Well, I have always loved hamsters. Probably from the first time I ever laid eyes on one I've loved them. I can't remember when exactly that was, but I'm sure it was 'Love at first sight'.

I do remember a childhood friend who bred dwarf hamsters. I really wanted one of her babies but was never allowed to get one.

When we moved to our new house in Tennessee my youngest brother, Caleb, was upset because he didn't have a pet. I had Flash (my prairie dog) and BJ had Flick (his prairie dog) and we had Holly (the family dog) to share but it wasn't like he had his own pet. So it was decided that if he wanted one he could get a hamster.

I was probably more excited than he was! (I've always been an animal person... but that's getting off the point).

Caleb loved the name Nichole so he wanted to get a female hamster and name her Nichole but call her Nikki for short. Also, if he chose a name like Nikki it could be for a boy or a girl just in case he didn't end up getting a girl. We planned and talked and it was decided that he could get a cage for Christmas and then he could pick his own hamster.

That was the plan and it started that way. He got lots of hamster things that year for Christmas (Christmas '97). His most common phrase that year was 'Another hamster thing!'

But, mom and dad happened to be at the mall a couple days before Christmas and found the most adorable little girl hamster and decided to buy her. She was a real sweetie. She was long haired and just absoutly adorable. (I don't know what colour she was or remember much about her really)

We kept her hidden on the floor in my cold unfinished basement room and I played with her now and then. We had a couple close calls like the time I was holding her and he came in my room (I grabbed her off my shoulder and held her down out of sight) and when she ran in her wheel and he noticed the noise. But in all, I don't think he really suspected...

Caleb wasn't too upset at not getting to pick his own hamster when he saw her. We all fell in love with her.

Sadly, Nikki became ill and died not long after Christmas. Christmas morning I noticed something was wrong (she seemed to have diahreah (how is that word spelled?!)) but we just brushed it off as her being scared with all the excitement.

Then one morning mom came in and said that Nikki had died. I was sad because she had been such a wonderfully friendly hamster and was very pretty.

So we went to the mall and looked at the same store (with Caleb) for another hamster. He didn't like any that he saw so we went to another store and he found one that he wanted to get. Another female which he named Nikki the Second (or Nikki 2 for short). Nikki 2 was golden short haired syrian hamster. I didn't really think she was all that pretty or the best choice, but that's what Caleb chose.

Nikki 2 was a nasty thing. She bit me right off... I bled all the way upstairs... Caleb saw it happen, so he was scared of her too.

As time wore on I decided that someone needed to tame that thing and I figured it would be me (even though I hadn't become a breeder yet I was already considered the 'animal person' or the 'hamster expert' of the family because we had collected several books and I'd searched the web for hamster information). So I started work on her. I got a fair ammount of work done, but she wasn't nearly tame.

Then one evening about a month later Nikki wasn't doing too well. We think she went into hibernation (we kept her down in the basement) and died in hibernation. I don't think any of us were overly upset when she died.

We went back to the same store and she happened to still be under refund (at least I think she was...) and Caleb decided to get a male this time (I'd done research and found out that males sometimes make better pets than females).

He took a look in the male tank and there was a cute little grey and white one that ran right up dad's arm. Caleb chose that one.

He named him Nikolas. Nikolas was a sable banded short haired syrian hamster.

Nikolas ended up being a great big scardy hamster when we got home. He would scream and cry all the time. He hated to be held and it was just miserable.

As the family 'hamster expert' I took it uppon me to tame him. I was never bitten and really didn't think that I had gotten very far in taming him but in time he was tamed.

Some time down the line my brothers got fish (bettas) which took their pet count up but I still only had my prairie dog. When at the mall one day I wanted to take a look at the pet store (as usual) and there was the most adorable baby hamster there and I really wanted her. But I figured that I wouldn't be allowed to have one. I don't remember if it was my dad or my mom that said that since my brothers each had 2 pets I could go ahead and get a hamster.

I had money at home but wasn't sure what kind of cage I wanted to get. I knew I didn't want the 'tube home' type cage like Caleb had and I knew I did want a wire cage. So on one time when I was having a special 'together time' (we call them 'Daddy Nights') with my dad we went to some big pet stores and I got a big wire 3 'story' hamster cage and some other hamster supplies. The next Thursday (October 22, 1998) I went with mom and my brothers to get a hamster.

I have to admit there really wasn't anything I was really interested in but I went ahead and got one there any way. I happened to get a female (I wasn't really planning on getting a female on purpos it's just a female happened to be what caught my eye). I named her Damsel because she cried out in distress when put in her new cage. She is a mink banded long haired syrian hamster.

For the rest of my hamster story go to http://www.geocities.com/gumonyershoe/story.html and you will have all the story up to the present!

© 2000 Annaka