We got Suzy over a year ago, when she was still a baby. Once she got used to our smells and our hands, she was a genuinely happy, easy-going hamster. When we held her or played with her, she never bit us, didn’t poo on the carpet, and didn’t chew through our clothes. She could have easily passed for the archetypal small pet, were it not for one outstanding quality. Suzy was dead set on escaping.
The problem was that we housed her in a glass aquarium (with bedding and a igloo home and a wheel and everything), so there was no way for her to get out. She really tried though. First she perfected the “belly polish”. What she did was try to climb right up the vertical, slippery walls of her encasement. She’d jump against the wall, feet and little paws flailing wildly, and slip down, and stand back up on her hind legs, jump again and slip down. This, in real time, looked like she was doing the boogie with the aquarium. All you could hear were little claws on glass and an occasional thud as she pounced on the wall with ever-present determination.
Then there were the couple of times that she actually escaped – once because she brilliantly pushed the rolling wheel on its side, against the glass wall, climbed up and out. Another time because she managed to pull herself up on top of the wheel without it spinning (a feat in itself) and jumped out.
Suzy’s most elaborate attempts at escape happened at around 11pm each night, when you’d begin hearing a rhythmic thumping noise, as if plastic was hitting glass. This was the sound of an acrobatic hamster trying to wedge herself between the corner of the aquarium and her water bottle, and using the pressure of the bottle against the wall to hoist herself up.
Observing these rituals night after night, I began suspecting that our hamster was not having the quality of life that she deserved. She didn’t play with her wheel, didn’t relax and enjoy the evening sunlight streaming through the windows. Instead, she dedicated most every waking moment to the futile task of running away, each night “forgetting” the failures of the previous evening and committing herself all over again to her limited repertoire of escape tactics. In time, this became unbearable to watch – her predicament so closely mirrored our own. And so I decided to buy her a new home.
After an eventful trip to PetSmart, the kids and I brought home a three-story hamster haven, complete with water bottle, feeding plate, ladders, slides, and a plastic running wheel. We also got her the off-white, super-absorbent baby-soft fabric “chips” instead of the woodchips we previously used. Her luxury home was finally ready and we showed her inside. Suzy seemed excited to be in her new place – she carefully clambered up and down the stairs, made a cozy nest in the corner, and ate the food lovingly placed in her dish. We watched her for some time as she explored, but then bedtime routines got underway and she was left to her devices.
Later than evening, when the house was finally quiet, I heard a curious noise coming from Suzy’s corner. I came closer and there she was, chewing maniacally on the green metal bars that formed her cage. After everything that we did for her, she chose to spend her evening (and many evenings to follow) planning and executing various attempts of escape. Seeing her this way, something turned within me. Finally I had greater insight into the tragic plight of the hamster condition.
(The tale continues here , when Suzy writes about her owner…)
78 comments
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June 21, 2012 at 11:57 am
Katie Raspberry
So cute!
Katie
http://katieraspberry.wordpress.com/
June 21, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Richard McCargar
That does seem like a sad life, until you realize that left in the wild, Suzy would likely be eaten while still live. This is a comparatively good trade-off. Perhaps a friend for Suzy would help. I know it did for the beasts living in our home.
Congrats on being freshly pressed.
June 21, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Anya
This is a good point about the wild. As for friends, the folks at the pet store warned us that adult hamsters are not too fond of company…Though personally I DO think Suzy could use a friend 🙂
June 21, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Richard McCargar
They told my wife and I the same thing. No doubt some pairings don’t work. We were lucky, and ours did. At the first sign of danger, we were prepared to separate them, but it just didn’t happen. Best of luck.
June 21, 2012 at 1:12 pm
FoghornUnicorn
Yeah, and her name would haven’t been nearly as cute! 😀
June 21, 2012 at 12:23 pm
PCC Advantage
You give and give and give, and yet they still want to run away…when will hamsters ever learn? 😉
June 21, 2012 at 1:11 pm
chaoticscribbles
Hahaha aww Suzy may just need some more entertainment perhaps? Does she have a wheel? Does she go out in an exercise ball at all? My two don’t seem set on escaping. They do the monkey bars and run like looneys on their wheels but never tried to escape. Maybe they haven’t realised the wonders of freedom yet? Hehe, lovely blog btw 🙂
June 21, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Anya
Suzy’s discovered the joys of the wheel, and gets on it religiously every evening after dinner 🙂 We haven’t tried the ball yet – we have a cat and don’t want to take our chances…
June 21, 2012 at 1:51 pm
chaoticscribbles
A wise decision! And plus balls are fun to escape from too – hence I sellotape mine up. Experience has made me weary! 😛 mayBe Suzy just likes a change of scenery from time to time hence she tries to escape 🙂
June 21, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Anya
This is a good idea too – maybe we should change the location of her cage every few weeks, so that she gets a difference view of the world…
June 21, 2012 at 1:14 pm
californiacurls
Suzy needs a hamster ball!
