Hayley came with me as my emotional support. She was very patient with me while I paced around the hamster tanks and examined my options. I've been to Petco so often this week I knew all the little animals there, and I could see that they got a new shipment just today. :) That friendly little girl from last Saturday was gone, but there were 4 new tiny dwarf hamsters curled up together in their nest. I didn't go until after 8 pm in the hopes of catching them awake, but no such luck.
But, when I told the employees I was interested in purchasing a hamster, they opened up the tank and pulled off the igloo shelter. That woke all of them up and they scattered around. I stuck my hand in. One little girl ran up and tried to chew it. I scooped up a couple of the other ones. They are so unbelievably soft and fluffy. I found one that didn't nip and seemed somewhat content to be in my arms, so, that one went into a little cardboard box and I carted her home.
Fortunately I live near Petco. She was so terrified in that box! I could see it shaking. But man, I would be too, in her situation.
The box opened on the top. I set it inside the cage and opened it up. She was just huddled in this little terrified ball. I patted her head, and she looked up and realized the box was open. She came right up to the side and let me scoop her up and put her in the cage.
First thing she did was burrow underneath the wheel and go back to sleep. I hoped that meant she wasn't that terrified. Hayley and I hung out for a couple hours, and when I checked on her again, she was happily running on her little exercise wheel. I watched her for a while. She'd run into her little castle shelter, run on the wheel, hop into her food bowl and eat, and every now and then, run up to the front of the cage to look at me. She doesn't seem very scared of me, though definitely still a little shy. And she seems friendly.
For now, I'm calling her Fuzz. :) We'll see if that sticks. There will inevitably be many photos and even some videos probably in the near future! I took a couple but the cage bars make it hard to see, and online it says not to handle her very much for the first day or two as she adjusts to her new environment. I did reach in though and stroke her back with one finger while she was eating, and she didn't seem to mind. She let me do it and didn't run away. Hopefully soon we'll be best buds.
Here's a blurry little preview:
For now, you'll just have to take my word that she is adorable. :)
so cute!!!
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