The NY Hamster House

Happy Hamster Halloween!

2008-10-30T15:30:00.004-04:00

All of the hamsters at the Hamster House send spooky Halloween greetings to our supporters and friends out there! I assume you are all dressing up as hamsters tomorrow night?

Here's one recently adopted hamster who is already in costume for you all to enjoy:

Don't you love Ky's Cheerleading Hamster? So cute!!!

Artistic Hamster!

2008-10-01T12:25:00.003-04:00

A hamster that I got through Claudie, the Hamster Whisperer, was just adopted by the cutest, most artistic couple! I am so excited for this hamster's artsy, wonderful new home!

Here's a photo they sent me of the little guy. It reminds me of something that would be in Vogue (except for the hamster part), and I'd say "argh, you can hardly see the stupid dress that they are advertising!" I realize this sounds like a complaint, but what I am trying to say is that this photo is very glamorous and stylized, and I love it.

Here's mom's website, and here's dad's website. Clearly, this hamster will learn how to sew, draw, paint, and be awesome. And I'll be able to say I knew him when!

AWwwwwww :)

Update from Hamplosion and Hamdoption

2008-09-30T11:28:00.002-04:00

Somehow, magically, you have all helped me adopt out most of the babies from last month's hamplosion. I am down to a reasonable amount, and can actually walk around my living room again without tripping on hambabies!

Though only about 5 animals were adopted out on Wilhelm Day, since then I have adopted out nearly 20 more, including not only the babies but also new ones who have come in.

Three ornery hamsters were sent for hamster boot-camp in Westchester with Claudie the Hamster Whisperer, and in exchange I took in three hamsters from her who have since been adopted out. Right now, I have about 12-18 animals at home, including hamsters and gerbils.

My home computer is currently dead, so I'm unable to update the website (if anyone has a Mac, it's showing a blank grey screen with a blinking face and folder with a question mark), but as soon as I get it back from Tekserve I will update with new photos of the current residents of the New York Hamster House.

Until then, go out and buy some Cute Overload calendars, featuring Sinead, Killer, and Whale. So cute! (see previous post for details)

I'm a Calendar Girl!!!!

2008-09-02T23:13:00.004-04:00

Cute Overload has a 2009 calendar out, and guess who is featured on Monday, August 17th?

None other than Whale, Killer, and Sinead, from their infamous "nude remote control" session... photographed by yours truly, of course! Take a gander:

I love that while I had no control over what the caption said, it has the little munchkins arguing over three shows that I actually watch :) At least they weren't flipping back and forth between Fox News and some reality show.... That's right, the New York Hamster House residents are a classy bunch!

You should probably buy some of these calendars, if you are the calendar type. They are available, like, everywhere... buy.com, amazon.com, calendars.com, etc., and they really are ridiculously cute. So cute, I already ate January, just so I could stop staring at how cute it was. Ouch.

Or better yet, buy a bunch of calendars, and then send a donation to the Hamster House when you see what great advice I gave you! Ta-dum!

Ok, now to bed.

Love,

Jess

HAMDOPTION 2008 / Wilhelm Day!

2008-08-28T20:51:00.004-04:00

It's time for the third annual Wilhelm Day, named after the hamster who inspired me to found the New York Hamster House over THREE years ago! In those three years, we've adopted out over FIVE HUNDRED hamsters (and assorted other cuties), finding them safe and happy forever homes.

HAMDOPTION 2008 is taking place on Sunday, September 7th, from noon to 4pm. The goal is to adopt out as many hamsters as possible into homes with loving families. If you are looking to adopt a hamster, please stop by that day! And if you know friends, family, or neighbors who are looking for a pet that is easy to care for and fun to play with, please tell them to come to HAMDOPTION 2008 / Wilhelm Day!

I will have between 20-30 baby syrian hamsters (brown, white, cream, peach, and banded) ready for adoption that day, along with some dwarf hamsters and gerbils. Right now, the hamster house is FULL, which means that the more hamsters I adopt out, the more I can continue to take in and find homes for.

When: Sunday, September 7th, from noon to 4pm

Where: New York Hamster House, located in Inwood (upper Manhattan)

How: A train to 190th, 1 train to Dyckman, or easily by car or cab

Why: To adopt the awesomest, cutest hamster ever!

If you'd like to come the Wilhelm Day, please let me know and I will be happy to email you directions. If you want to come but aren't looking to adopt, no worries--you can come by and help clean cages, or organize supplies. And if you can't come during those times but want to adopt, email me (hamsters@thejessicawells.com) and let me know.

Please, spread the word about this adoption day! Come on down and get yourself a hamster!

Bowls of Babies!

2008-08-26T16:52:00.007-04:00

Life is intruding on my web-update time, so I'm taking the lazy route and instead posting up the pics of the new babies on the blog. Don't hate me!

Anyway, here are the new babies. They will be ready for adoption SOON--early September. Two more posts to come this week will include 1) other adoptable hamsters and gerbils and 2) information about the upcoming HAMDOPTION 2008, aka Wilhelm Day, to be held at the Hamster House on September 7th. Mark your calendars!

Anyway, without further ado, the babies:

The 9 babies from litter #1 (born ~August 6th).

The 8 babies from litter #2 (born ~August 10th):

The 5 babies from litter #3 (born ~August 12th):
(note their size relative to the clothes pin on the blanket!)

Get ready for Hamdoption 2008 / Wilhelm Day, because as you can see there is enough cute to go around!!!!

Oh Baby!

2008-08-12T16:00:00.003-04:00

About two weeks ago, I took in seven young syrian hamsters from a man who had rescued them in the Bronx. They had been abandoned outside the Bronx Zoo--as many animals are, which makes no sense because the zoo doesn't take them in or anything. However, this guy actually does quite often take in the animals he finds left out in the cold or heat.

Anyway. So this guy finds seven hamsters wandering around--no cage, no water, no food, no shelter, on a really insanely hot NYC day. He took them in, and separated them by gender, hoping that none were pregnant. He then brought them down to the Hamster House, and I took them all in.

Then I had a whirlwind two weeks, during which I had new windows installed, my boyfriend moved in, and I went on a week-long vacation to San Francisco. My wonderful neighbor J watched the hamsters while I was gone and did a great job, giving them water and food and making sure that no one escaped.