June 21, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Anya
Yes indeed!
June 21, 2012 at 1:29 pm
The Simple Life of a Country Man's Wife
that is pretty darn cute. does she like being held?
June 21, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Anya
I think she enjoys it thoroughly…
June 21, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Valerie {all mussed up}
We had two rats, Hektor and Finnegan, that inspired a lot of the same existential questions about quality of life — by the end of their three-year life span, I felt so badly about their lack of space that I felt relieved on their behalf when they died of old age.
June 21, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Anya
It’s funny that we superimpose our ideas of comfort and “quality of life” upon the animals, thinking that since it’d be unpleasant for US to live in a 10×10 foot cell, it’ll be unpleasant for them to live in a similar space. In reality who knows? Maybe they enjoy the coziness…
June 21, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Valerie {all mussed up}
Definitely a good thought, too. (:
June 21, 2012 at 2:29 pm
sandraconner
I read both your side and Suzy’s. I have to say I can relate to both of you. But as I was reading, I was also thinking about a Christian children’s story book (actually a story/coloring book and CD) about a hamster named Harvey who insists on escaping and eventually manages to do so — only to find out how ill-prepared he is for what, to him, seemed like a better life. It’s primarily a story of praying and believing, but your story of Suzy came so close to the experiences of Harvey that I couldn’t help thinking of it. A very dear friend of mine is a chldrens’s author and puppet theater producer, and the story is one of her brain-children. I thought you’d get a kick out of knowing that there’s at least one story out there that touches on your experiences.
Congratulations on being “Freshly Pressed.”
June 21, 2012 at 2:29 pm
sandraconner
I can’t wait to tell her about your real-life story!
June 21, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Anya
Where might I find this story about Harvey? My daughter loves hamsters and all other animals, for that matter, and would really enjoy reading such a story. Maybe your friend got inspired to write about Harvey by watching real hamsters in action…they do have a charming perseverance about them…
June 21, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Mikalee Byerman
So cute — I wanted to get my children a hamster for Christmas last year, but an employee at PetSmart talked me out of it. She told me they are horrible biters! Maybe she just had a bad experience with one…
June 21, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Anya
Not true. I don’t think it’s right to generalize – some are, some aren’t. Plus all hamsters need to get “house-trained”. When you buy them as babies, they are not really tame, and may bite. But once they get used to your smells, they can become great pets.
June 21, 2012 at 2:45 pm
segmation
Hi Anya, I can’t wait to hear Suzy’s side of the story!! What an active hamster! http://www.segmation.wordpress.com
June 21, 2012 at 8:24 pm
Anya
Suzy’s side of the story is here: https://interpretartistmama.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/a-few-words-about-anya/
Thank you for dropping by!
June 21, 2012 at 2:52 pm
wordswithnannaprawn
I’m so glad I’m not the only one posting about hamsters…….if you’ve got stairs I don’t recommend the hamster ball…….
June 21, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Anya
🙂 We don’t have stairs. But we do have a cat…
June 21, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Sarah
I have a dear friend who worries constantly that his dog has no intellectual interests and only likes to eat and sleep. I remind him that she’s a DOG, but he can’t quite wrap his head around that. Suzy sounds quite lucky in her human parentage. Good luck! I’m sure you’ll hit the exact combo that pleases her . . . eventually. : )
June 21, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Anya
Maybe it would be better for us all if we liked to just eat and sleep, like your friend’s dog 🙂 As (several) wise men said, the more wisdom, the more grief…
June 21, 2012 at 3:17 pm
societyred
Wonderful read…both of them! Love your work!
June 21, 2012 at 3:53 pm
unsouthernbelle
I love this! When we were little,our hamster Harry got out in our apartment and we never did see him again. Later that week, we went to Macy’s to buy Harry 2. He almost escaped on the subway by chewing through the box and working on my fingers.We switched to turtles.Thanks for making us laugh.
