hamster roll

last week, Ham reached 90g, gain 3g. Today Ham weighs 94g, another 4g increament within 1 week. I wonder if he is in puberty stage? That's the only reason I could think of to explain his fast weight gain.

Presenting to you....
Hamster Roll

Pls DO NOT try this at home. Hamster may suffocate. X.X

This.situation happened by chance. He was roaming on the ground and then he smelled his oats. Immediately, he just squeezed inside.

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stuffing king

The one who stuff bedding instead of food!

When full, the cheeks can make their heads double, or even triple in size

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chicken

"That's mine mine and mine!" Hammie gritted his teeth and struggled with all his might to get his prized food. A white piece of succulent tender chicken meat which he had yet to taste was just right before his eyes.. With the strength of his 'iron' teeth, he finally won the tug of wall. Without wasting any moment, he sank his teeth into  the exotic food and savoured it in his mouth. Yummy! Within seconds, the treat was gone. Upon finishing, he took a few sniffs in the air before deciding to wash his pink tiny hands.
And that's the end of his first experience with the water boiled chicken meat.

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Another washing

Another day of cage washing, another day of bedding stuffing.

Hammie has gained weight. 3g. Now 87g :)

poke

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corny night

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Weight gain

After Hammie changed his cage, he actually have lost about 10% of his weight. It was really obvious that he had slimmed down a lot. During then, he did not have much appetite either. Even when his favourite seeds were given to him, he would store it instead of eating. Perhaps the change in environment and handling had caused him too much stress. Yah, hamster can feel stressed too. Many animals can also feel the same.

Thank goodness that he has gotten chubbier now. Although he's not like a teddy bear, the results of the weight gain is pretty apparent. You can feel his muscles now (looks like he's been training all night in his wheel). He weighs 84g now, just 1g lesser when he first came. I am so glad that he is eating and living well. You can tell that he is a happy hamster by his shiny coat of fur and the love to travel around the house.

For the past 2 weeks, a lot more food was given to him. His hamster mix is not changed. However, a lot more fresh food is given to him. Vegetables (carrots, corn, bai cai, xiao bai cai) and fruits ( a little of apple & grapes) were dished out to him. I even sprouted grains and beans from his hamster mix. He likes it a lot. Even for the grains that he does not touch, he will finish everything in his sprouting bowl without fail. :) I have also tried treating him to oats and egg white. He simply loves them all. A hamster that is easy to please.

Bathing time

This is the new sand box i am talking about in my previous post. It is actually a name card holder with 3 pieces of plastic dividers from Daiso. The dimensions in cm: 11.5(w) x 10.5(l) x 6(ht).My ham loves it so much that he likes to sleep in the sand box. I don't like him doing so. I have read it somewhere that exposure/contact with the urine may cause fur loss.

And so he likes to dig the 4 corners and sniff out his peeing spot. After much digging, he will pee (11s of the video onwards) and then dig in the other direction to cover the pee. He also likes to push the sand to the other side of the container, lie low and roll in it. Thereafter, he will 'shake' like a dog.

Me sleep in the tempoarary box while mama does the weekly washing

Food bowl series I

Nom Nom Nom

More food for me?

Daiso

Mama seems to have change the puzzle again. I can enter the tunnels from all directions now. As long as i sleep in the center cube, the humans can't do anything to me. That will also be my air-raid shelter. :)

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Mama's note

Hammie has been eating bits and pieces of Bai Choy (白菜）. He loves it very much. He never fails to finish it. Of course, we have to limit the amount of vegetable he is eating. Anything that is consumed too much is never good.

