Hamster Haven

This is Philip, the school pet, who lives and plays right by my desk at work. He's a dwarf hamster who pretty much spends his time eating, sleeping, and grooming himself for the hamster babes. Up until today, he's lived in a typical hamster cage with a ramp that leads to his food bowl and a wheel that he only uses to pee on, which makes him look like a lemonade snowcone after he gets off.

But now, one of my co-workers bought him an extravagant hamster haven! It has two cages, one large and one small, that are connected by a plastic tube and the larger cage has a tube that leads to the attic of his new mansion. He also has a third tube that goes straight up to his lookout turret! In addition to all that, Philip has some fancy cotton that he absolutely loves. He'll immediately start clawing and molding away like Picasso on a caffiene binge. It's pretty amazing how lively he is because he was pretty chill until he got his new digs. Wow, now that I think about it hamsters and humans are more alike than I realized, because hamsters like bigger, better stuff just like humans, and there are humans who look just like hamsters!

Anyway, if you don't have any pets and want some creature company but are scared about the responsibility, then try getting a hamster. Philip is easier to take care of than a pet rock. Food and water can last days but you can experiment with a variety of veggies and fruits (watch out for poisonous ones) each day. Like I said earlier, Philip is a neat freak so the only cleaning you do is change the bedding once a week and wipe down the cage maybe once a month. He only makes small noises when he's scratching or gnawing on something so you don't have worry about bugging neighbors or sleepless nights. I know some people don't like rat-like critters and I didn't really care for them either until Philip came into my life. That little guy has made it a little easier to get to work on time! Plus, look at that neato cage you can get. Imagine it being part of a whole hamster metropolis with tubes and corridors galore! Getting excited?

Also, one more thing to share about Big Pimpin' Philip. I don't mind it when he poops on me, I take it as a sign of him being comfortable with me. Can you think of anyone being comfortable enough to poop around or even on? Pretty short list, isn't? So make sure you give the hamster a second thought next time you're at the pet store or downtown L.A. You never know just how much you appreciate getting crapped on until it's done by a loving hamster.

For more fabulous information on hamster care, check out this website:

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/hamsters/a/hamstercare.htm