June 21, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Anya
We were thinking of turtles too, but then we got the Pet-owner’s guide to aquatic turtles, and there the author mentions several times that this is a very high-maintenance pet. Since I already have two high-maintenance kids, a cat and Suzy the hamster, we decided to wait on the turtles 🙂
June 21, 2012 at 8:19 pm
unsouthernbelle
I totally understand. Ours were turtles from the circus. I think they were outlawed years ago because of nasty bacteria . Enjoy your high maintenance kids and pets. It all sounds fun and provides inspiration.
June 21, 2012 at 4:27 pm
selfbeside
I think she needs a friend
June 21, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Anya
You are probably right.
June 21, 2012 at 4:38 pm
iRuniBreathe
Suzy sounds frisky and full of adventure. Maybe you need a hamster psychologist to assess her needs. It’s nice she still is mostly a pet. Hamster bites are evil.
irunibreathe.wordpress.com
June 21, 2012 at 8:03 pm
Anya
I feel like I AM the hamster psychologist. But maybe I’m forcing my own needs on her…. and yes, hamster bites ARE evil. Thanks for stopping by!
June 21, 2012 at 5:29 pm
onceamonth4
We had hamsters when I was growing up and they would escape often! We also had cats so we rarely found them again. One time the hamster got out and we looked briefly, but wrote him off as lunch for the felines. Two days later when I was sitting in a chair in the corner of our family room, I heard a weird high-pitched noise behind me. There was the hamster! He was standing up on his back legs with his two front legs in the air (trying to make himself look bigger, I guess) growling at our cat! The cat just stared back in awe. He was a fiesty little fuzzball and lived to see another day.
June 21, 2012 at 8:09 pm
Anya
Hilarious story! In our case too I think the cat is befuddled by the hamster while the hamster is curious about the cat. So far there’s been no animosity between them…
June 21, 2012 at 6:56 pm
becomingcliche
We used bird cages for our rodents. It made them less susceptible to respiratory infections, and they couldn’t chew through the wire. We had one rat that was so bent on escaping, though, that we had to give her a room of her own. It was basically rat-proof, so she couldn’t wreck anything, but if you think giving a rat digs of her own when the kids had to share a room brought on a spot of resentment, you’d be right.
June 21, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Anya
I can only imagine 🙂 But oh the joy for the rat! Generations before it lived in small, confined placed and now this unprecedented freedom! It must have been exhilarating…(Albeit not for the children who had to share a room).
June 21, 2012 at 7:31 pm
broadsideblog
LOVE the photo of Suzy’s bum! I had a hamster named Pickles when I was 12. They are dear little creatures.
June 21, 2012 at 7:49 pm
engchick23
Suzy reminds me so much of myself! God blesses me with so much and still I’m frenzied with a want for something more or something different. When will I ever learn to relax and enjoy what I have?
Thanks so much for sharing. Suzy has taught me a little something. 🙂
June 21, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Anya
Suzy teaches me things all the time too. About contentment, perseverance and good sleeping habits 🙂
June 21, 2012 at 8:39 pm
engchick23
Definitely. 😉
June 21, 2012 at 8:02 pm
EzraWontShutUp
Hamsters are the bomb diggity. This is adorable.
June 21, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Anya
Yes, yes they are…
June 21, 2012 at 8:14 pm
Sarah
LOL… I used to have a hamster. 🙂 They really do like to chew…
June 22, 2012 at 1:59 am
a quiet person
What an adorable photo! I love her markings and her itty-bitty feet!
June 22, 2012 at 4:34 am
Jeremia Mwakanyamale
good girl and good survivor let connect throw this web
June 22, 2012 at 5:00 am
james
Ya. Hamsters are an evolutionary botch, walking chicken nuggets. Watered down version of the its distant cousin – the Capybara – they’re the size of small elephants, they romp in droves, teeth the size of oranges – take your arm off at the elbow like it was a wish bone.
June 22, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Anya
I wouldn’t mind having a tame capybara…I wonder if they make hamster balls for those…
June 22, 2012 at 5:17 am
Julie @ Outtakes on the Outskirts
I absolutely adore that photo! What a cute little hamster bottom. 🙂
June 22, 2012 at 5:56 am
Pedro Alvarez Fotografía
Son adorables…
June 22, 2012 at 6:17 am
jasminhunter
She sounds like a smart hamster! Great story.
June 22, 2012 at 8:54 am
dtiapril
how sweet!
http://dtiapril.wordpress.com/
June 22, 2012 at 9:48 am
Christian Bayer
I love hamsters sooo.
June 22, 2012 at 10:12 am
backpackerina
What an adventurous life Suzy has. I’m sure she appreciated new challenges, and all in all, she’s one happy hamster!
