|
 |
 |
| Name: |
Ib Jr.
|
Age: |
Deceased, One year old
|
| Gender: |
Male
|
Kind: |
Syrian Hamster
|
| Home: |
Chicago, Illinois, USA
|
Ib
Jr. passed away last week, so I am nominating him in memoriam. This
little boy permanently altered my opinion of Syrian hamsters, who I had
always heard were nippy and foul-tempered. Ib (who was named after an
online friend of mine) was found in a particularly nasty pet shop. He
was too small, had scabs in his fur, and looked undernourished. I took
him home and nursed him back to health, and he repaid me with a great
deal of love. Among his many quirks, Ib Jr. liked to have his belly
kissed. He would rest on his back in my hand and let me smooch him
without so much as a squeak or a nip. In fact, he never bit me the
entire time that I had him.
I've never known a rodent so small to be so fearless. One of his
favorite hobbies was chasing my two cats around the living room in his
hamster ball. He was a definite pocket pet. Given the option, he would
happily spend hours in the pocket of my cargo pants. He accompanied me
on walks through the park, down to do the laundry, and even to the
grocery store.
He was struck by a sudden illness last week that took his life before
his time. Only a few hours before his death, he was happily terrorizing
the cats in his hamster ball. I found him barely responsive in his cage
a couple of hours later, called my veterinarian, and after a
consultation and diagnosis learned that nothing could be done for him. I
cuddled him as he passed on, and gave him a burial at sea in Lake
Michigan.
He'll be missed, but I am grateful for everything that his short little
life brought to mine.
|
|
|
|
|