However, when I came home and went to clean the cages... I found not ONE, not TWO, but THREE brand-new litters of babies. THREE LITTERS OF TEN BABIES EACH. In case you haven't learned multiplication yet, that means I now have thirty babies to deal with. I took pictures of two of the litters, but by the third litter I just wanted to cry.

Litter One (born ~August 6th)

Litter Two (born ~August 10th)

Needless to say, they are not yet ready for adoption. I'm guessing that they will be weaned off mama by the end of this month, at which time I will separate them by sex. They can then stay that way until they start fighting, which could be one week later or could be a month later. At that time, they will each need their own cage, wheel, food and water. THIRTY hamster setups. It's not that I don't have extra cages--I do have some. But.... I can't afford, in time, money, or space, to have that many hamsters.

I thereby announce a HUGE HAMSTER ADOPTION PARTY to be held in late August or early September. I'll post more details as I have them, but MAN, will I need your guys' help to promote this and to get people to come and adopt!

Wish me luck :)

Happy Birthday Sergei Spiderpig!

2008-07-06T16:06:00.003-04:00

Here's a birthday video from Sergei, who was adopted last year from the Hamster House and is now living large on sprouts with Audrey :)

Also, for those of you who have been looking for new hamsters at the Hamster House, I *finally* saved up enough money to buy a new camera (my old one totally died), so now I can update the website with all the new cuties to be adopted! So.... take a look!

Hamster Extinction in France???

2008-06-10T18:38:00.004-04:00

Katie, a friend of the Hamster House, pointed out this interesting article about how a specific kind of hamster (black-bellied hamsters) is going extinct in France, thanks to the habitat loss and modern farming methods. I hope that France can get its act together to save this little guy, but it doesn't sound likely.... sad!

Introducing.... Mr. Winkle!

2008-02-29T16:42:00.005-05:00

Now, y'all know that I haven't ever had a hamster at the Hamster House named Mr. Winkle. I have had hamsters named Wilhelm and Spiderpig and Tofurkey and Clark Gable. But not Mr. Winkle.

Until now! A hamster whom I had named Margaret was adopted and renamed Mr. Winkle, and as you can see from the photos below, Mr. Winkle is LIVIN LARGE. Mr. Winkle changes his house around, and has a giant play pen, and is a super genius who figured out to escape from his cage!

The SUPER AMAZING fancy condo apartment of Mr. Winkle!

Don't you wish you had this playground?

Ines and Mr. Winkle, cutest couple ever!

So, maybe within a week, I will update the Hamster House website and will post pictures of adoptable hamsters again, what do you think? The epic battle between me and the internet shall soon come to a close! Happy weekend, Mr. Winkle!

Boo!

2008-02-27T16:40:00.003-05:00

I got in this radical looking hamster, whom I named Boo, a couple of months ago. Boo was a bit older, and between that and his melange of black, brown and grey fluffy hair, he wasn't having a lot of luck in the "getting adopted" department.

Until, that is, Goldie (a neighbor in upper Manhattan) walked into the Hamster House. Goldie and Boo fell in love at first sight. Similar hair, similar kick-butt personalities... it was meant to be!

And now Boo is saying hello to us all from his brand new home, where he is as happy as a clam. Or, you know what? He's as happy as a HAMSTER! Take that, clams!

The verdict? Carrots = yes. Grapes? Not so much :)

Thanks for checking in, dear Boo! We miss you!

From Balthasar to Deuce....

2008-02-19T18:15:00.004-05:00

There once was a hamster named Balthasar.
He lived in the house where the hamsters are.
He found a new home
And now he does roam
In the house with Patricia and Spencer are.

Ok, ok, I realize the rhyme scheme is off, but... come on. This one was hard!

Anyway, so Balthazar was adopted last year by a super sweet couple who renamed him "Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo." And as you can see from the photo below, he is QUITE the looker! I hear he's in the running for most Handsome Hamster at the Oscars this weekend :)

Glad to hear you are doing well, Deuce, and thanks for sending the Hamster House a present of carefresh... you're the best!

January Never Happened, ok?

2008-02-19T18:04:00.003-05:00

Clearly, since there are no posts on this blog from January, that meant that January never happened....

Mea culpa! I'm sorry! I promise to be a better blogger.

I've had a very annoying two months of internet troubles here at the Hamster House, which I vow to have fixed in the next month. But, it's been keeping me from updating the blog, AND from updating any of the photos of available hamsters on the NYHH site.

If you are looking to adopt, I have about 25 animals (syrians, dwarfs, and gerbils) available, and I hope to get pictures of them up, somewhere, soon. Email me for details!

Coming up... two posts with very cute photos of happily adopted hammies!

Autumn Golden!

2007-12-29T14:27:00.001-05:00

Autumn Golden, the hamster formerly known as "Golden Lady" (she was one of the Stevie Wonder bunch) is totally enjoying her new life with Michael, the awesomely smart and cool kid who adopted her. As you can see in the photos below, she is being well taken care of and is really enjoying her new, spoiled life!

What do you think... is she 1) cute or 2) Super Cute!??!?!?!

(The answer is "Super Cute!")

Happy Holidays from "The Fam!"

2007-12-20T14:35:00.000-05:00

Updates from the hamster family formerly known as "The Fam," which was recently adopted by Colin and his girlfriend (sorry, I don't know her name!)....

The Mother has been renamed Macha, which means green tea in Japanese. One of the daughters--the chill, sweet one--was named Clover, and the spastic daughter was named Kitty.

Below, you can see Macha, Clover, and Kitty starring in their very first holiday card, courtesy of Colin, a darn good photographer! Note the homemade Christmas tree and menorah! (very cute!)

This may win for cutest photo shoot in recent memory... what do you guys think?

Happy Holidays!

Beatrix the Great!

2007-12-18T13:26:00.000-05:00

I got word earlier this week that a former resident of the New York Hamster House, Beatrix, was chosen as Pet of the Week on Channel 12 News NJ! Beatrix will enjoy her fame this coming weekend, December 22nd & 23rd! If you live in the area and have access to Channel 12 NJ, be sure to check out this NYHH alumna and cheer her on :)

Beatrix was adopted about a year and a half ago by a very caring and patient woman named Ronni. Beatrix was incredibly sweet, but VERY shy, and with Ronni's patience and kindness, she slowly came out of her shell. However, Ronni has had to deal with a major health problem for Beatrix, who has to go the vet every 2-3 weeks due to a dental condition. Ronni feeds her organic baby food and other soft food that she can manage, and in general takes AMAZING care of her. And now they are getting a moment in the spotlight!

