hope that one will live upstairs and the other underneath. It's quite an impossible wish but they're having fun with the tunnel right now and I'm not going to spoil it!

FIGHT

Today's was the worst fight ever. I didn't see it coming, in fact everything was just fine when I was playing with them. Few seconds after I left everyone heard alarming squeaks from the cage. It even took me a little longer to break up the fight than any fights in the past. Lulu had a bloody finger from the encounter. Lucy was so scared she pooped when Lulu was charging onto her. But I held Lulu back before any more harm could be done. I don't know how it started, just sad and worried it did. I'm considering getting another cage tomorrow. Syrian hamsters are solitary animals, I just don't know when the next fight's going to occur, and whether or not it's going to be fatal. I put a some medicament on Lulu's injury, was no easy task trying to hold her still.

They are back to normal life now. It is as if no scuffle had ever taken place. But the image of Lucy defecating, fear etched on her face; and poor Lulu licking her wounded finger reminds me that not everyday can be cheerful in a hamster's cage.

About Sunday on Monday

I can't believe the weather can be so hot in the night! My body just refused to retire in such heat. All's well with Lulu and Lucy's company though. (takes a look at them) -_-" sigh, Lucy's biting the bars again. OMG she just lost her balance and fell from the top floor! I think she was shocked by fall, paused a sec before lodging in her favourite spot betwwen the wheel and wall. Went to check on her. Good, she just munched down a pea. Should be alright.

When I first got the cage Lulu went absolutely crazy. Instead of sleeping, her whole day was spent climbing and falling. Yes I've never seen any creature fall so many times as Lulu on that day. Of course it scared the life out of me but she was undeterred, and flipped right back on her legs even after numerous nasty falls. I don't think Lulu can be stopped by any obstacles. She's a super hamster. Super and smart. Lucy on the other hand is more cautious in her wanderings. When she first came she was always mindful of her steps especially on the stairs. If ever the stair dislodged it would take Lucy a long time before attempting to climb down by clinging to the walls. Well, now that she's older she's become bolder.

Cleaned the cage in the evening. Couldn't resist snapping some shots of them eating. I've started on a little project for them. Will be a surprise ;-) I've also added a new photo album entitled sLuMBer pArTY with four pics of Lulu sleeping. She sleeps the most out of the two.

MY GOD. I tell you, Lucy alone is enough to give me a heart attack. She slipped again, but was so afraid of falling that she grabbed on the floor with one leg and dangled like a little sausage. I thought her leg got caught. If it was this sure isn't her first time. Once, her leg got stuck on the rungs and her hands flailed helplessly in the air. The poor girl! Luckily I saw that. Hope she has learned her lesson. For both our sakes.

Chew, chew chew

For a creature with cute pink nose, small adorable eyes, Lucy can be pretty stubborn. She'll chew on the cage bar non-stop, even after I told her off. I think I have tried almost everything capable of stopping any good hamster from doing so - albeit for a few minutes. Hitting on the cage, looking her in the eye telling her to stop, sending gusts of wind on her by flapping a pillow, putting stuff with strong odours near her nostrils, all didn't work on that lady. Lulu loves bar chewing too but she stops immediately when scolded. As we speak, Lucy is chewing on her food bowl!!!! -_-"

These few days Lulu has been hoarding every meal into the house, where she deposited the treasures. Lucy would be nibbling on a pea while Lulu busied herself in stuffing as much veg in her mouth. When Lucy is done with the pea the bowl is already empty, or littered with a few carrot cubes left by Lulu. Eventually though, Lucy will end up in the house and save some of the veg deposited by Lulu in her mouth.

And it is night again

Didn't bathe them as planned. One of the hamsters sneezed this afternoon, so I'm not taking any risks. Lucy seemed to be quite restless today. Unlike yesterday, when she slept the whole day through, Lucy kept wandering downstairs, even slept downstairs and lodged herself between the wheel and cage wall. It was evident that both hamsters were tired when evening approached. Slept in the house as I cleaned the tray and changed beddings. They are wide awake right now. Lulu was playing in the wheel a while ago. Somehow she managed to queeze her butt into the undersized wheel but because she's so big now the wheel couldn't move smoothly. I know it's bad for her. I made a wheel out of ice cream box but still haven't figured out the best way to attach it in the cage.

Uploaded some photos today. You can access them HERE

Lulu is chewing the bars again. Gosh, is there a rehabilitation programme for bar chewing??

Lucy was in the wheel and Lulu wanted to get in and kept prodding Lucy. They were like little kids fighting for a turn on the swing! Would have fought had we not warned them.

Lucy Oh, Lucy

I wondered what the rattling was all about, from my view I could see Lucy's nice little round back busy with some hamster business. Until I got close, and found out she has hidden her valuables - namely, food - underneath the hamster wheel. She is still fidgeting with the wire tray, trying to get to the beddings underneath it. Lulu is fast asleep in the house.

Good Evening, Mademoiselles

As I am typing this Lulu has already gone into the house after hoarding loads of veg from the bowl. Lucy was still hoarding but she eventually followed Lulu into their little white bungalow. They just woke up, as expected, since it's almost eight. Will bathe them tomorrow!

Good Morning

As I walked to the kitchen after brushing my teeth, I caught sight of Lulu, forebody protruding from the house door, sniffing the air for food. So I prepared some mixed veg and guess what?? When I approached the cage Lulu was already standing still at a corner, watching. I don't know for sure of course, but it looked like she knew the veg was coming and was waiting for it. Sometimes, hamsters make me wonder...

They're just too cute

I can't help it. Everyday I look at them and never once do they appear less adorable. In fact, the more I watch, the more affection I harbour. They are still asleep. Normally they would be up a while to relieve themselves and nibble some food. But it's so late in the day now and they're still snuggled in the house. Dunno why.