Velkommen!

I wonder if anyone is coming to look at this site from Denmark, from the Ude og Hjemme article...

If so:

Jeg kan kun tale en lille smule dansk.

Det glæder mig at møde Dem!

Farvel!

Hola, Hamsters!

I spent this evening watching a movie (The Day After Tomorrow) and cleaning hamster cages, as well as playing with Thor, Cera, and Vanilla and Chocolate. I gave all the little guys a fresh spinach leaf, and they gobbled them up!

My emails from far away recently are: one from Indiana (from a cute boy, judging by his gmail picture!), one from Denmark, and one from Alaska! Boy are we famous!

Lastly, I found out that the story on the New York Hamster House aired on Friday on Telemundo. But I didn't even hear about it until after it aired, so I didn't get a chance to see it. Does anyone know how to get a copy of what aired on a certain channel (Telemundo) at a certain time (last Friday, from say 7 - 11am)? I'm calling on all of you to help me!

Thanks,
Jess

Hamster Invasion!

Wow, I got in like a billion new hamsters this past weekend. But I also adopted a bunch out, so the net change wasn't so great.

I got a family in of a mom and her three kids. At the moment, Mom and one kid each live alone, and two kids live together. You can read their stories on the NYHH website, but here are some pics:



Meet Cera, who only has three legs!


Meet the very cute Foxy Brown!


Meet Moo Cow!


Meet their Mom, Bunnicula!

And if that wasn't enough, I got TWO gerbils, too!


Meet Vanilla and Chocolate!

I've got some people coming by tomorrow to adopt, and maybe next week too. Things have been VERY busy here... so thanks for spreading the word, guys :)

*****

Oh, and here's a cute story: I gave Cera and Foxy Brown a cracker the other day, and the next morning I found both of them asleep under the cracker. So cute!

Sinead Lives!

Thanks to all of you who said such sweet things about Sinead.

But the good news is that when I took her to see Dr. Pilny, he found enough good indicators that she is still healthy and that it isn't her time yet. I'm going to need to watch her closely, as I'm worried that she is eating and drinking less and isn't using her wheel anymore. And she's lost about half of her hair. But, we're hoping that with hormones we can keep it all in check and that she'll get to live a little longer.

So, send good thoughts Sinead's way!

And in the meantime, here are the two new girls:


Rosemary


Betty

Time to go update the website, and petfinder!

The Good and the Bad

Well, I guess this is how it all happens when you run an animal shelter. Animals come in, homeless; animals are adopted out; and some animals die.

This week, I got in two new girls, and I will post pics of them this weekend, I promise. They are very young and very cute (syrians, medium brown and white coloring).

And I adopted out Baltasar to a happy home.

AND, tomorrow, I will need to put Sinead down (the appointment is at noon). She is the sister of Whale, who got cancer in Jaunary and had to be put down. Sinead's tumors are bad enough at this point that I need to take this step--they are inhibiting her from walking normally, and she isn't eating or drinking much at all. I learned when Whale had her breast cancer that, while it is operable, it costs $400 and isn't guaranteed at all that it will remove all the cancer NOR that the animal will survive the surgery.

I've had Sinead ever since last July, when I came back from a trip to Ireland with my friend Tara. She has lived a great life here at the New York Hamster House, with her two sisters Sinead and Killer. And now, she is sick, and her quality of life is down. It's time for her to go and play with Whale again. I will miss her, but I also don't want to selfishly extend her life to make me feel better. She is in pain, and it is her time.

If you want to see more pictures of Sinead, go here: she happens to be the Hamster of the Month right now at the New York Hamster House.

Status Quo

Things are holding pretty steady at the NYHH. I've got some new guys coming in soon, supposedly... and some people have said they want to adopt, but haven't yet.

There's just not so much to report--which is probably good :)

Keep checking the site, though, and the blog. If all goes as planned, I should be getting between three and four new syrian hamsters this weekend, and there will be pics on the way.

**********
At Petco on Tuesday, I met a really cool mom and her beautiful son (who happens to be devlopmentally disabled). He was entranced by the hamsters, and seemed to really connect to them in a meaningful, positive way. It got me to thinking... someday, I would like to see if I can hook up with a therpist or hospital to use the hamsters at the NYHH with autistic/disabled/abused children.

I mean, there are so many children who could really benefit from having a chance to explore and play and cuddle with animals. And some of the hamsters are so tame and cuddly and sweet, and I've got the hamster playground and I'm good with kids....

This would all be dependent on becoming a non-profit, I think. I mean, otherwise it's just some crazy adult wanting to lure kids into some apartment. But... it's something that excites me and makes me feel like I could do even more with this part of my life than I had thought.

Anyway, stay in touch!

More News on Wilhelm

Kaiser Wilhelm was buried yesterday in a private ceremony in Pennsylvania, in the backyard of the NYHH's founder's mom's house, in the middle of her garden. As the aforementioned Mom suggested, we will keep the location secret so that people don't make pilgrimages and trample her flowers.

I was really happy that Wilhelm was thoughtfully and lovingly buried in a place where he can be among flowers and be remembered. Living in an apartment in NYC doesn't really lend itself to such memorials, so I was glad my mom stepped in to help out.

I updated the Wilhelm page on the NYHH site--it now includes incredibly sweet words about Wilhelm from friends, as well as a collection of pictures of my little guy.

The positive things I'm taking from all of this sadness is that I want to work harder to help more animals through the New York Hamster House. I'm sending in my paperwork tomorrow to officially petition for incorporation in NYS--step one of becoming an official not-for-profit. Wish us luck!

Oh, and on behalf of us all at the New York Hamster House, Happy Independence Day!