Congratulations to Ronni and Beatrix!

Anyone else out there have any NYHH adoption stories to share? Let me know!

UPDATE on Eurohamster Insanity

2007-11-14T17:47:00.000-05:00

As per my new friend in the Netherlands, Sander, it turns out that there is not just ONE European hamster-mascotted grocery store, but a whole CHAIN of them. Apparently, they are called Albert Hein, and there are about 700 stores with grinning, crazy hamster signs.

Some weeks of the year, they have "Hamster Weken" (hamster weeks), wherein prices are dropped and they have special deals.

Lucky for you all, I found some Hamster Weken commercials online on youtube. They are BRILLIANT. Check it out, especially at the beginning when the hamster runs in the globe logo. Man, they know how to do things correctly in the Netherlands!

Now I really, really need to go to the Netherlands... who wants to come with me?!!?!?

Wodent Wheel No More

2007-11-14T17:40:00.000-05:00

Dear Jessica,

In the future, please refrain from giving nice, fancy Wodent Wheels to gerbils. Doing that is colossally stupid, see, because gerbils love to eat and chew and chew and munch and eat and bite and nibble. And now Ice Tea has completely destroyed his Wodent Wheel.
Now you will have to buy a new one, and it will have to be made of kryptonite to that poor little Ice Tea won't eat it.

Love,
New York Hamster House

Happy Hamster Birthday to ME!

2007-11-09T13:22:00.000-05:00

This doesn't really qualify as hamster news, but oh well... today I am thirty!

Thirty, with (I think) thirteen hamsters and gerbils. Maybe 15.

That is much better than last year, when I was 29 with 40 hamsters.

And now, for no reason other than it's my birthday and I can do WHATEVER I want.... here's a super cute pic of Cale Hoeflicker :)

Happy birthday to hamsters, and happy birthday to me!

Eurohamster Insanity

2007-10-25T23:27:00.000-04:00

A friend of the Hamster House, Katie from Seattle, recently sent word that a grocery store in Amsterdam has a crazy eurohamster mascot. See?

Here's Katie's own photograph from the store she visited:

Two things: 1) Why aren't there any stores in the US that have acrobatic, tooth-baring hamsters as their mascots? 2) Oh, I see. Because it is scary. Who knew?

NYHH loves Inwoodite!

2007-10-24T18:03:00.000-04:00

I've been reading Inwoodite (a blog about Inwood, the neighborhood where the NYHH is located in upper Manhattan) for about six months, since it launched. And today, guess who they mention???

That's right, New York Hamster House!

See, it all started when I got an email from Beth, a student at Columbia's Journalism School. She wanted some info about Inwood, and I was happy to share with her what I knew. She obviously did a lot of other research and ended up writing a wonderful piece about Inwood--the history, demographics, highlights and issues. You can find it here. In fact, she's done a bunch of reporting on Inwood, which can all be found here. At any rate, Inwoodite linked to Beth's blog, and the rest is history :)

Thanks, Inwoodite and Beth, for the links and publicity!

Thank You, Lenny Briscoe!

2007-10-22T17:52:00.000-04:00

One year ago today, a guy named Joe came to my apartment to adopt a hamster named Lenny Bricsoe. It started as a hamster adoption, and ended as a date! And a year later, we are still together... and very happy.

So, thank you, Lenny, for bringing us together! Tonigh, you get EXTRA hamster snacks.....

Time Out New York, Hamster Style!

2007-09-27T23:51:00.001-04:00

Oh my god, in this week's issue of Time Out New York--The Animal Issue--there's a story about the New York Hamster House. And photos! Of my beautiful living room!

Can you tell I am SO excited?!!?!?

Oh, I am so happy. The magazine is full of issues that are really important to me... there's a page about adopting animals (which sadly does not mention the New York Hamster House!), a vegetarian dining section, and tons of other animal-centric articles. So cool!

What do you guys think?

Click on the photo above to see a larger view, or click here to see the photos and article on the Time Out New York website!

Yawning, Sneezing Gloria

2007-09-02T15:02:00.000-04:00

While I was cleaning some hamster cages earlier today, I was lucky enough to catch this little monster yawning and then sneezing with my camera! She is named Gloria after my very good friend, who also probably yawns and sneezes. Occasionally.

Hamster yawns are intense. It looks like she detached her jaw... and is trying to eat me!

Oh well, at least hamster sneezes are super cute :)

I think Gloria's got a cold, which is why she's sneezing, but don't worry. I will make sure to take extra good care of this little gal. In the meantime, enjoy the yawning!

"The Cute Show" Hamster House episode airs!

2007-08-20T16:26:00.000-04:00

The New York Hamster House is featured in the current episode of "The Cute Show," which you can watch online!

Ignore the unfortunate hair-stylings of ME, and instead concentrate on the ridiculously cute hamsters! Watch as they climb, eat, nibble, chew, chew, eat, bite, nibble, and run.

Here's the SHOW.

And here's "The Cute Show" BLOG, with some background on the show and episode.

It was totally a pleasure to work with Amy from "The Cute Show," and her adorable camera man (I forget his name, but he totally rocked, too!). You guys should really watch some of the back episodes, too... they have ones on Whole Foods' cupcakes, kittens, and hedgehogs. You can also sign up to watch future episodes, too.

Hooray for "The Cute Show," and hooray for my hamsters for putting on a very cute show :)

Ham-burger, anyone?

2007-08-06T18:29:00.000-04:00

Just because the New York Hamster House is vegetarian doesn't mean we don't like ham-burgers!

Susan, who has adopted MANY hamsters from the NYHH, sent me this awesome photo a couple of weeks ago. I may have to borrow this idea for the Hamster House holiday card... Too cute!

So Graceful!

2007-08-02T17:51:00.000-04:00

Remember Grace, the super awesome angel for the New York Hamster House who periodically sends generous donations of money and snacks and things for the little guys. She really is the best :)

Anyway, she recently sent two gifts--a lovely donation, as well as the fabulous gifts below... three wonderful photos of her hamsters, two of whom she adopted from the New York Hamster House!

Feast upon the cuteness....

BB & Gorilla laze on the wheel, while Meatball investigates

more ridiculous snorgling on the wheel

we think this is Miss 'Rilla in the log

Whee!