June 22, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Anya
I certainly hope so. She certainly would be is she knew about all of the attention she’s getting through this post 🙂
June 22, 2012 at 10:45 am
wildthing
Aww bless Suzy!
June 23, 2012 at 12:48 am
FlysAtNightWoman
Awwww! I think Suzy’s got the cutest lil’ hamster hi-nee! She also reminds me of the hamsters I had when I was little. I still miss them at times to this day. Thanks for writing this blog & Congrats on being Freshly Pressed! I was positively giddy with joy over being Freshly Pressed myself (I’m under your blog about Suzy) because that was the first blog I ever published that actually got noticed by anyone. But that’s given me encouragement & motivation to keep up the good work! Later! 🙂
June 24, 2012 at 9:41 pm
susielindau
Hamsters crack me up!
We had one that got out while we were away on vacation, somehow pulled the toilet paper off a roll and brought it back into the cage with her. She made a great nest! We had others that escaped all the time. Those plastic cages are the worst…
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
July 16, 2012 at 7:20 am
Anya
That’s the funniest thing – she escaped, but came back and made a nest in her own cage! I would gladly let mine roam free if I knew it would always return. Problem is, that’s really the exception to the rule…Thank you for stopping by!
July 16, 2012 at 10:09 am
susielindau
Believe me, it was the only hamster we ever had that did that!
June 24, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Alyssa
Some few years ago, my husband bought 2 hamster as a birthday present for me and I named them Pinkie and Brain. They are very playful and so lively until Brain died a few months later due to over-eating. A couple of days later, Pinkie passed away as well, it just that he became so sad without having a companion, he barely eats and all and play around his cage. It’s a sad and painful experience for me. Maybe your little Suzy just need a friend or a companion. She’s really adorable, take care of her. 🙂
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July 16, 2012 at 7:29 am
Anya
Wow, I can imagine how something like that would be very sad. I have been thinking about a companion for Suzy – it’s tricky because you don’t know ahead of time whether they’ll get along or not. Someone recommended getting a baby hamster – that way it’s not such a threat to the adult hamster. Thank you for sharing!
June 25, 2012 at 8:42 pm
martinwiegand47
Great stories! I like how both yours and Suzy’s perspectives. I had to laugh in college I wrote a paper on David Sidaris’ story “Nuit of the Living Dead” by retelling it from the mouses perspective….
July 16, 2012 at 7:32 am
Anya
I bet THAT was a fun paper to write! Thank you for stopping by!
June 29, 2012 at 1:19 pm
allisonrichter
I’m seeing Suzy like my toddler. If I didn’t put her in her crib at night, there’s no telling what she could accidentally get into and get hurt. She hates the crib, but she dosen’t know it’s what’s keeping her from electric sockets, falling off furniture, and having a bedtime routine. If only one day Suzy would outgrow her toddler I don’t want to be in the cage nights lol.
July 16, 2012 at 7:31 am
Anya
That’s part of taking care of someone smaller and less experienced than we are, I guess. We have to make the calls and “isolate” the toddler or hamster to keep them from hurting themselves. But we also have to be vigilant to make sure that the pet or child don’t get bored or lonely.
July 5, 2012 at 3:36 am
brownponytail
brilliantly written- reminds me of my hamster fleckie. she also used to try to escape all the time, even though we gave her an hour and a half of “free roaming” time every night in the play room where her cage was. i think it’s just something hamsters do.
July 16, 2012 at 7:31 am
Anya
Probably is 🙂 Maybe it adds meaning to their lives…
July 9, 2012 at 4:25 am
Tiara
what a lovely story. I am at a cafe watching the raindrops slide down against the glass windows and all I can do is smile after reading this post 🙂 What color and warmth pets add to our mundane lives….
July 16, 2012 at 7:27 am
Anya
Yes, pets are wonderful. They do add depth and a bit of happiness to our lives.
August 12, 2012 at 11:28 am
Tiara
To come home to a dog is the best feeling ever. They seem to know when you’re low or when you want to feel the love. It changes your life forever 🙂
August 22, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Anya
Haven’t tried with a dog yet 🙂 We DO have a cat, and it is wonderful having her with us. She is extremely affectionate, always enjoys being in your presence. It is very affirming 🙂
October 4, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Tiara
totally agree , any pet is pure joy !
July 9, 2012 at 10:14 pm
alittlecupofcoffee
Oh I love hamsters! I have a little black and white hamster, called Hamish. They are just so sweet.
July 16, 2012 at 7:23 am
Anya
They are indeed 🙂