Hamster Reunion

I believe I wrote on the blog that Abbey received a pair of hamsters for her birthday. She named the female Cheerio, but then changed her name to Honey, which seems to have stuck. The male became Brownie (though he is mostly white).

They quickly outgrew their little cage. I would have liked a large aquarium to house them, but I don’t know where I could find one. However, I found a large washtub, dubbed Arca de Noe, Noah’s Ark. That seemed fitting.

I told Abbey she could move the hamsters into the Ark, but that she must be careful not to put anything tall close to the walls because the hamsters will climb up and jump out.

Well, Abbey decided that surely they wouldn’t climb up the little house, and surely they wouldn’t jump out. So, she disregarded my warning. But they surely did!

We came in from chores and found that they could not be found. Both Honey and Brownie had escaped. We soon found Honey running around and were able to catch her, but Brownie disappeared, not even leaving a trail of crumbs.

I gave Abbey a stern talking to about not heeding advice. Later, I heard her telling Anne, “I deserve for Garralina to find Brownie and eat him. That should teach me a lesson not to be stubborn.” Well, at least she had the idea.

For about a week, Steph and I have been hearing Brownie in the floor upstairs, nibbling on wood. It was somewhat driving Steph crazy, I think. I was worried about him chewing wiring, but I decided to give it a little time. Garralina is an excellent mouser.

We caught Garralina various times watching Brownie through a crack in the floorboards. I was tempted to pull up a board to try to get him, but I knew he wouldn’t wait around.

Then a terrible thing happened yesterday morning. Abbey found her bedroom door open, the Ark on the floor, and Garralina lying beside it, looking plump. Many tears followed. Honey was gone.

I asked if they’d looked for her. Hamsters can run away from cats sometimes. The girls dashed back upstairs and returned five minutes later with a very agitated Honey. She had hidden in the closet under a dress.

Yesterday afternoon Steph and I decided to put out rat poison. There was evidence of Brownie having chewed through the wall into the bathroom. I didn’t want any more destruction. But Steph forgot to put out the poison during the day, so I decided to do it after supper, but it slipped my mind.

I was sitting on our bed with Seth and Shawn. It wasn’t quite bedtime, but they needed to lie still and calm down. Boys can be that way. Steph was showering. I was listening to a podcast. And in walked Brownie!

He stood in our doorway a moment, then he waddled over and slipped under our bed. Apparently, he was done with hiding and wasn’t keen on poison. I hopped up and called for the older children. We closed the doors and blocked them off with blankets. I didn’t think Brownie could escape.

But we couldn’t find him! We looked under all the furniture. Then we pulled every box out from under the bed. Then we checked under the furniture again. Nothing.

I told the children to the put the boxes one by one on the bed after opening and looking through each one. No Brownie. We then moved all the shoes and extra blankets under the closet. No Brownie. Where had he gone?

We checked under the furniture, piece by piece with a flashlight. Not here. Not there. Nor here. HERE HE IS! We finally found him. Anne scooped him up and gave him to Abbey.

Everyone was thrilled, but no one so much as Abbey. And I think she learned some things, even though Garralina never got a meal.