Can we get something straight here? I do not like rodents. Hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs reside squarely in the rodent family. That much I know to be true (unless it is scientifically not true and if that is the case, shut up).
I guess you could say I used to love rodents. When I was 6 I started babysitting a neighbor’s guinea pig and I loved that ball of black fur. I think I got a dollar a day for going over a couple of times to check on it, play with it and feed it. I clearly remember walking to their house about 5 doors down, going in alone and feeding it. It was back in the day before hovering parents and we were free to roam 5 houses down to enter a house alone and return back home after who knows how long.
The young rodent love seems to be genetic. Our daughter has badly wanted one since the second her best friend let her hold her guinea pig. In my son’s resource (pc term for special ed) room there is a hamster named Scruffy. It’s a large, long-haired thing that all the kids love. In a weak parenting moment while I was basking in the glory of my son wanting to show responsibility for something, I agreed to allow Scruffy to come to our home over the long Thanksgiving weekend. My son was very excited to bring Scruffy home. The day arrived and my son proudly carried Scruffy’s accessories to my car.
During Scruffy’s time with us he was well cared for by my son and daughter. In other words: Scruffy Didn’t Die on Our Watch. The experience was so successful that I broached rodent ownership with my husband. We reluctantly stupidly agreed that it would be good idea to purchase rodents (one for each kid). Realizing the real estate a guinea pig cage would take we settled on rodents of the tiny variety.
Did you know gerbils have tails? They look a lot like tiny, little rats. Hamsters look LESS like rodents. If you close your eyes and squint, tilt your head to the left and call on your inner child who believes in imaginary friends, regular sized hamsters look a little bit like mini guinea pigs and dwarf hamsters look a little bit like fluffy bundles of squeaking cotton. Cotton balls named Rose and Indy. They are lovely little hamsters that hardly remind me of little rats. At $28 apiece, a free cage, a little food and stuffing and we were the stellar parents of that day.
You wish you could be as stellar as us, don’t you?
All the stellarocity was short-lived. Two weeks later little Rose had a trip to the vet for a bulging eye. I wish I were kidding. We took the hamster to a vet because by then our girl loved it to pieces (even though a friend said to flush it) and I didn’t want to witness her witnessing Rose’s eye popping out. The vet prescribed watermelon flavored antibiotics to be administered with a teeny tiny dwarf hamster syringe for 10 days.
HEY! You might need to know this information! There are vets that love little rodents! You’re welcome!
But be warned. Apparently rodent vet love costs $76 these days.
About Julia Roberts
my sister had a friend who spent thousands (really!) on cancer treatments for a dwarf hamster. I guess that means that you’re still in the “sane” category!
Ummm..no.
In fact, at this point we’re okay with it going blind since, you know, we provide the food and shelter. She’s not going to have to fend for herself.
Twitter Name: juliaroberts1
my kid got a hamster from her dad. I AM PHOBIC of these things. never in my home, never. I saw it and my first instinct was to call an exterminator.
I’m mildly amused I rather like them a little tiny bit. But don’t tell my kids! Then they will have me hold it. I’m drawing the line somewhere.
Twitter Name: juliaroberts1
That’s par for the course around here, we do love our pets!
Twitter Name: mommygeekology
And our son has been feeding a stray cat. Oy vey.
Twitter Name: juliaroberts1
Fortunately, my son is deathly allergic to rodents and pretty allergic to everything else with fur. Unfortunately, that means I’m going to be stuck with fish tanks. :/ Or lizards or snakes which is cool, but snakes eat mice, which again goes back to the allergy. At some point in his life, I’ll let him know there are allergy shots for that kind of thing… maybe when he’s 30. :)
So this is one of those times when allergies are a good thing, huh? I cannot keep fish alive so that would not be a good choice as a pet for us.
Twitter Name: juliaroberts1