2001-05-21 - 11:56 p.m.

Definitely Four

Now, before we go back to the serious stuff a little hamster break.

Today the baby hamsters are twenty days old. There are definitely four of them, and they all pretty much look like their mother, Linda. They are primarily white with just a little bit of darker fur mixed in. They all look like white hamsters that got a little dirty.

The trouble with this is that I can't tell if any of them is bearing the gene for gray fur. It's the whole reason I bought Linda, but since her markings are dominant, all the babies have it and you can't tell what the underlying fur color is.

However, one factor has improved the odds. Two of the babies have ruby eyes, and two have the usual brown eyes. Since gray hamsters can't have ruby eyes, I know which ones can't be gray.

At twenty days, the babies are almost weaned, and they look like miniature hamsters now, instead of furry peanuts staggering about like they did a few days ago.

When there is a cage full of baby hamsters, it's more fun to watch than television. You could have an impromptu meeting of the "Step On Your Face" Club. Or you could watch the little guys discover that the wheel doesn't work too well unless you all run in the SAME DIRECTION at the SAME TIME.

And no commercials either.