2003-02-07 - 11:44 p.m.

The Circus is in town!

The huge of baby hamsters is just a couple of days short of being a months old. They all look like tiny hamsters now, instead of furry peanuts, toddling around on their wobbly legs. They are incredibly cute - I wish I had a camera to take a picture of them.

However, there is starting to be a little population problem in the cage - there are SIXTEEN hamsters living in one ten gallon glass aquarium. The ever-popular "Step On Your Face" Club is in session ALL THE TIME.

I've forgotten how fun it is to watch that many hamsters in one cage. It's like the circus is in town! Especially funny is how they handle the exercise wheel. Hamsters are cute, but not very smart; they don't understand that the wheel only works when you all run in the SAME DIRECTION. Generally what happens is that you have two hamsters going in one direction, and two hamsters running in the other direction. The wheel then becomes a stationary jungle gym and they start climbing all over it. Eventually though someone will fall off and the wheel will start to roll. A baby hamster will be given a couple of quick trips around the wheel before centrifugal force sends him flying across the cage. Repeat ad infinitum. It's fun!

In the last couple of days, I got another little surprise - some of the babies are long haired. Since that is a recessive trait, Amanda Panda, the mom, must have a longhaired gene in her. I thought it was impossible for black bear hamsters to carry the long hair gene, but I guess I was wrong. Life is an education!

Last night I was watching the cage and it was just a wild hub of hamster activity with all sixteen of them rushing around on Important Business.

I said aloud: "Is there anything cuter than a cage full of healthy, active baby hamsters?"

From the Library came a loud "AHEM!"

I answered my own question: "Why yes, it so happens that my girlfriend Lily is cuter than a cage full of baby hamsters!"