Z
Zenshii
April 14th 2023
I first became interested in hamsters when I was about 9 years old because of the hamster-themed anime Hamtaro.
( It is still one of my favorite shows. )
I have always wanted to get a hamster, but as a child I wasn't allowed to, due to my parents thinking the hamster would bite, smell bad, make noise, and also because my mother is not fond of rodents.
Fast forward to 2023 and now that I have moved out from my parent's home, I finally have the means to aquire my dream pet. I have been buying the nessisary items, setting up an enclosure and preparing to adopt a hamster for about 2 months. I did a lot of research on proper hamster care and I decided I wanted to get a Winter White Dwarf Hamster, as they were the species that most interested me.
First, I bought a 40 gallon breeder aquarium...I had it for a while, continuously worrying it was too small, so I kept doing more research and decided to return that aquarium to get a bigger one.
I bought and set up a 75 gallon glass fish aquarium, and filled it with Kaytee Clean & Cozy unscented paper-based bedding to about 13 inches at the highest point. I learned online that if you mix the bedding with Timothy hay, the hamster's burrows hold up better. I read that it is best to get the soft orchard grass so it wouldn't poke the hamster's eyes or hurt him. I also tried my best to put a lot of hides, toys, and enrichment items in the enclosure...
Many times I was worried and obsessing whether I had put in enough bedding and enrichment. I was really nervous that I wouldn't do things correctly...I learned quite a lot about proper hamster care from many kind individuals online and also from reading books, but I still didn't feel ready.
On the 14th of April 2023 I went to a local Petsmart to look for a natural grapevine branch for my hamster's enclosure. They sometimes sell these for reptiles, but they sadly had absolutely nothing available, so I decided to go look at the hamsters. I do love looking at them in pet stores, even though I don't like how they sell small pets because I am not sure where they source them.
There he was...in the hamster enclosures he was the one right in the middle of all the other hamsters. He was perfect. A small Russian Dwarf Hamster was nuzzled into his 1 inch of bedding at the back corner of his little boxed room. He looked like a beautiful white ball of dough...and to me, as someone studying Japanese, I thought he looked like mochi, a Japanese rice cake. Then, dango ( pronounced "dawn-go" ) came to mind.
Dango are sweet Japanese rice dumplings on a stick "
", and that ended up being what I decided to name him.
When I came close to Dango's cube enclosure, he noticed me, and he came right up to the glass and put one of his tiny paws on it, looking up at me directly, even though I know he has bad eyesight, I really think he might have been looking at me!
Dango was listed as a Winter White Dwarf, which was the dwarf hamster breed I was interested in, however I wasn't aware that all dwarves from pet stores are hybrids. ( I learned that from this forum! ) To me, as an inexperienced hamster owner, he looks more like a Winter White, but whatever he is, I fell in love.
I spoke to the Petsmart employee, asking her about Dango just out of curiosity. I wasn't originally going to buy him, but I just wanted to ask if I could take a closer look at him. With a cheerful "sure thing!" the employee came to Dango's cage, got out some keys that unlocked the enclosure, and then paused to look at him for a moment, seeming to be thinking. She then turned and called out to a nearby older gentleman employee. She said "Hey (employee's name), isn't this the zombie hamster?"
"Haha! Oh yeah, that's him." The man replied as he walked by us carrying some large Petsmart boxes, probably filled with merchandise. "He isn't for sale anymore though."
"Zombie hamster?" I replied with a slightly awkward laugh. "Why do you call him that?"
The female employee looked at me with a saddened expression. "This little guy's been suffering with a mite infestation since he arrived here, we started calling him Little Zombie because he had a bald head for the longest time, and he was sluggish while sick. Luckily his fur has pretty much grown back."
I looked back at Dango, watching him paw at the glass hopefully. "Has he received good vet care then?" I assumed.
"Yes, he's had quite a few trips to the vet." The employee replied. "We have been giving him medication daily, and now he is mite-free."
I was happy to hear that Dango wasn't suffering anymore for the most part, but unfortunately the employee told me that they had offered him up to a rescue and were preparing to transport him, as no one adopted him, most likely because of his previous appearance and sickness.