PS I swear I am going to update the website this weekend :)

Mr. Hamster Goes to Washington

2007-07-24T17:36:00.000-04:00

I got an email a couple of weeks back from a lovely lady named Kathleen. It seems she was walking along near her home in DC and saw "a weird tiny creature ambling around on the street near the storm drain." Just as when I first found Wilhelm, Kathleen thought that the animal was a rat. But she picked him up (oh, we are kindred spirits!) and took him home. In later days, she surmised that a litter of hamster babies was dumped on the street, and she had rescued one of them. She named the little guy (who was soaking and cold when she found him) Tater Tot... and loved and cared for him so that now, as Kathleen reports, he is "thriving and very furry, active, and curious!"

Here's a picture of Tater the morning after Kathleen rescued him:

Here's a photo of Tater figuring out what snacks are :)

And here's Tater 10 days later.. very cute and happy!

In addition to rescuing this poor little guy from the mean streets of DC (well, mean to a hamster), Kathleen also made a donation to the New York Hamster House!

Kathleen, I hereby officially declare you the NYHH Rescuer of the Month :) Put that on your resume!

Happy Adoption Photos!

2007-06-26T17:16:00.000-04:00

Do you know what I love? Posting adorable photos from people who have adopted hamsters from the New York Hamster House.

SEE?

Here's the new family who adopted Wally. Can you see how, surrounded by all this cuteness, he is in heaven?

Wally with his new mommy #1

Wally with mommy #2

Here are Cale and Ann, who were both adopted by an awesome lady from Brooklyn named Laura:

Cale Hoeflicker, who is not super healthy but who is VERY loved and happy

Lastly, Ann Richards, who continues to ROCK:)

Come on, adopters! Send in your photos. And if you already did and I forgot to post them, well... remind me! The hamsters are not so helpful with the remembering....

Two ADORABLE Pics...

2007-06-09T23:36:00.001-04:00

This first photo is probably six months old. I had to photoshop it and tweak it and make the colors all funny so that you could see what is happening.

A HAMSTER YAWN. I mean, come on. Who actually gets a photo of a hamster yawning?

Me, that's who:

This second one is my dear friend John, feeding some hummous to a little monster. Notice the teeny tiny pink tongue!

The cute is too much, and now I shall go and take a nap. Yawn!

Holy Hamster Implosion, Batman!

2007-06-01T13:27:00.000-04:00

Apparently the way the New York Hamster House commemorates the Memorial Day holidays is by taking in about twenty new hamsters.

Two days ago, I would have said "twenty-one hamsters."

However, when I fed everyone last night, I found four new squirmy pink babies, meaning one of the hammies I took in was pregnant at the time and gave birth yesterday. So, I *think* I have twenty-five, but who knows. Maybe there will be more! (no, no, no!)

Anyway, I'm going to update the site tonight, but I wanted to give you all a sneak preview of the cute parade to come!

This is Terence, who lives with his cousin, Philip (see below).

This is Philip. He is a running machine!

This is Mercator, Latitide, and Longitude (mama and two babies).

This is the Sound of Music family--Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti and Deer :)

Here you can see four of the South Park gang (there are five total).

Anyway, the main site will be updated tonight will ALL the new hamsters, stories, etc. I think I have about forty-five now, so I need to start adopting these munchkins out and finding them forever homes. Help spread the word, please!

Irasshaimase!

2007-05-23T14:09:00.000-04:00

The New York Hamster House is even more famous now :)

First, we wowed the US (New York Times, Wall Street Journal). Then, the Netherlands (Ude Og Hjemme). Then, through Telemundo, the entire Spanish-speaking world!

And now I am happy to announce that the New York Hamster House is *adorably* featured in this month's issue of Casa Brutus, Japan's most widely-read architecture and design magazine. We are featured in their life/pet section. See?

I have very fond memories of Japan. I spent around a month there in the spring of 2002, visiting my friend Meghan (Megu-San), who was teaching English there as part of the JET program. Meghan showed me around Kanazawa, where she taught, and also took me to Tokyo and Hiroshima, among other places. I had an AWESOME time. And I learned to count to ten in Japanese. Ichi ni san chi go roku nana hachi ku ju! (I apologize in advance for the awful spelling)
I also fell in love with Afro-Ken and Miffy in Japan. So cute!

Anyway, thanks to dgi for the promotion... and for helping me and the hamsters (and gerbils) of the New York Hamster House spread the word about pet adoption and shelters.

Lastly, welcome to any Japanese readers who made their way to this site! Dozu yoroshiku onegai shimasu!

PS Yes, that is me down there in the "Mother's Data" section. Thank you, Gion, for taking such a totally cute picture of me :)

Claudie, the Hamster Whisperer

2007-05-10T16:21:00.000-04:00

I think I've mentioned Claudie, the Hamster Whisperer, before... she takes unruly, biting hamsters and does magical things to them and they end up being sweet little monkeys who love to be held. She seriously has amazing patience and kindness for these little guys.

Well, anyway, here's a stealth picture of Claudie with Strawberry. Strawberry was a somewhat unfriendly hamster who went upstate to live with Claudie, and has now blossomed into a sweet, lovable munchkin who is ready for love :)

Hooray for happy endings!

And hooray for Claudie!

Seriously?

2007-05-07T23:11:00.000-04:00

FOUR hamsters running in a wheel at the same time?

Dude.

Ahh, isn't the Fam so cute?!!?

Beth's Hammies

2007-05-03T14:57:00.000-04:00

Beth adopted two hamsters--Pancho and Benjamin (formerly known as Lyndon)--from the NYHH awhile back, and has just sent me some super cute pics of the two of them. Without further ado...

Mr. Cute (aka Benjamin)

Super Pancho (above and below)

I really do love hearing back from people who have adopted hamsters (and mice and gerbils) from the New York Hamster House... so, send pictures, all you adopters out there! Or adorable stories. Hamster news, in other words. Gimme gimme gimme!

And, please check out the sad, but triumphant story of WALLY, our newest NYHH resident. He's healing and is nearly ready for adoption, folks!

Grace Strikes Again!

2007-04-28T10:18:00.000-04:00

Remember Grace, the adopter of Gorilla and Butterbean? Well, she made it on to Cute Overload yet again (scroll all the way down) with a picture of her older hamster, Meatball, and new guy Butterbean spooning in their wheel.

Spooning.

Brace yourselves, people. It's THAT cute....

wait for it...

wait for it...

wait for it...

Ack! Must go sleep this off :)

New Hamsters!

