Oops, I did it Again! :o)

Blip, this is Willow. Willow, this is blip. Do be nice to one another, you're going to become very well acquainted!

I'll try and keep this story as brief as I can!

I had no intention of getting another pet, hamster or otherwise. I've seen this girl in a local pet shop a few times over the past couple of weeks and she stood out for a couple of reasons. She's huge. Absolutely massive, bless her. So clearly not a baby and had been living there for a very long time. She's roughly 4 months old. The tank she was in was dire. A foot by half a foot, barely the size of a shoebox and she had nothing to do. It was bare aside from the basics to keep her alive and sheltered. Very clean, mind you, I'll give them that. And she was distressed. Each time I saw her, she was obsessively chewing the same corner of her tank. I'll have to keep a close eye on her to see if she has any permanent brain damage from chewing on the metal for such a long time. :o(

Today, I consulted a hamster forum and asked them what I should do. I didn't want to buy her and encourage the pet shop to carry on keeping animals in this way (don't get me started on the rabbits!). The resounding response was that I must not leave her there a minute longer. That was all the encouragement I needed, so after work I went straight there to get her. And I won't be stepping foot in there ever again.

So here she is. Semi long hair, beautiful glossy coat, golden banded, dark flashes on her cheeks, white belly. Just gorgeous. She's in a small cage for now (although still a mansion to her I'm sure!) until I get her something better. She's deliriously happy at the toys and chews she has, the deep bedding to dig in and the wheel. She's never had a wheel, and it took her a little while to figure it out, but she hasn't stopped running since!!! :o)

This a quick shot on my phone, flash off. It will be a while before I have any "proper" shots to share.