Willow's Post - Sleeping...

I don't really have a lot to say today, except that it is nearly Christmas!

I have been happily munching away at food, running in my wheel, and sleeping my days away. And would you believe that it is now only 11 days till Christmas?

Hannah is popping to the pet shop this weekend to go and find me a present. I can't wait to see what it is! I hope it is something edible...

On another topic, I have been getting into some weird sleeping habits now.

I like to stuff my little house so full with sawdust and bedding so that the roof of my bed pops right off. Then I just carry on and go to sleep with the roof completely off - which Hannah says completely defeats the point of having a roof to the house...

I don't really get that cold, but I think Hannah worries that I will get cold if the roof comes off, so she is going to put slightly less bedding in so that when I add more sawdust my house doesn't explode...

Do your pets or hamsters have any weird sleeping or general habits?

Put them in the comments below!

- Willow x

Willow's Post - It's nearly Christmas!

I am so excited for Christmas! This will be my first ever Christmas, and I am really happy cause I might get presents! Yay! -and those presents may even be edible if I'm lucky!... yumm...

Last year Hannah bought Lolly (R.I.P) a special hamster stocking with loads of treats in in from Pets at Home, and I hope she buys me one too! It looks like the perfect Christmas treat, and Hannah says it's only £3.50!! What a bargain! :D

The stocking is by Rotastak, and contains fruity shapes, choc drops, chews and toys. It is suitable for all small pets, including mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters - you get the gist.


Hope you like this post, and are excited for Christmas too! :D

If you want to look at the stocking online at Pets at Home, click here.

Hamster stocking picture from here.

- Willow x

Willow's Post - View from my cage

Hi everyone! It's Willow here.

Today is going to be a bit of a random post, so sorry about that. I am going to be talking about the view from my cage.

My cage is on one side of the playroom, and I can see the whole room from my cage.

I like standing on my hind legs and having a good lock around to see what is there. My favourite thing in the playroom is the sofa. When I escaped once, I hid under the sofa and it took Hannah a long time to get me out from under there! (If you want to read the escape post, click here)

On the side of my cage is some boxes (I don't really know what's in them but I think it's art stuff), and on the other side is Risk. (the board game which Hannah always wins! ;) )

I like where my cage is. cause there aren't any drafts as I'm not on the floor, and I feel safe.

Where are your pet's cages?

- Willow x

Willow's Post - Hamster tubes!

Hi everyone!

Today I am going to talk about tubes - cause all hamsters love them! (Well, I assume most hamsters love them - I don't see how they can't!)

There are lots of different types of tubes you can get for your hamsters cage. Hannah often put's toilet roll tubes inside my cage, cause it's completely safe and really cheap, seeing as she needs the loo paper anyway!

Some people worry that nibbling the cardboard is bad for hamsters, but it actually isn't. We rarely eat the cardboard, we are likely to store it in our cheeks and take it back to our house for storing or bedding.

It is also good for our teeth to chew the cardboard, as it wears down our teeth so that they don't get too long.

You can also get plastic tubes which you buy from the shops, but in my opinion these aren't as good as cardboard ones you can buy as plastic isn't very good for us if we chew it.

The best tubes I think are the natural hay tubes you can but in most pet shops.You can eat these and play in these and it's really healthy! 

They are called 'Natural Meadow HAY n HIDE Edible Play Tube' by Rosewood. (pic below) They are about £3.99, which I don't think is that bad considering how healthy and fun they are!

Hamster Tube

Set of 3 tubes picture from here.

Hope you like this post! - Willow x

Willow's Post - Water bottles?

Today I have decided to do a post on water bottles and how often you should change them etc.

I think it's important to change the water at least once every 3 days if possible. This will keeps me (and other hamsters) healthy, and - let's face it - no-one likes drinking stale water which has been there for days.

Hannah changes my water every 3 days usually, sometimes more often, or if she forgets sometimes 4 days after she last changed it.. though seeing as she picks me up every day and is quite obsessed with playing with me, it's very rare that she does forget!

It won't kill me, or any other hamster, if you change the water once a week. It just isn't that nice for us. However, with some hamsters when the water hasn't been changed for ages, (I mean for longer than a week e.g. 2 weeks), they might stop drinking water if it is often stale, and this does lead to illnesses... - so be careful.

Now I don't want you to stop reading this and think "Arrghhh! I only change the water once a week - my hamster will die!", cause that's simply not true. Just bare what I have said in mind for the future. That's all I ask of you. :)

Hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope you found this helpful!

- Willow x

Willow's Post - Flash photography

Hannah really likes taking photos of me. Sometimes I don't feel like having my photo taken and I'm quite hyper, so Hannah doesn't bother with the photos, but sometimes I am in a really calm mood and Hannah takes some photos of me and she puts them on this blog.

I don't mind having my photos taken, because Hannah is still really gentle with me, and she doesn't use flash so it's fine. Some people do use flash, and that would bother me, cause flash really damages our eyes! Hamster eyes are really delicate- though some people ignore that and take photos with flash just so that their photos are better! Some people...

Lots of people don't realize how bad the camera flash is for hamsters. We're not like humans, the flash effects us long-term. We are nocturnal creatures, so our eyes are made for seeing in the dark. When there is a really bright flash then it goes back to normal light again, our eyes just can't cope. I don't think Hannah has ever used flash on me, but I can imagine that it would be painful.
Flash photography can cause pets to go blind, which is really sad because your owner is practically swapping your eyesight for some cute snaps by accident! :(

.
Sorry about my little hamster-rant, but it needed to be said. DON'T USE FLASH PEOPLE!

- Willow x

Willow's Post - Hannah's back!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to update you all on how everything is going now Hannah is back from holiday :)

When Hannah got back she was very excited and she woke me up from my snooze to say hello and give me a hug. I was tired at first, but once I had woken up I was excited too.

Hannah took a few photos of me, and she let me run around for a little bit while she watched, then she held me some more.

I missed her while she was away. Her sister fed me but she didn't hold me much .. not like Hannah anyway. Hannah holds me every day mostly, unless there is a reason why she can't.

I like that cause it lets me stretch my legs a bit and I can explore.

When she put me back in my cage I went and grabbed the food she left there for me, and snuck it into my secret stash. [*don't tell anyone, but it's my house.. shhh*]

I'll talk more next Friday about what's happening and keep you updated.

Willow x

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

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