We pak tor at Plaza Sing today and went shopping in one of my favourite shop, Daiso. We bought 2 bags full of stuff

1. Seaweed Miso Soup (12 packets)
   One packet makes a very small bowl. Just add the packet into 150ml of boiling water and stir. The taste is quite authentic.
2. Soba (Buckwheat noodles for 2 pax)
Just cook the soba in some hot (near boiling water) then 'wash' it in cold water. If you desire cold soba, leave the soba in the fridge and have it with the sauce later. If you wish to have hot soba, then just pour in the miso soup into the bowl of noodles. The noodle has quite a nice texture. For $2, the food is good.
3. The sauce
4. Corn Soup
110kcal and only make a small bowl. It is packaged in a way that you can either mircowave the whole packet or put the packet into boiling water for 3 - 5 minutes. Thereafter, cut open the packet and you will have a nice, warm and bright corn soup.I still prefer Mos Burger corn soup though it is quite expensive

5. Tohato green peas snack (my mom's favourite)
6. Card holder (my ham's new sand box) 
The card holder is quite deep and yet it is not too tall for my ham to climb in. It does not have sharp edges as well. My ham likes to dig through the sand. The current sandbox is too shallow for his fun and that whole area will be full of sand. After changing to the new old, no sand is 'left behind' again. 
7. A tool box (my ham temporary shelter)
   Have made some holes and gonna make sure the edges of the holes are smooth. That will be ham's transporter to go 'gai gai'. Although the lock seems a little filmsy, i have tried to shake the box really hard and the box continues to stay locked. For $2, it is definitely a great bargain. 
8. Eyebrow shaver blade
9. Bag for clothes so that the clothes won't be out of shape when wash in the washing machine
One pa
10. A box to put tie
11. A piece of cute stickers

There are 4 other items which i cannot remember

It's a boy!

Mama's note

I just found out yesterday that my Ham is actually Guy! I wonder how did the pet shop sex the hamsters. Long ago i am already having my doubt that it is a He. Just that his manhood were pretty small when he was younger. As he grows, his 'dong dong' grows too.

 

Daily Routine (Day)

Over the last weekend, i have observed how my Chloe spend her day.

In the morning, she will be active, lurking around to see if there's anybody giving her food. Either or, she would be running on her wheel.

Soon, she will go to sleep. She is a 'napper' kind. She does not sleep through the day. Occasionally, she will wake up and eat from her food bowl. She may also stuff a  little food and  bring back to her hideout. I have realised that she is very different. Most hamsters love to store their food in their cheeks. However, Chloe eats on the spot most of the times.  Perhaps she doesn't find a need to store her food because food is plentiful o.O? The only time when she stuffed herself so full was because of tissue paper.

Her cheek full of tissue

After feeding, she will go back to sleep again. She sleeps in various ways:

Ball mode

Sit and Reach

Trying to squeeze into the corner

Hugging the tissue

Meh Meh

Sleep eating

I guess she sleep talks too. Sometimes you see her mouth 'nibbling' Perhaps she is having a feast in LaLa Land. I am quite sure she is not trembling.

Puzzle time

In the end, i did not bring Chloe to the doctor. Firstly, her pee was back to normal and all else seems fine. Secondly, when i wanted to make an appointment, the website couldn't be display. I took it as a sign that she would be fine. Thirdly, when i was clearing things out from her cage today, i saw a big chunk of cardboard went missing. She must have been biting them as there were nibbling marks. The box was pink. I guessed it all tallies now. Bad hammie, chewing cardboard when not supposed too. She has chew toys. Probably junk food is more appetising. No more cardboard box for her.

On Saturday, i got her Superpet Puzzle Playground 60 pcs from the Little Flower Pet Shop at Serangoon North. It cost me about $17 - $18. About 4 bucks cheaper than Pet Lovers' Center. Below is my review

Superpet Puzzle Playground 60 pcs review

How does it look like?

The front side of the box

What does it contain?

After opening

The behind side of the box

2 Critter Trail Funnel Elbows

19 Square Frames

19 Vented Window Plate

6 Passageway Frame

6 Universal Rings

4 Triangle Frames

4 Vented Triangle Plates

How to fix the puzzle? Is it difficult?