"Did you want to see him?" She asked with a friendly tone. "I don't know much about dwarf hamsters, but there's a Syrian hamster here that I really like. She just arrived." She said, pointing to a dark brown / black Syrian that was sitting on a little plastic sandcastle-looking hide grooming herself. I wasn't sure if the employee was just stating a fact or if she was trying to interest me in the female Syrian.
I was watching Dango, who was still peeking up at us as we conversed. He was up on his little hind legs.
I kind of dismissed the employee's comment about the Syrian, probably seeming a bit rude, and I asked if I could put my hand in Dango's enclosure, which she promptly let me. I was aware that it might be stressful for him, but I very carefully put my finger in, knowing that it could be dangerous, as hamsters can bite when they are scared or they mistakenly bite thinking your finger is a snack...but I, probably kind of irresponsibly, wanted to let him sniff my finger and see what he would do.
Dango's little whiskers twitched as he sniffed the tip of my index finger, he paused briefly, then he gently nibbled at it curiously. It didn't seem like he was being fearful or aggressive, because it was a very light nibble as if he was hoping for a treat, or maybe just checking me with his senses. The light nibbles didn't hurt at all and his teeth tickled.
"Did he bite you??" The employee asked in a sudden raised voice.
I laughed. "Something like that..." I replied.
She laughed as well. "I thought he might be trying to get a treat from you. Whenever this little guy gets his medication, he gets a treat as a reward."
So with that in mind it seemed to me that he had already become less afraid of humans because of that positive daily interaction.
I looked at Dango and he was on his back feet, sniffing the air in my direction, looking at me with his two giant black tapioca pearl eyes that looked like they came strait out of some bubble tea. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to have him. The employee told me she would give him to me for free, because he was getting ready to go to a rescue anyway and was no longer going to be sold at Petsmart.
"He's perfect." I said, looking at the employee with probably an overly excited expression..."Could I go home and get my travel carrier for him? I promise I'll be right back."
"Oh umm...sure, I guess." The employee replied. I think she might have been a bit surprised or weirded out. But she was very kind and promised to not give Dango away to the rescue or to someone else.
....to be continued.
I first became interested in hamsters when I was about 9 years old because of the hamster-themed anime Hamtaro.
( It is still one of my favorite shows. ) I have always wanted to get a hamster, but as a child I wasn't allowed to, due to my parents thinking the hamster would bite, smell bad, make noise, and also because my mother is not fond of rodents.
Fast forward to 2023 and now that I have moved out from my parent's home, I finally have the means to aquire my dream pet. I have been buying the nessisary items, setting up an enclosure and preparing to adopt a hamster for about 2 months. I did a lot of research on proper hamster care and I decided I wanted to get a Winter White Dwarf Hamster, as they were the species that most interested me.
First, I bought a 40 gallon breeder aquarium...I had it for a while, continuously worrying it was too small, so I kept doing more research and decided to return that aquarium to get a bigger one.
I bought and set up a 75 gallon glass fish aquarium, and filled it with Kaytee Clean & Cozy unscented paper-based bedding to about 13 inches at the highest point. I learned online that if you mix the bedding with Timothy hay, the hamster's burrows hold up better. I read that it is best to get the soft orchard grass so it wouldn't poke the hamster's eyes or hurt him. I also tried my best to put a lot of hides, toys, and enrichment items in the enclosure...
Many times I was worried and obsessing whether I had put in enough bedding and enrichment. I was really nervous that I wouldn't do things correctly...I learned quite a lot about proper hamster care from many kind individuals online and also from reading books, but I still didn't feel ready.
On the 14th of April 2023 I went to a local Petsmart to look for a natural grapevine branch for my hamster's enclosure. They sometimes sell these for reptiles, but they sadly had absolutely nothing available, so I decided to go look at the hamsters. I do love looking at them in pet stores, even though I don't like how they sell small pets because I am not sure where they source them.
There he was...in the hamster enclosures he was the one right in the middle of all the other hamsters. He was perfect. A small Russian Dwarf Hamster was nuzzled into his 1 inch of bedding at the back corner of his little boxed room. He looked like a beautiful white ball of dough...and to me, as someone studying Japanese, I thought he looked like mochi, a Japanese rice cake. Then, dango ( pronounced "dawn-go" ) came to mind.
