2001-09-10 - 11:01 p.m.

Snowy Bounces Back

Well! I guess I am here to praise Snowy the Hamster, not bury him.

Contrary to every expectation, the little fellow is up and around. In fact, he seems just about all better. Both his eyes are open, and he's being his usual hyperactive self running around in circles on the floor of his cage.

All this is in spite of the fact that he is far and away the oldest hamster in the house. Once again, my pal Snowy is living proof of the benefits of exercise. I really thought he was a goner.

Actually, calling him a "little fellow" is misleading: Snowy is the brawniest hamster I've ever seen. His front pawns are very muscular, so he walks like a little pit bull.

And as for Ince, well she still is a wild one. I've been able to pick her up a couple of times, but that's it. However, I have made the discovery that she seems to be easier to pick up if the light next to her case is off. Hamsters' eyesight is very poor - I believe all they see is shadows and light. Therefore with a bright light next to their cage, the shadows are in sharp contrast, and when my hand gets in between this light source and Ince, she freaks out.

So now, I turn the light off whenever I want to take her out of the cage. It makes for a much mellower experience for all concerned.

Countdown: 1 Day behind!