Little Boy [RIP]

After our three "old" boys passed away over the course of the year, we were left with 4 girl hamsters. We decided to get another boy, and got this adorable hamster boy in November 2003.

Called Little Boy due to his smaller size, this boy hamster was always very playful, exploring our living room when he was allowed to run loose, or running enthusiastically in his ball around the entire apartment. He also enjoyed running on the wheel in his cage, starting from the second we'd turn the lights out at night. His wheel running was always done in a very specific pattern that had a nice, rhythmic sound to match (earning him the nickname "Doppy" for the noise it made).

We knew from the beginning that Little Boy was very unique, when he started doing "lordosis" (putting his tail up in the air), which girl hamsters do when in heat. We think his hormones may have been out of whack, but it didn't seem to bother him much. He was also very tiny for his age, perhaps related to his hormone wackiness.

Little Boy was always a very smart hamster, and we were able to train him to jump between our two couches, which he did with ease. He always knew when we were trying to catch him to put him back in his cage too, and he'd often take off in the opposite direction to get away.

He was the only hamster we've had so far who would sleep outside of his cage willingly. If we took him out while he was sleepy enough, he'd curl up inside a large blanket and sleep there for awhile.

We did try breeding him with Puffler once, but it was unsuccessful.

Little Boy became a bit larger towards the end of his life, perhaps related to his hormone problems, but he never seemed to be bothered much by it. He was still very playful and active up until the end, and was the oldest hamster we've had, living until he was about 2 years and 4 months. He died on January 15, 2006, in his sleep, we think, and very likely just from old age.

This sweet hamster boy will be missed dearly.