For the frame and and the panel, one just need to push the panel in and make sure that the sides are 'locked' in. It does not fall apart easily. As the frames, one just need to ensures that their sides matches with one another and push the sides inwards.  All of my pieces tally. Skill is needed here. However, much of brute force is needed to connect the tunnels with the connectors. So this is the hardest part for me. The next hardest part is executing the finishing move. As force is exerted on the final puzzle to piece in, other pieces may fall off.  It took 2 person 20 minutes to complete the below.

Ta-da! 25 cm in length

Can it support my hamster?

If every piece is locked in, it is not filmsy at all. I can take out the structure without my syrian hamster falling off. My hamster is still pretty silm. It can fit into the tubes. Even if she grows bigger, she still can crawl through them. However, for super syrians, they may get stuck in it.

How about cleaning?

I find dismantling the structure more difficult than putting the pieces together. My hamster carries food inside and thus food get stuck in the playhouse. It can be quite hard to remove them. Eventually, the whole structure needs to be tear down in order to disinfect it. 

From a hamster perspective:

Chloe loves it so much. Upon placing the new toy in her cage, she seems to have decided in an instant that it would be her new home. Unlike Habitrail add-ons, the puzzle playground are pretty well ventilated. You can change the direction of the entrance or add in a new block and the hamster will think that it is a whole new thing. At least, that's for my silly hamster.

Her new hideout

Overall rating: 8/10 

Things to note:
Hamster may bite the structure or pee in it.
It has quite a strong plastic smell. I've washed it before putting the puzzle playground in her cage. 

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Mama's note:
She had a little of grape and cheese :)

Sigh

Mama's note:

She is still peeing pink. I am quite positive about that. I guess we will visit the vet tomorrow. Hope all else is fine. 

Scare

Mama's note

Chloe gave me a scare last night. Her urine was pink. At first, i thought that the pink patch was due to discolouration of the bedding. It was only that when i watched her pee, then i realised that it was her urine that was pink. The pink is similar to the colour of Bandong (Milk + Rose Syrup). She was drinking a lot of water too.

This morning, there was no sign of pink pee stains. Perhaps her system has recovered itself. I just hope that she hasn't pee in any secret corner that I can't see. May she be fine.

Fed her a small slice of apple. She loves it so much that she was eating in her sleep.

Favourite food

That's me with my pumpkin seed. *Caught off guard* 

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Mama's note
Hearing her wheel rolling while working is a very nice feeling...

I feel so much like throwing up and experiencing 'breathleessness' feel, all thanks to the haze.

Swollen me

Mama changed the stuff in the cage again. My new favourite haunt is the tissue box where no human can disturb me. I like new stuff. Always.

I can do push up!

Mama
My right eyelid is swollen that my eye is appearing like a slit. Dr said that it could be due to the haze and incense burning, and then some dust got stuck and went into my eye. My eye felt so heavy. Although i was on MC, i couldnt stay on the computer or the TV for long. Dry and tired eye.

Fed her a little carrots and dried mango as her treat today. She is peeing in her wheel again!!!! The whole cage stinks!

Running Man, Running Chloe

And so this is Chloe's mood now.... Running and seeking for fun and thrill

Chomp Chomp

(Sing to the tune of Brother John)

I love grinding

I love biting

I just wanna crunch 

I just wanna munch

Give me those apple sticks

Give me those apple sticks

munch crunch branch

munch crunch branch

One average apple stick would be reduced to this size in less than 45min thanks to be jaw and teeth power.

You have serve your duty well, apple stick

Munching happily. Could you all hear the sound?
(That's how we service her every night)

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Mama's note:

I have conducted an experiment over these 2 nights

Day 1

Time	Lights	TV	Results
9 to 930pm	On	On	Ham in escape mode
931 to 10pm	Off	On	Ham in escape mode
1001 to 1030pm	Off	Off	Ham in ninja mode
1031 to 11pm	On	On	Ham in escape mode

Day 2

Time	Lights	TV	Results
9 to 930pm	On	On	Ham in escape mode
931 to 10pm	Off	Off	Ham in ninja mode
1001 to 1030pm	On	Off	Ham in escape mode
1031 to 11pm	Off	On	Ham in escape mode

Ninja mode refers to quiet hammie that will do her own stuff, like running wheel and tearing her tissue.

