Halloween! (and a chance to win a cool badge for your blog!)

Today is wordless Wednesday and Halloween! Argh! :S

So I have decided to skip this week's wordless Wednesday, and just do a Halloween post instead. How does that sound?

I made Willow a little spider cloak to wear, but she doesn't like it much :(... so most of the photos are of her in a trick-or-treating bag. Hope you like the photos!

I have also added a slideshow, but I don't know if it works in all parts of the world. Sorry if the slideshow won't work- I have also added a collage so you can look at that instead!

Some cut Halloween photos of Willow (Click to make it bigger!)

Today I will be doing some Halloween trivia.

If you want to answer the questions in the comments and you get a certain amount of questions right, you will get a funky Halloween badge for your blog :)

I will announce the answers to the questions in the following week, and give out the badges.

PLEASE DON'T LOOK THE ANSWERS UP! - it will spoil the fun!

Please submit your answers by Friday 2nd of November.

New blog schedule?

I have decieded that I haven't been doing enough posts on a regular basis.

At the moment when I have spare time I will write a post and probably publish it straight away when I've finished writing it, but that means that if I have a busy week I hardly ever post...

So, to solve the problem, I have decided to do a couple of weekly and monthly things. If I have a lot of time one week I can always write extra posts, or write some and schedule them for the next week.

You may have noticed that I have started doing 'Willow's Post's and 'Wordless Wednesday' each week, and I will continue to do this every week from now on. I will also be hosting a monthly caption contest on the first of the month each month - so keep your eye out for that.

I hope having these regular posts will make my blog better, and help my readers know when I will be posting!

Please feel free to comment on whether you like this new schedule and the new posts, or what you think of this blog is missing etc. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I won a giveaway!

I WON A GIVEAWAY!!! I WON A GIVEAWAY!!! I WON A GIVEAWAY!!! YAY! YAY! YAY!

 Last week Ann Paws ran a giveaway on her blog, Pawsitively Pets.

The prize was a portrait of your pet! How cool and personal is that? - I think it's a great prize because anyone who has a pet would love that! 

The custom portrait of your pet will be drawn by a great artist called Carla Smale. Her artwork is truly amazing! Some of her artwork is below: If you want to have a look at her artwork, you can visit her etsy store or her website.

There were loads of entries and I am always really unlucky, so I definitely did not expect to win! When I found out I was so excited!! :D

I got in contact with Carla, and she said she would prefer a head shot as it is only a small portrait, and doing her whole body on that would probably prove quite tricky!

So I had a look, and this is the picture I came up with:

What do you think? Do you think that's a nice photo, or do you think I should chose another one like the one below?

I just can't decide and I want to make sure I chose the perfect photo! - So please tell me what you think so I can email Carla and tell her which photo I have chosen!

Thank you so much to Ann and Carla!! I can't wait to receive my prize and I love Ann's blog - she has such great posts (one every day) and the giveaway was great. :)

If you don't already read Ann's blog, be sure to check it out! You won't regret it!

The link is below:

http://mypawsitivelypets.blogspot.co.uk/

Willow's Post - Favorite Treats

Today I have been eating more of my favorite treats EVER!!
They are little nutty treats, and I love to keep them in my bed in case I ever want a midnight snack.
It takes me a while to actually get all of it into my mouth though, cause I have to bite little bits off of it to fit it all in my cheek pouches.

People think I'm greedy, but I just like to stock up. If I ever have a nightmare or can't sleep and get hungry in the night, I don't have to worry about getting out of my nest to get my food - it's already right next to me! Perfect!

Willow x

Wordless Wednesday #1

I have decided to start a 'Wordless Wednesday  section of my blog, so that every Wednesday I will post either one or a few pictures of Willow on this blog.

Later on I may also include images with captions from my monthly 'Caption Contest' (starting this November - so watch this space!)

'I'm a meerkat!'

Willow pausing for thought in her wheel...

Hope you're having a great Wednesday and enjoy the pictures!

 

Willow is 4 months old!

Willow is exactly 4 months old today!

So to celebrate I thought I would do a little post on Willow and her favourite habits etc.