2007-04-24T01:41:00.000-04:00

I don't have time tonight to update the website, but here are pics of the new hammies and gerbils currently up for adoption:

Howard and Dean

Dean

Howard and Dean are two male gerbils, AMAZING temperments. So sweet, easy to handle, and they get along perfectly. They actually like being held, and eat out of my hand. These two should be adopted together.

The Little Women

The Little Women consist of a mama, Marmee, and three daughters, Jo, Meg, and Amy. If you've read the book, you know why I'm not naming one after Beth... :( These four monsters EAT hummous off of my fingers, people. It is kind of the cutest thing EVER. They need to be adopted as a group.

Sweet and Pea

Sweet and Pea Again

Sweet and Pea are two brother hamsters who were tamed by Claudie, the Hamster Whisperer. I cannot explain how tame these guys are. They do not bite, they love to be held, they don't squirm, and they are ridiculously soft. They also do the hummous off the fingers thing, eek! They come as a pair.

Grace-ful Hamsters

2007-04-19T18:04:00.000-04:00

For a while, I had a mystery supporter named Grace. How she heard about the Hamster House, I do not know. All I know is she would send donations, and gifts, for the hamsters periodically, and she was so sweet and generous, and they would jump around when a package would come and say "Auntie Grace, Auntie Grace!" Well, ok, I did that. But still :)

I finally got to meet Grace the other day--and of course, she was as adorable and personable as I'd expected. She ended up adopting two baby boy hamsters (part of the eleven I got a couple of weeks ago), and named them Gorilla and BB. Now, Grace is a hamster pro. She was able to successfully introduce her hamster, Meatball (who has been on Cute Overload more than once!) to the two babies. I always tell people not to do this--in general, it is a bad idea. Unless you are Grace, just keep the hammies separate, ok? But because Grace is Grace, it worked wonderfully and now the whole ham-fam is happy together.

Wanna see?

BB and Gorilla

Meatball, aka Jabba the Hamster

And last but not least, a video of the monsters. So cute!

If the New York Hamster House had a bumper sticker (or for that matter, a car), it would say "NYHH loves Grace!"

Mr. Tree

2007-04-13T23:31:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics of Mr. Joshua Tree hamster, sent in by his loving new mommy:

Joshua pigging out in his new home.

Joshua in a tube top, haha!

Oh, this is WAY too much fun. Everyone else who has adopted from me should totally send in pics of their little munckins. I will post them here in a jiffy, but only if they are cute. Which they all will be. The End :)

Two Things

2007-04-10T17:55:00.000-04:00

Thing One: I've updated the NYHH website. New pics are now up of all of the bite-sized hamster nuggets who have invaded my apartment. Note: They are super, duper cute.

Thing Two: I've been getting a ton of cute pics and emails from adopters of NYHH animals lately. I think I shall share some of them with you over the next couple days.

Here are some easter shots of the hamsters formerly known as Sugar, Booger, Lucy, and Snow White. They are now known as Eenie, Meanie, Meinie, and Moe :)

Here is the former Miss Sugar:

And here are the other monsters:

I've also got some shots of Joshua Tree in his new home, but I think I'll save them for tomorrow :)

Hamster Math, Part Eleven

2007-04-05T15:54:00.000-04:00

Adopt OUT four hamsters and two mice.
Take IN eleven new hamsters.

Whaddaya get?

SERIOUS AMOUNTS OF CUTE! 3.14159 pounds of cute, in fact. Pi plus the radius of negative TWELVE terrabytes of cute. Four score and seven YEARS of cute. I mean, hi. I am a math teacher, people. The Riemann Hypothesis could not begin to account for the cuteness that is currently in my living room, nibbling, running, and pooping.

It was so great to adopt Sugar, Booger, Lucy and Snow White out to a family that could handle all four of them and whom I knew would care for them.

And I was so happy to finally have someone adopt Tia and Mia, my two sweet mice.

But wow. Just check out the pictures below. ELEVEN new hamsters. As in, ten plus one. Three adults each living alone; two mamas living with two babies; and four babies living alone.

I'll put their pics and info up on the main NYHH site early next week, but for nowI will just share with you the utter cuteitude that comes with eleven dwarf hamsters.

Buttons are not NEARLY this cute...

Mama One with Mama Two

Mamas and Babies (note the fuzz!)

The Four Babies

Three babies because 4 is too much cute to handle!

So as you can see, I have my hands full with ridiculous amounts of cute, fuzz, and munchkifer. And with four gerbils and a bunch of syrian babies on the way for NEXT weekend, well.... let's just say that it's a great time to make a donation to help feed all these nibblers... or just come on by and adopt one!

Happy, snowing spring!

Home at the Hamster House

2007-03-06T19:12:00.000-05:00

I'm back, guys! Though the trip to Vegas (and Joshua Tree, and the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Walnut Creek and Sunset Canyon National Parks, and the Hoover Dam) was wonderful and relaxing, I'm sad to report that I did not win a million dollars in Vegas which would have allowed me to quit my job and take care of the hamsters full time. Oh well...

Miss Ashley took VERY good care of the munchkins while I was gone... and here's the proof!

I came home see the adorable Lenny Briscoe, Tia and Mia, Sugar, Booger, Lucy and Snow White, Marilyn, Phil, and Elizabeth... all happy as can be, and making an ungodly racket running in their wheels. Ahh, it's good to be home at the loud, crowded Hamster House :)

This weekend, I may be getting a group of Black Bear syrians from upstate (from Claudie's Westchester Hamster McMansions) and maybe even some syrians from the Indianapolis Humane Society... if so, I'm going to have a lot of adoptions to set up very soon. Wish me and the hamsters good luck :)

Hamcation

2007-02-23T12:25:00.000-05:00

The Inwood Hamster Lady is off on a trip to... um... a hamster convention. Yeah! It's the International Hamster Convention Center and Casino.... um....

Ok, the truth is that I'm heading out to Vegas with my boyfriend (who adopted former New York Hamster House resident Lenny Briscoe, pictured above). In my absence, Guinea Pig Mama Extraordinaire Ashmaloo will be caring for the residents and making sure that they keep curfew and take their vitamins. Everyone say "Thank you, Ashmaloo!"

When I get back, I fully expect a deluge of hamsters. What do you guys think?

I'm just sayin.

2007-02-20T16:25:00.000-05:00

I'm definitely not saying that I need more hamsters. I mean, the last time I complained about not having enough hamsters, I got in over FORTY hamsters in the span of two weeks. And I do not want that to happen again. No, no, no.