Escape mode refers to active hammie that  will jump around the cage, run around like crazy, climb up and down and biting the cage.

I conclude that both lights and TV that the Chloe will look out for or at least something it could sense. TV can be quite glaring too.  Possibly, Chloe has associated those lights and sound with the presence of human. Only when the humans are around, then there will be chance that it can be let out. It takes her about 2 to 5 minutes to realise the change in environment and  adapt to it.

This experiment is only done over 2 days. For a more conclusive results, the experiment should have conducted over a longer period. However, due to the dim light and really bright screen, my eyes are dying and therefore the experiment is halted.

About her squeaking wheel, i have put some vegetable oil. It helps! :)

No sound now

Washin' Day

I've been happily running in my favourite ball last night. When footsteps are near, I will stop moving and observe. As the footsteps distance away, I am back to my regime again. It is said that hamster can run 4 marathons (1 marathon = approx 42.125km) of human equivalence every night. Hmm... I am definitely working towards that goal. Because of the squeaking wheel, Mama got a scolding upon reaching home :( Apparently my wheel is too noisy in the silent night. *washing face* I mean… that can't be helped right…  What can I do other than running? I am a nocturnal and that’s my favourite wheel we are talking about here. It is some serious business here. 

Mama fed me with some tofu today. Cold cool treat on sunny Sunday. Yummy!

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Mama Notes:

Today is such a tiring day! There training to be conducted in the zoo for the new eggs, and it is also the PCF family day. PCF = PAP kintergartens. Prime Minister Lee graced the event as well. The zoo was super duper crowded and the weather was mercilessly hot. When the duty was over, not only the humans were tired but the live specimens had also worn out. They were falling off our hands. Even the insects found it a day too rough to handle. My lunch (Nasi bryani) was settled in the zoo as i was super hungry. I guessed my hunger level could be compared to that of a caterpillar. I would give it a 7/10 rating for the Bryani. :) However, it can be quite expensive for the public - $ 8.90. With staff discount, it is $5.75. Definitely pretty worthwhile for a $6 Bryani.

The nicest Bryani I have ever tried is located at 125 Toa PayohLorong 2 coffee shop. If you are there, take the curry fish. I really love that curry. I would usually ask for additional packet of curry to bring home as additional sauce for dinner. The fish is nicely cooked as well. Not over-cooked and therefore it is really tender. For $5.50, you get a huge bowl of rice, some stir fry cabbage, pickles (salad), big piece of fish and lots of curry. Superb!

After I reached home, I changed her bedding. I have stopped using the bathing sand. Those clay based sand will clump and may stick to the hamster fur. As the hamster is cleaning (licking), it may ingest some of those substances and thus causing kidney stones in the long run. If you ever go to House of Chinchilla (HOC) in Serangoon North, please do not buy that sand. I bought it because the lady recommended and it was unscented. Unscented sand is less risky for the hamster. Sometimes they may cause skin allergies. You may VitaKraft Sandy. Pretty common. Even Giant sells it. 

Giant sells it at $10.80

DON'T BUY THIS

I washed Chloe’s cage today too. But I made a boo-boo. Now my cage is full of scratches. I used the wrong side of sponge. Stupid me. Guess I am too tired. After I changed her wheel, Chloe is more or less back to her original self. She is now sleeping soundly. I guess she must have tired herself while roaming around the house just now. One big problem here: Squeaky Wheel. What can I used to oil the wheel?

See the scratches on the cage? *Heartache*

Part with lesser scratches

Back to office work tomorrow. Politics. Can't wait for the weekend to come again

Escape Artist