No. 1 favourite habit: Running in her wheel at all hours of the day!

She is constantly running in her wheel - no matter what the time is, you will find her running in her wheel at most hours of the day. And yes- this does strike me as peculiar, seeing as hamsters are supposed to be nocturnal... I guess I will never be able to explain why  Willow is awake so much in the day..

2nd favourite habit: Standing on her hind legs like a meerkat

Whenever I come into the room, Willow is usually standing on her hind legs with her little paws by her tummy. (You're probably thinking that I just said she was always on her wheel, but as you can see from the photo above, Willow often does this pose in her wheel)

It is absolutely adorable! Every time I see her like that I can't help but do a little 'awww' in my head!

3rd favourite habit: Chewing on her new stick 'n' nut toy

She loves her new toy, and is always nibbling away at it, trying to get parts of it off and stow it away in her bed! She broke it a few days ago by fraying the rope, but I threaded the pieces back on and tied a knot in the rope - so it should be ok now. That toy entertains her for hours.

Hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit about Willow!

'Stik 'n' Nut' Review

Name: Stik 'n' Nut

Brand: SMALL 'N' FURRY

Price: £3.99

Shop I bought it from: Pet's Corner

First impression: 

I thought this looked fun and might be good for Willow's teeth, but I wasn't sure if Willow might just ignore it or not... Sometimes I put something new in her cage and she just completely ignores it, and I didn't want to spend nearly £4 on some pieces of wood for her to just go and ignore.

Reasons I chose to buy it:

- It looked good for Willow's teeth
- It had a hook at the top so I could hook it to
  Willow's cage
- It looked like it might keep Willow entertained for
  a while

In the end, I am pleased to say that this toy was a huge success. Willow absolutely loved this toy, and was kept entertained for a good half hour in the middle of the day before returning back to bed.

She played with it all through the night too. Unfortunately by the time I went downstairs in the morning Willow had completely eaten the bottom part of the string, and taken a few of the bits of wood back to her nest... never mind... 

Overall, I still think this is a great toy, as it kept Willow entertained for so long and wasn't too expensive (though it could have been cheaper). It isn't too big and bulky, so will fit in most cages, and it isn't over-complicated.

If I got to say a few improvements, that would only be to make the rope holding it all together a bit stronger so that hamsters can't break it quite so easily! Apart from that - a good buy.

Below are some pictures of Willow enjoying her new toy.

Willow's post - New wheel!

Yesterday Hannah bought me a 'Silent Spinner' hamster wheel, it's great!

It's a little smaller than my last one, (only about a whisker and a half or so, but still a little smaller), but it doesn't squeak and whine like my old one. I found it really loud so when I ran it hurt my ears a little.. my owners didn't like it much either when it kept them awake... I heard them complaining. I'm so glad I have a new silent one now. :)

The new wheel is purple and white, and cost Hannah £12.99. I think it's worth the money though, seeing as it makes me and my owner happier.

She also fed me this really yummy treat, and I just thought I would share that with you, even though it's not relevant... my head is full of thoughts about food and escape!

See you next Friday for another post,

Willow x

Giveaway winners revealed!

As most of you will know, I have been running a giveaway over the past couple of weeks for the chance to win a hamster mouse-mat or a hamster magnet,

and I am pleased to announce the winners!!!

drum roll please.....

2nd place goes to... 'ChaoticScribbles'
for Subscribing to my YouTube (entry #25)

You will be receiving this large hamster magnet!

1st place goes to... 'Rebecca'
for liking 'Animal Tails' on Facebook! (entry #89)

You will be receiving this hamster mouse-mat!

Congrats to those that won, and thanks to everyone who entered!

To receive your prize, please email me your address and full name to hannah_animal_tales@yahoo.com, then I will send your prize out within the next few days.

Thank you again to everyone who entered!

Photo Update

Just a quick photo update. Haven't really got any good pics, but I thought I would post this one anyway.

This is Willow doing her 'meerkat' impression... I honestly think that she thinks she is a meerkat.. ;)

REMEMBER TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!!!