However, given that while I was out tonight a wild squirrel apparently escaped from behind the fireplace glass and babysat all the dwarves in their open-top habitats, my hope is renewed that all is well.
My intention was to get a roommate for Minerva so he wouldn't be alone in those weeks before the babies are weaned, and what if she didn't have any sons (or none survived)? The earlier the better when it comes to hamster roomies, so on Thursday I hit the two shops and hoped the "right" hamster was there waiting. I decided it was better to remove Minerva now and let Cordelia get adjusted to this, rather than wait until she's a first-time mom and coping with that. (Especially since I might not be there to separate them before they mated again.)
I noticed a pretty little argente. Alas, female. Hm, everything I ever said about red eyes was flying out the window - these all looked so nice. (I'm still iffy on albinos and albino-lookalikes, though.)
There was one black-eyed white, and I was tempted. Good temperament, agreeable. Ah, but look at the little grey fellow. Not the dark grey, the light one. That's a sweet one. Not scared, cranky, or hyper. And what's this in the log? (Five minutes of coaxing later, as I feel that the pet store's technique of shaking an object until the pet dizzily appears is somewhat amiss.) Another argente, and this one a boy. Hm. Hm-hm. Pretty, but not gelling. Let's keep looking.
I put down my hand and an argente hopped right into it and looked around. Was this the male I just put back? (Roll and check.) Nope, the female again. Sigh, too bad I'm here for a boy, but now to decide between the grey and the BEW. Is there any way I could have both?
Being low on cash what with the purchase of a burgundy wheel earlier when checking out the (non-existent) dwarves at the first shop, I asked if they took credit cards. They didn't, so I went out for money. First, though, I went home (all of a mile away) and prepared the new bin I'd bought as part of the first leg of today's hamster-trek. I planned to use the preparation time to ponder if two males could be a justifiable idea, but Dad called and we talked a long time.
I returned to the store and stood over the tank to find my picks. An employee said something about me still being there and I bristled... but that and the rest of all that ongoing stuff is a story for another time.
Of course, by now I knew the little female argente was coming home with me. Wouldn't Cordelia need a roomie for the next 10 days? (Suuurrre.) And of course we needed unrelated hamsters for breeding future litters. We'd planned to wait to see what Cordelia delivered so we might choose colour accordingly, but wouldn't we want an argente in the clan eventually anyway?
What I couldn't decide was whether to get the BEW. Oh, how I miss Albus, and nothing could ever replace her, but the BEW was clicking with me just as much as the grey.
Holding two hamsters while you wait for help is hard, holding three seemed wrong. Two it was.
And so, that's how Isaac and Ambrosia came to live with us on 20 December 2002. (One month after Albus and Minerva, with Cordelia between the two.)
It was difficult picking their names. I was pleased when Isaac suddenly clicked. He's named for both Newton and Asimov. There's just something about his studious but curious manner. Isaac is actually a red-eyed lilac. He has some white "zipper" and white under his chin, all normal, but he also has some white around his neck on his back that makes me wonder if he isn't slightly mottled. That or, as Jane in a.p.h. pointed out, he's silvering. That would be pretty; it really suits Cordelia. We'll see if it progresses. As for his eyes, they're a very dark and pretty red, like garnets.
Ambrosia's name took ages. I pondered one astronomy-themed name after another without luck. I consulted mythologies and that led me back to looking at star clusters. In the Hyades I found Ambrosia. It started clicking but I held it off. Ambrosia is kind of a household word and it conjures many images before it means star or nymph.
But it just seemed right. I tried calling her "Brosia" and then "Ambi" and then "Bambi," but Ambrosia really settled into our skins as being appropriate. Later I looked it up and learned that it's also a word for a reddish-type colour. Perfect! Ambrosia she is. I'm really pleased about it now.
First I introduced the young men to each other. I'm guessing the new ones are 5-6 weeks old and 2/3 the size of the others at best. I introduced them in the aquarium and that went well, after the expected sniffing and light chasing, in that they more or less ignored one another. I put Minerva back into the new bin and Isaac followed shortly.
With the girls it wasn't so peaceful, but I expected that. Ambrosia, not unlike Cordelia at that age (yet somehow different), is a champ. She played submissive to Cordie's every grouse, but never lost her spirit or her interest in learning more about this big black and white ham she'd just met.
Over three days later, things seem very well. I'll not recount all the wheel-swapping stories and bedding disputes. (Oh Minerva, you bad boy, stealing from Cordelia's toilet paper stash!) The little ones are still just a bit small for decent ball-going, but Cordelia finally gave it a lengthy try.
Minerva has been spending half of each day with Cordelia. Neither seems to care either way, to be honest, but they still have that easy companionship that started along with their romance. I was worried because I'd go all day without seeing Minerva, but then I remembered that this is how Minerva was before Cordelia came along and kept bothering him, especially waking him up to tell him to leave her alone!
Minerva and Ambrosia have met a few times, but I keep this contacts minimal lest Cordelia get jealous. Ambrosia stays with Isaac when Minerva's sleeping over. I'd like for them to stay acquainted for future purposes. To be honest, I don't think I have to worry about a pregnancy with Ambrosia yet. (Hopefully I won't be struck down with irony for saying that, but I wouldn't mind. I just would rather Ambrosia have more time to grow up, go to college, do some traveling, stuff like that.)
Cordelia and Isaac have also met, but he doesn't bother her. After tussling it out with Ambrosia for a day or two I think she's ready to take on any number of boarders, just so long as they remember who is boss.
Speaking of Boss Mom, Ambrosia sometimes seems to want to nuzzle Cordelia in a nursing kind of way. She takes Cordelia's rebuffs much as a young animal might when weaning time is past. ("Hey, it was worth a shot.") Today when I put Minerva back with Isaac, Isaac came over and climbed up on Minerva's back. Leave it to me to have possum-hamsters.
And later I will tell the story of Cordelia's ear, but now I'm pooped.
Phobos and Deimos are well. I talked both into some just-waking cuddle-time on the sofa. Deimos is still wheel-peeing, and I'm still thinking about how it's so easy to clean. (Isaac peed in the wheel a few times, but I put some in the sandbox and I think he has caught on.) Phobos is waiting to return to the days of playing fort, but my allergies since the middle of last week have put that on hold.
P and D both had cauliflower yesterday and some grape today. Isaac likes the veggies but Ambrosia, like Cordelia, scrunches up her little nose at the thought. My girls. We'll return to oats next time; it's been awhile.
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