Elfie’s New Home

After 6 weeks of waiting & reading up on hamsters, I finally got my hamster this afternoon from that friendly uncle from the pet shop.

Initially, Rebecca’s primary school student agreed to sell Rebecca her baby hamster in November, but even up till today, that hamster is still feeding on its mother’s milk, so she couldn’t separate it from its mother yet.

This was followed up by the weeks of waiting & weekly checking with that student, which stressed Rebecca a lot because her student was almost always not contactable & wouldn’t answer her calls. Even if Rebecca sent her an SMS, she would take 1 – 2 days to reply. Yeah, being a middle-person role is not easy… I know how it feels like from my previous job at StarHub.

Finally, Rebecca & I felt that all this never-ending & unresponsive waiting isn’t getting anywhere & we decided to get one on our own, especially since we found this neighborhood pet shop that takes very good care of its hamsters.

Last night, I was so excited about getting my hamster the next day that I didn’t sleep well. In fact, it was kind of like abrupt sleep, where I woke up then did my QT then went to doze off for awhile more.

The uncle remembered me when I came into the store. This time he greeted me before I could say “Hi”. So I chirpily exclaimed, “Uncle, remember me? I came by on Tuesday & said I would come & buy a hamster on Thursday?” Yeah, he probably remembered me coz I don’t suppose many customers would give a definite date & time to come by his shop again.

Well, he’s an honest man… in his 50s & quite skinny. In fact, looking at him the second time today, I saw that he looked quite like my grand-uncle Andrew. He’s still alive, btw. =)

I told him that I wanted to buy a male hamster, so he brought down the cage from the viewing shelf & checked the genital area of the hamsters. There were only 5 hamsters inside this cage & the first 4 that he checked turned out to be female. There was only 1 left to check… Oh oh… my heart pounded & my mind raced for a moment… what should I do, if they were all females? But thank God, this last hamster is a male! *Phew!*

Then the uncle took out a small plastic container, poked several small holes on its cover, added some bedding & put my hamster inside. He asked me if I wanted a plastic bag, so I said okay coz I wasn’t sure if I would look odd carrying a hamster in a plastic container & taking the bus home.

After we thanked the uncle, 3 of us left the pet shop – me, Rebecca & the latest addition to my family. Earlier in the morning before Rebecca met up with me, she came up with this interesting name to call my hamster. She named it ‘Elfie’… coz it’s a unique name & this young hamster looks small, like an elf. I kind of like this name too, so we decided on this name for my hamster. =)

Carrying my hamster in that small plastic container, inside a plastic bag, I started to walk hurriedly, in order to get home ASAP. Occasionally, I would look into the plastic bag to check on my hamster. Initially, it scurried around that small plastic container, probably wondering why the container which he was in is shaking. I guess he didn’t like it very much & started to chew on the plastic cover, trying to get out. I knew what he was trying to do, so I held onto the plastic container instead of letting it swing inside the plastic bag, as I carried it.

On the bus home, my hamster’s movements began to slow down. I looked at it worried… wondering whether is it tired from all that effort trying to escape, or is he gasping for breath. Rebecca told me that she can’t stop smiling coz I finally got the Christmas gift that I wanted, but I said that I’m too worried to even think of feeling happy right now. Coz my hamster was lying on its side, quite motionless inside that plastic container. In my heart, I was hoping that it wouldn’t die…

Then I realized another thing – hamsters cannot be exposed to direct sunlight! Argh! That silly plastic container! It makes the hamster vulnerable to direct sunlight at noon & the plastic bag just traps the hot air inside! No wonder this cute little fella was almost suffocating! I felt so bad & desperately wished that it would cling onto its dear life, before we rushed home.

Alighting from the bus, I held onto the plastic container & told Rebecca, “Let’s run across the pedestrian crossing, since it is still showing the green man! So we hurried back to my house, opened the door & windows, before Rebecca opened the plastic container to take a closer look at the hamster.

I came rushing to where she was, because Rebecca told me that the hamster is making soft squeaking sounds! I was so afraid that it was breathless or utterly stressed out till near death. Afterall, hamsters are peace loving creatures that cannot tolerate a high level of stress. They would develop this condition called ‘Wet Tail’ & may die in a short matter of time.

Carefully taking the hamster out of the cage, I gently laid it down inside the cage which I had so painstakingly & carefully prepared the day above its arrival. Slowly opening its eyes, relaxed a bit, then started to move around to explore this new environment that it’s just been placed in.

I took a few photos & video clips of Elfie’s first exploration of its cage & I was amazed of his boldness in checking out the tunnels, corners, upper level of the cage, etc. Most importantly, I was just so relieved to see it ‘revive’ & come to life again! Thank God… thank God… =)

I spent quite some time observing him & I could tell that he’s beginning to get comfortable in its new home! Elfie loves hiding inside enclosed places, such as the entrance of its tunnel that leads to the upper level, as well as this little container that I put bathing sand. Like Rebecca’s hamster Sebastian, Elfie likes digging the fine sand inside this small container. He even carried the small torn pieces of toilet paper (which I put inside its cage for more comfortable bedding) & placed it inside the container, so that it can curl up nicely! So cute!

Both of these locations are his favorite & He eats, shits & sleeps in both of them! Good for the owner too, since these two places are enclosed areas – means easier to clean, as compared to having to clear the shit from all around the cage. What a considerate hamster! Good manners! I’m impressed!

And do you know what is the cutest action that Elfie does? After eating, Elfie sometimes moves towards the small pieces of torn toilet paper & starts to clean its mouth! Wow! Hygienic hamster! Just like its owner! Like pet, like owner! Hahahaha… =)

Elfie enjoys running on the attached circular ball too… though at present, running isn’t exactly its favorite activity. He loves snuggling at his favorite corners of the cage, sometimes curling up on its side, sometimes lying face up & sometimes lying face down. So many sleeping positions! Its so heart warming just sitting there & watch Elfie sleep… slowly slowly closing its eye lids! Awww… =)

Later, Rebecca & I went to this new place called ‘Mind Café’ to celebrate our 54th month of being together. We ate an average tasting set dinner & played 2 hours of mind board games! It was fun, though shouldn’t play everyday, if not, would get bored after awhile.

After I came home, I found out that Elfie has picked his 3rd favorite lying spot - right underneath the tunnel entrance leading upwards! He just curls up there, lying face upwards, hugs the tunnel entrance & dozes off!

He’s started to eat his mixed nuts & grains too… as well as occasional sips of water from his little water bottle. He looks contented & happy! And I’m so happy for him!

At the earlier part of the day, when I put my hand into the cage, Elfie just smells my hand & moves away. Now, he’s beginning to sniff around my hand & doesn’t move away already! He’s getting used to my smell! Yeh!

I tried carrying him once in my hands, but he didn’t seem too comfortable yet, so I placed him back into his cage for now. It should take a few days to warm up to me. Right now, I’m just thankful that he’s alive & enjoys his new home! Getting used to his new surroundings… sleep, wake up, eat… sleep wake up, eat… Over the next few days, he should be more settled in… Yeehaa! =)