Parenting

Kids today. They just don’t get it. You work hard to provide them with everything they need to have a good life, all the advantages, and they don’t appreciate it. Take mine, for instance.





This is Illya. He’s a dwarf hamster. Actually, he’s a sub-species of dwarf hamster called a Roborovski hamster. These little guys are even smaller than regular dwarf hamsters, only getting about 2-3 inches long. They live in Mongolia and China and were discovered by a Lt. Vsevolod Roborovski. Go figure. Illya’s name is Illya because I wanted him to have a Russian name, being a Roborovski and all. I went through my very limited repertoire of Russian names: Vlad, Vasili, Ivan. Alexi…and Illya is the name he picked. He picked.

When you first get a new hamster, you’re supposed to leave them alone for a while, because they are stressed from being put in a little box and brought home from the pet store. I put Illya in his cage and when I came to check on him an hour later, this is what I saw:


No stress, there.

Nope, looks pretty relaxed to me.

Illya is a very spoiled hamster. In addition to an exercise wheel, two exercise balls, imported extra-fancy hamster food and more treats than I ever get, he has a playpen. Usually, I set up the playpen inside the house, but today I set it up outside, just for variety.




Look at all the toys he has. Did I mention he was spoiled? He’s got his wheel, some smooth rocks to climb on, a nest box to sleep in, his seesaw tubie thing and his two-story hamster condo that he’s very fond of. He gets special treats when he’s in his playpen: rice, oats, Cheerios and millet. Yes, the kind that birds eat. Hamsters like it, too.




Today, he got a new toy, something he’s never had before but I am assured hamsters love: a sand bath.





This is chinchilla sand, and I am told hamsters love to roll around in it. Here, Illya checks it out…



… and walks away. Hm…Illya? That’s a sand bath. Hamsters LOVE sand baths. Momma paid $12 for that sand, Illya. Illya! There are starving hamsters in Mongolia who would love to have that!

*sigh* You see what I mean? No gratitude. Not even when Momma rescued him from a giant mosquito hawk. Well, it was a regular-sized mosquito hawk, but it would seem giant to someone who is only two inches long.



Some people might think that hamsters are boring pets. They don’t fetch, don’t talk, can’t shake your hand. But, they can cuddle, learn their name, are very curious and they are so much fun to watch.

I see this a lot:





People who think they are boring have never had one.