an Unexpected Addition
Sometimes things happen when you least expect them. Or maybe I expected this?
I popped into Pet Supplies Plus today for some millet seeds. I was driving by on my way back from the bookstore and I figured, it’s a good moment to grab some as traffic was pretty quiet.
I first went into this Pet Supplies Plus about a month or two ago. Up until then I hadn’t really been to a pet store recently. I have all the hamster supplies I need, and I was getting paper bedding delivered every month or so on auto-ship from PetCo, so I just didn’t have an excuse.
On that first trip to PSP a month or two ago, I went in to buy some freeze dried chicken for Moe. He’s so active all night long I felt like he needed some extra protein.
Of course I found myself perusing the live animals for sale. This is usually a moment of weakness for me, as I look at their little faces and wish I could take them all home. I actually cried the last time I was in a PetCo after looking at a little robo’s face and not knowing what kind of life it might have ahead of it. Granted, I had just lost my little Steven and the wound was still so raw. But that also doesn’t seem sooo out of character for me!
I noticed that one little robo was marked as 25% off. I asked the women working there why he was on sale? They said he had been there for about five months, and they were hoping he’d find a good home soon. They had named him Thor and had written him a little bio. I could see in their eyes how much they wanted him to find a good home. I was so tempted.
But I resisted.
I knew if I took Thor home that day, he’d only be replaced by another “Thor”. And, even at 25% off, I was supporting the system. But I couldn’t get him out of my head. He lived in the smallest, little cage, with a tiny, 5 1/2” wheel and one little hut to sleep under. I don’t even think he had a chew toy (as was evident by the amount of chewing of the plastic house). I hated thinking about how short his life was and how much of it he had spent living in that space. It broke my heart.
So, for the next few weeks I found myself conveniently perusing the aisles of Pet Supplies Plus whenever I was nearby. I would look at the lizards and watch dogs being groomed. I figured, I’d just go, and check in on him, see if he gets adopted.
I did this for a while.
And then today, I went again. And this time Thor was marked down to $3.50 ! It had been at least a month, maybe two, since I initially saw him there. He had now been living in this tiny cage for almost SEVEN months. So. I went to my car, got a little carrier from it (I now keep one in my car… just in case!) and told the girl at the cash register I’d like to buy little Thor.
In my defense, I’d been perusing my local shelters & hamster rescue groups to see if a robo was looking for a home. Ever since losing Oscar, I have felt this particular, robo-sized hole in my heart (although robos are small, compared to hearts, they are not!). But nothing. Mel’s Neighborhood Rodents would be driving through my area soon with a robo or two, but I think many of them were already reserved or were likely to be adopted. I figured those robos I KNEW would go to a good home (since Mel verifies that an acceptable cage set up is ready to go), whereas, I wasn’t sure what Thor’s life might be like. At $3.50, he might end up as snake food.
The girl at the front desk took Thor’s cage down and showed him to me. “Do you still want him?” she asked. I hadn’t actually seen him yet. He didn’t look great, I’ll be honest. He’s missing fur around his rear-end and his ears looks a little wonky. But this only made me want him more. Poor thing.
And so, on my way home from the bookstore today, I somehow acquired another hamster. I think I’ll keep his name, Thor, as it’s been his name for so long already. I got him set up in a simple, 100 qt bin with the basics (sand bath, wheel, bedding to burrow under, some delish treats and interested cardboard to climb on). I want to make sure he doesn’t have mites or anything of concern before moving him to a larger bin set up with items that are more permanent (like a wooden, multichamber hide). I’ve had him next to me while I worked all day today, and I have to say, I think we are going to get along well! He seems so inquisitive. He doesn’t run and hide when I approach, and looks up at me when I talk to him. I had planned on leaving him alone for a while, but I ended up hand feeding him two pumpkin seeds and he took them without issue. Even Moe is only just starting to take seeds from me!
Thor was very active all day today- he ran and ran and explored every edge of his bin. I’m sure it’s a bit of a culture shock, but he has finally settled down and burrowed somewhere.
There’s something so comforting about a tiny, sleeping animal. I just love hamsters.