Dango are sweet Japanese rice dumplings on a stick "
", and that ended up being what I decided to name him.When I came close to Dango's cube enclosure, he noticed me, and he came right up to the glass and put one of his tiny paws on it, looking up at me directly, even though I know he has bad eyesight, I really think he might have been looking at me!
Dango was listed as a Winter White Dwarf, which was the dwarf hamster breed I was interested in, however I wasn't aware that all dwarves from pet stores are hybrids. ( I learned that from this forum! ) To me, as an inexperienced hamster owner, he looks more like a Winter White, but whatever he is, I fell in love.
I spoke to the Petsmart employee, asking her about Dango just out of curiosity. I wasn't originally going to buy him, but I just wanted to ask if I could take a closer look at him. With a cheerful "sure thing!" the employee came to Dango's cage, got out some keys that unlocked the enclosure, and then paused to look at him for a moment, seeming to be thinking. She then turned and called out to a nearby older gentleman employee. She said "Hey (employee's name), isn't this the zombie hamster?"
"Haha! Oh yeah, that's him." The man replied as he walked by us carrying some large Petsmart boxes, probably filled with merchandise. "He isn't for sale anymore though."
"Zombie hamster?" I replied with a slightly awkward laugh. "Why do you call him that?"
The female employee looked at me with a saddened expression. "This little guy's been suffering with a mite infestation since he arrived here, we started calling him Little Zombie because he had a bald head for the longest time, and he was sluggish while sick. Luckily his fur has pretty much grown back."
I looked back at Dango, watching him paw at the glass hopefully. "Has he received good vet care then?" I assumed.
"Yes, he's had quite a few trips to the vet." The employee replied. "We have been giving him medication daily, and now he is mite-free."
I was happy to hear that Dango wasn't suffering anymore for the most part, but unfortunately the employee told me that they had offered him up to a rescue and were preparing to transport him, as no one adopted him, most likely because of his previous appearance and sickness.
"Did you want to see him?" She asked with a friendly tone. "I don't know much about dwarf hamsters, but there's a Syrian hamster here that I really like. She just arrived." She said, pointing to a dark brown / black Syrian that was sitting on a little plastic sandcastle-looking hide grooming herself. I wasn't sure if the employee was just stating a fact or if she was trying to interest me in the female Syrian.
I was watching Dango, who was still peeking up at us as we conversed. He was up on his little hind legs.
I kind of dismissed the employee's comment about the Syrian, probably seeming a bit rude, and I asked if I could put my hand in Dango's enclosure, which she promptly let me. I was aware that it might be stressful for him, but I very carefully put my finger in, knowing that it could be dangerous, as hamsters can bite when they are scared or they mistakenly bite thinking your finger is a snack...but I, probably kind of irresponsibly, wanted to let him sniff my finger and see what he would do.
Dango's little whiskers twitched as he sniffed the tip of my index finger, he paused briefly, then he gently nibbled at it curiously. It didn't seem like he was being fearful or aggressive, because it was a very light nibble as if he was hoping for a treat, or maybe just checking me with his senses. The light nibbles didn't hurt at all and his teeth tickled.
"Did he bite you??" The employee asked in a sudden raised voice.
I laughed. "Something like that..." I replied.
She laughed as well. "I thought he might be trying to get a treat from you. Whenever this little guy gets his medication, he gets a treat as a reward."
So with that in mind it seemed to me that he had already become less afraid of humans because of that positive daily interaction.
I looked at Dango and he was on his back feet, sniffing the air in my direction, looking at me with his two giant black tapioca pearl eyes that looked like they came strait out of some bubble tea. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to have him. The employee told me she would give him to me for free, because he was getting ready to go to a rescue anyway and was no longer going to be sold at Petsmart.
"He's perfect." I said, looking at the employee with probably an overly excited expression..."Could I go home and get my travel carrier for him? I promise I'll be right back."
"Oh umm...sure, I guess." The employee replied. I think she might have been a bit surprised or weirded out. But she was very kind and promised to not give Dango away to the rescue or to someone else.
....to be continued.
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I'm so glad you enjoyed this entry, and thank you for saying the photo of Dango is beautiful! It warms my heart to hear you say Dango trusts me. I'm grateful for the bit of trust he has in me, and I hope it gets stronger!