However, when friends were over on Saturday, they kept asking... "where are all the hamsters?" I have nine, sort of... except that two are mice and they live together, and four are a family and live together. So, in terms of cages, I have only five. And only four are hamsters. So, do you see how I am weirded out? As my friend John said, I am experiencing "a dearth of hamsters."

So, hamster-gods, I'm not asking for 40 more. Really and truly. But, if you were to send say ten or so along, that would be ok. Actually, I have five young syrians scheduled to come in early-mid March, and I think it will be really easy to find them loving homes. So all I am saying is that if I got in five or ten others, that would be ok. A few at a time. Maybe even 20. But not until March, ok? A little vacation is ok :)

Tippy Cute Overload!

2007-02-08T23:51:00.001-05:00

We feel SO warm and cuddly and loved over here at the New York Hamster House! Cute Overload has once again posted one of our ham-shots... this one of Killer, Whale, and Sinead as they frolic near (ie, strategically plot against) my remote control. And once again, as a result of the publicity the NYHH has received tons of sweet fan mail, two generous donations through paypal, and even an adoption request! Thank you, Cute Overload! Or as Sinead would have said, "Ssssh! I'm eating "mute!"

I'm glad that the three cutest sisters ever (no offense, Chekov Sisters) were recognized by the site most likely to make me projectile vomit from cute :)

Tippy Cute Overload!

2007-02-08T23:51:00.000-05:00

Gingerbread the Great

2007-02-05T21:23:00.000-05:00

The New York Hamster House got to meet Gingerbread through Vicki and Katy, who loved her but who weren't able to take care of her. It was the early days of the NYHH, so we offered to keep her for them but not adopt her out (something we couldn't do later on as the volume of hamsters and adoptions increased dramatically). But for the past year and a half, the NYHH had the pleasure of taking care of Ms. Gingerbread, the sweetest, adorablest, FATTEST hamster ever. Ginger was not only huge, she was bigger than some Guinea Pigs. Heck, she was known to win arm-wrestling contests with small panda bears. Gingerbread was awesome.

But, she was well over two years old, perhaps even nearing three. She was old, losing her hair, going grey, and moving slowly, lumbering like a big brown bear. I made sure to take pictures of Gingerbread for my NYHH card this past Christmas, because I wasn't sure she'd be around in a year's time. She was very, very old. This past weekend, Gingerbread passed away in her sleep of old age. I will miss her very much, and I am sure Vicki and Katy will too. They were very good to her, and brought her snacks and presents throughout her time here. Gingerbread was a VERY loved hamster. Gingerbread always made me think of a line used to describe a fellow cute chubster (Winnie the Pooh). "Tubby little chubby all stuffed with fluff... willy-nilly sill old Bear!"

PS Here's a loving Ginger collage put together by Jody tonight:

NYHH dot what?

2007-02-01T15:49:00.000-05:00

After months of being stumped by talk of servers and hosting and IP something somethings, I have finally figured out how to get the NYHH.org website to actually work! From now on, when you want to help publicize the New York Hamster House, there's no need refer to some long, weird email address involving some girl's name. Just remember NYHH dot ORG, and you'll be good to go!

This is very exciting, and part of a concerted strategy on my part to move the New York Hamster House in a more professional, up-to-date direction. I need to put a lot of work into the website (updating hammies, stories, donors, etc), and at the same time find an assistant or volunteer or something, and keep pushing to become a tax-exempt non-profit... it's a lot, but it will all be worth it. Cause, please. These hamsters are just too cute.

One Hamster Two Hamster Red Hamster Blue Hamster

2007-01-30T10:54:00.000-05:00

The New York Hamster House has some friends who have adopted more than one hamster. I don't mean someone who comes and adopts three at once. I mean the people who come back multiple times, because once they see the pleasure and rewards of adopting an animal, they just want to help more and more. Sometimes they have many at once, sometimes they come back to replenish after the loss of a loved hamster. Anyway, between Jody and Consuelo and the Cooney's and David & Mika, many many hamsters have found loving homes with people who know a great deal--often more than I--about hamster care. I love my repeat adopters :)

David and Mika, who live downtown, are currently caring for four NYHH adoptees, and they sent me this lovely link full of pictures and videos of the darlings. Check it out, and see how much fun adopting a New York Hamster House resident can be!

WILHELM DAY Part Two

2007-01-29T16:53:00.000-05:00

Calling all New York Hamster House fans and friends... The second Wilhelm Day will be held this Sunday, February 4th, from noon to 4pm. All are invited!

Please come by if you would like to adopt a hamster.
Or if you want to play with the NYHH hamsters.
Or to show off your own hamster or other pet!
Or to help clean cages and organize supplies.

I will supply light snacks and adorable hamsters. You will supply hamster love, kindness, and excitement. Donations (paper towels, hamster supplies, money) are much appreciated!

If you need directions, please email me here. If you are coming, PLEASE let me know so I know what to expect. Thanks so much, and see you on Sunday!

Magnify LOVES the Hamster House!

2007-01-25T00:31:00.000-05:00

Steve at Magnify Video is AWESOME. Super, duper awesome.

The New York Hamster House "channel" at Magnify is featured on their home page, complete with a special page just about the hamsters. Click here to view Magnify's home page, and here to see the NYHH spotlight page.

Magnify is super cool cause you can get videos from all the different sites online (youtube, google, etc) and then condense them into a very customizable, personal site. And as you can see, they really support and promote the people who use them. Hooray for Steve and the whole Magnify gang, and thanks for throwing the hamsters a bone. I mean, a hamster treat :)

Je ne BREED pas.

2007-01-23T00:17:00.000-05:00

(Schnarffles and Jessica)
I would have thought that it would be obvious that I (both personally, and on behalf of the NYHH) am against breeding hamsters and other animals. Certainly, it would be obvious that someone who runs a shelter would not participate in such activities, right?

Apparently not. Cause I just got the following email:

So i have three hamsters, 2 syrian, and 1 dwarf, all males. Is there a chance i can temporarily borrow a female hamster to breed with one of my hamsters?

Here was my response:

The reason I had to open the hamster house is because of people who adopt pets they later don't want to care for, and because of people who breed their hamsters and then can't take care of all the babies that result. Hamsters often have eight to ten babies in a litter, all of whom need to be correctly sexed and then raised (in separate cages, if they are syrians). Hamsters can also get pregnant very quickly after birth, which means if you aren't careful, you can rapidly go from having two hamsters to having thirty.

