Also known as a Djungarian hamster, Dzungarian dwarf hamster, Siberian hamster, or Sapphire Winter White Russian dwarf hamster... whew, that a lotta names for something so little!
As for her name-name... Angelina... well.... I am a big Jersey Shore fan.
There! I said it! And I am not ashamed!
OK, maybe a little ashamed.
Moving on.
So I was at Petsmart getting some supplies for my aquarium when a very evil, evil employee told me that they had a very cute hamster up for adoption. For free. And that said cute hamster needed a good home.
I tried to counter my inner squealing 10 year old by reminding myself that I had nowhere to put a hamster. And then I remembered that I had an empty aquarium. Dammit!
Then he brought her out, and showed her to me...
And ZOMG, she was too cute to resist.
I mean, seriously? Look at her.
So I ended up with a new hammonster.
I like how she looks like she is going 'nyah nyah nyah'... all sinister, like Snidely Whiplash, in this shot.
Since I can't afford to get her a proper habitat til next month, she has a ghetto little home right now... an old aquarium held closed with a bungee cord, with dollar store bowls modified into a wee 'house', and some toilet paper tubes. Heh heh. She seems to be ok with it.
Angelina hadn't been handled much by humans, so I started out with a glove. Because hamsters ARE SCARY!
"That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!!"
Heh heh.
But she has been ok with it so far. She's still a bit scared & nervous, and she has harmlessly nibbled me a few times, more of a curious-exploration-type nibble. She has allowed me to hand feed her, and to pick her up bare-handed...
...aaaannnnd of course, she has also pooped on me half a dozen times (thanks, hammie!)
Fortunately, hamster poops are teeny, smaller than a grain of rice, and thus not too gross.
I have become way too familiar with hamster poops this week.
Though I never anticipated that I would become a hamster-owner, here we are. I love watching her and I think she is adorable. Those sweet, beady black eyes! That stripedy fluff!
Those itsy-bitsy little pink hamster 'hands' wringing each other!
I die.
We are happy to welcome Miss Angelina to our crazy, motley familia. And we all look forward to getting to know her better, and to getting closer to her.