Last night

About 3 am the bf came into the bedroom and woke me up. He had one of our hamsters in his hands and told me he didn't think the little guy was doing so well. I took one look at him ("Fat Ham") and knew he was near death.

About a month ago, I told the bf I was worried about Fat Ham. He looked frail and his coat was thinning out. He also was not running in his wheel as much as normal. We thought maybe it was just the cold weather.

But, last night as the he sat in the bf's hand, I cried and cried. I told the bf to put him back in his cage and make him comfortable. He had such a hard time letting go of Fat Ham. He kept stroking his tummy, but Fat Ham was on his way out of this land.

We put him in the cage and gave him a fresh heaping of his favorite food. I cried as I knew he would not make it through the night, and there was not a damn thing I could do for the little guy. I've had enough dwarf hamsters to recognize when it's their time to go. The smushed face, heavy and fast breathing, lack of movement, etc.

I woke up this morning and checked on him. There he was in the spot we put him, looking totally at peace. He lived to be about 1 year and 8 months, which is ancient in dwarf hamster years. The owner of the pet store told me they live longer when they are bonded to humans. I like to think he was bonded to us. He was one of the sweetest dwarves I've had. These types of hamsters are not known for being sweet; they are typically aggressively and must be tamed. I've had Fat Ham and his brother Crazy Ham since they were about 6 weeks old, so I had a chance to tame them while they were young.

His brother Lazy Ham is still rocking and rolling in the other cage. They were separated last Christmas due to fighting.

I wish my baby well over the Rainbow Bridge.