Hamster Wheel of Pain

The year 2015 was the year we tried keeping rodents as pets. It didn’t work out well for us. The first dwarf hamster lasted less than one week – most of it loose/lost in the house. The rabbit (I know, technically a lagomorph, not a rodent; potato potato) turned out to be all work no affection – and very long-lived. Still going.

This hamster was, in theory, a success. She lived as long as dwarf hamsters ever do – nearly a full two years. But she also cost $500 in vet bills and boarding because she got sick right before our family trip to Iceland, and I didn’t want the kids to associate vacations with dead pets.

And she bit us every time we tried to pick her up. For two years. This cute little picture of her next to her wheel was the most pleasure we ever got out of that particular pet.