In short, the New York Hamster House is completely against the breeding of animals when there are so many animals in need at shelters (like the NYHH) and pet stores.

So, I'm sorry, but I can't help you out. I urge you not to breed any more hamsters--if you love them, then go to a shelter or store and adopt ones that are already living and who need good forever homes. Don't add to the problem, fix it.

Thanks,
Jessica
Founder, New York Hamster House

I was trying to be polite, and also not too angry, because one never knows whom an email is from or to whom they might forward my response. When speaking on behalf of the NYHH, I should be diplomatic, polite, and understanding, while holding firm to my principles.

But... COME ON!!!! The whole reason that shelters exist is 1) to take in animals who need homes and 2) to find homes for animals who need them. No where in that mandate does it say "make the problem worse by enabling people to create more animals who are most likely unwanted." And even if this person does really want more than ten hamsters, then he or she should come and adopt them from a shelter (like me!)!

In short, the New York Hamster House is NOT a stud farm, nor do we do "loaners."

Our goal is to find safe, forever homes for hamsters. Period.

The Return of the Jedi--I mean, Hamster House :)

2007-01-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

I know that the NYHH has been a bit incognito of late. But don't worry--despite our lack of web presence, we've had over twenty-five hamsters come in over the past month (and have adopted out between ten or fifteen).

Currently, the New York Hamster House has over twenty hamsters looking for homes. Syrians, dwarfs, male, female, young and old--we've got it all. Spread the word that we have hamsters looking for forever homes.

I'm realizing that the New York Hamster House needs help. Help with cleaning cages, doing data entry, and maintaining the NYHH website, the blog, and the petfinder site. I need to come up with a schedule, and figure out exactly what I need. And then I will be posting right here, looking for help. An intern, maybe, paid if I can swing it. If not, volunteers.

Step one is that I'm going to promote another Wilhelm Day, on Sunday February 4th from noon to 4pm. I'm inviting people over to adopt hamsters, to play with the ones I already have, and to help me do some hamster house work. Feel free to bring fresh veggie treats (for the hammies) or paper towels (to help clean the cages)... We can't wait to see you!

If you'd like to come to Wilhelm Day Part Two, send me an email and let me know. I'm happy to provide directions if you need them.

Love,
Jessica
Founder, New York Hamster House

RIP Killer & Sinead

2006-12-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

Last night, sisters Killer and Sinead passed away in my hands--Killer at 4am, and Sinead near 10am. I was really happy to be there when it happened, and to know that just days before, Killer was running happily in her wheel, and Sinead was blissfully attacking walnuts and peanuts. They were sick, but I think they were still living a good life right up till the end.

I got Killer, Whale and Sinead a long, long while ago, over a year and a half--and I know that they were perhaps 6 months to a year old at the time. They all had good lives--Whale passed away in January, from breast cancer, and now Sinead and Killer have died, both with fairly large canceous tumors and Cushing's disease. But they had good, long hamster years of playing in the NYHH playground and eating my remote control and chewing on books and tables and mail and my fingers.

I will really miss them. They brought me a lot of joy and happiness.

CUTE OVERLOAD

2006-11-30T11:51:00.000-05:00

Dude. DUDE.

I have wanted to get my hammies on Cute Overload for over a year now. And, darn it if the one day I finally make it on is the day I fly out of the country for ten days. Not a problem, though--my friends emailed me abroad to let me know that the NYHH hammies, and in particular the Department of Transportation babies, made it on to Cute Overload on November 18th.

Go to Cute Overload, and click on Pocket Pets, and then scroll down and there are my monkeys! Before being on Cute, the video had been seen by maybe 200 people. Today, the tally is 59,338! Can you believe it? Insanity.

Some people left nasty comments on the Cute Overload site about how I care for the hamsters, so for the record:

1) That is not their habitat, that is the hamster playground, where they get to play for a couple hours a week.

2) That was a mama, and aunt, and the mama's three babies. They were young enough to still live with the mama, and were subsequently separated and adopted out to happy, loving homes.

3) There were three wheels in the playground, so of course they all wanted to get into just one of them. See the other videos for more shots of the other wheels.

Anyway, many thanks to Emily, Tara, and Jody for sticking up for me and setting the record straight. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I do take darn good care of the little monsters :)

Hamster Holiday

2006-11-18T00:31:00.000-05:00

The Inwood Hamster Lady will be out of commission for the next ten days (I'll give you a hint as to why--what were Lily Allen's babies named?), so expect no updates, new hamsters, or adoptions to occur until after November 29th.

I've got two glorious volunteers, Ashley and Joanne, who will be caring for and playing with the hamsters during that time. Big, big kudos to them for being so generous and kind. They will be covered in hamsters kisses!

I'm not going to be around to do hamster outreach, but please feel free to tell your friends about the over twenty hamsters (and two mice!) currently for adoption at the NYHH. They are all looking for a happy forever home, and as the holidays approach, let's see if we can find them all a loving place to live.

I know I am really thankful to have the opportunity to care for and rescue all of these hamsters, and equally thankful to have all of your support. And especially happy right now to have Ashley and Joanne helping me out.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the New York Hamster House!

Bad, Bad Jessica

2006-11-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

The NYHH website AND Petfinder account are now both woefully out of date.

There are hamsters on there who were adopted over the past weeks, and new ones who are totally not mentioned.

We had a successful adoption day yesterday, and took in one more hamster (syrian--with hair so black it's really kind of blue) and two white mice.

As it stands, I believe these are the current hamsters:

Not Up For Adoption:
Killer
Sinead
Gingerbread
Wendy and her babies (about eight, I think--now about ten days old)

Up for Adoption:
The Dixie Chicks
Lily Allen
Mary Jane
Bashful & Happy (two of MJ's dwarfs, both boys)
Ewan
Jessica & Elizabeth
Marilyn Monroe
Chekhov Sisters
Nugget
Fido
Tia & Mia (new white mice)
Kenny (new syrian)

Pending Adoption:
Spinderella
Ann Richards

I am leaving on vacation for TEN days this coming weekend, so if anyone wants to adopt a hamster, you need to do it this Friday evening or Saturday morning. Please contact me if you are interested!

Happy Birthday, Hamster Lady!

2006-11-09T18:20:00.000-05:00

A very special NYHH holiday: The Birthday of the Inwood Hamster Lady. I am now officially 29, with 40 hamsters :)

And to wish me a very Happy Birthday, why don't you come on over this Sunday morning from 10-noon and adopt a hamster, or ten! I've got any kind of hamster you could ever want. They are all friendly, and healthy, and super cute.

If you want to adopt, let me know and I can give you directions and all that jazz.

There's no better present you could give me than to adopt a hammie!

Love,
Jess

NYHH in WSJ

2006-11-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

That's right, guys... thanks to our friends at Magnify Video (hosting those cute movies to your right), I was interviewed yesterday for a story by Peter Grant for the Wall Street Journal. The article and quote are in the paper today, so check it out!

"Some small-time producers see some value in being on TV. Jessica Wells runs a hamster shelter in New York, and recently added videos to the shelter's Web site that were produced by site visitors. She'd like to see them go on TV to help her raise funds and to educate viewers on proper hamster treatment. Ms. Wells says some of her videos get hundreds of hits. "People are continuously underestimating either how much free time people have or how much people are intrigued by other people's lives," she says."

He basically was asking me if I wanted a NYHH channel on the TV, which I don't necessarily. But, whatever, I chatted about hamsters and youtube and TV and voila! A quote in le paper. Fun!

Oh. My. God.

2006-11-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

OMG. I have FORTY hamsters.

As in, forty.

I had about twenty dropped off this past weekend, rescued from upstate by Brandee and Claudie and other caring, sweet friends. You want babies? I got babies. I got mommies. I got daddies. Fat, short, dwarf, syrian, and even HUGE dwarfs. I got 'em all :)

I only had time last night to post small pictures of them all up on the website. But if you right click on the pics and then go to "view image" you can see them nice and big and clear. I'll do my best to finish the site up tomorrow.

PLEASE, please tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers, to check out my site. I'm having an adoption fair at the NYHH (ie, my apartment) this Sunday from 10am to noon. Please come by and adopt some hammies!

Here's one more pic of the "Seven Dwarfs"--aka, Mary Jane's second set of babies. Six grey, one white. ALL cuddly and adorable and ready for adoption!

Famous Baby Photos

2006-11-03T05:22:00.000-05:00

Sneak paparazzi photo of Mary Jane's new babies who are seven days old (born 10/26/06):

Pile o'snuggly Babies

To me, it looks like there are maybe four babies? Three brown with black stripe, one white? I can't tell yet, though. Don't worry... if I could get those pictures of Suri for Vanity Fair, then certainly I can get some decent shots this weekend of the little monsters. Check back soon for more pics, names, etc.

Lily Allen, Baby London, and Baby Barcelona

2006-10-31T03:16:00.000-05:00

It doesn't surprise me that not all of Lily's babies survived. After all, they were left alone to fend for themselves at the pet store, and were only reuinted with their mom after hamster rescuers intervened.

Still, I'm sad to report that as of Sunday, Lily had three babies left, and now she has only two. They are both incredibly adorable, and are growing strong and independent. But Mama Lily is still queen of the nest and is caring for them all the time.

Here's a pic of Lily Allen:

Here is Baby Barcelona:

And here is Baby London:

My best guess is that these guys are about 12 days old. They are named after the two cities I'm visiting soon with my best friend Britt (I named a hamster after her, too!). I've been giving these munchkins veggies and seeds and tofu, and soon enough Lily will be ready to say goodbye to her adorable kidlets.

RIP Lovey

2006-10-30T10:43:00.000-05:00

My friend Dave and his girlfriend Annie, who adopted Lovey on Wilhelm Day this summer, just let me know that Lovey passed away. I'm so sad for their loss, but incredibly happy that they adopted Lovey and had her for the time they did because they really loved her a great deal and gave her a darn good life.

Lovey was an incredibly sweet and gentle hamster, and she made everyone happy who got to meet her. We will miss you, Lovey!

Naughty Mary Jane.

2006-10-27T13:19:00.000-04:00

Here's the quick recap:

1) Last weekend, I got this hamster whom I named Mary Jane. She came to me in a cage with her boyfriend and their five babies.

2) I immediately took the boyfriend out, because the last thing we need at the NYHH is more babies. I hoped MJ wasn't pregnant.

3) Last night, I found out that Mary Jane is NOT pregnant. How do I know this?

4) Cause I watched her give birth to five babies last night.

Yup. Turns out she was two weeks pregnant when I got her. So now I've got five MORE brand-new babies, all born 10/26/06. Mary Jane is now in a cage with them, and her babies are in two other cages, hopefully separated by sex. I hope.

I can't even count how many hamsters I have now. It's INSANITY, I tell you.

Anyway, here are pics of her older set of munchkins:

Mama and a Munchkin

Out for Dinner

Possibly the Baby in the Poop Picture

Ahh! Cute attack!

Munchkin

A Tunnel of Adorable

Baby Boom

2006-10-23T10:43:00.000-04:00

Wow. I took in fifteen (I think) hamsters this weekend.

Just think about that for a minute.

Fifteen.

See, these rescuers from Westchester and CT found a cage at a Petco that had squirming, days-old babies in it and no mom. No mom = no food, no drink, no warmth. These babies were going to die. So they searched the Petco, found a lone lady hamster roaming around, and decided to hope that she was the mama and put her in with the babies. Then they rescued ALL of them from the store. The babies appear to be just days old--eyes still closed, look like newts, lots of squirming.

(If you are counting, that is Mama + 6-8 babies = 7-9 hamsters)

Then Claudie, the hamster whisperer, drove all of those hamsters down from CT to me, along with a mama dwarf, her five babies, and the daddy. The babies seem to be 14-20 days old, though I'm not sure on that. In the coming weeks, I will need to sex them and separate them once they hit 3-4 weeks old. The bad news is that the dad and mom were in the cage together, which means the mom could be pregnant again right now. Fun!

(Still counting? Mama + Daddy + 5 babies = 7 hamsters)

Total = 14-16 hamsters.

I didn't have time to update the site last night with pictures of the new hamsters and with the news that Cale Hoeflicker has found a home with an amazing, caring woman and I am so happy for him. I'll try to do all that tonight.

In the meantime, here are pictures to whet your appetite.

First, the Syrian Mama and Babies:

The Mama

The Babies

Mama Nursing a Baby

The Dwarf Mama and Babies:

Me and a Dwarf

Two Dwarfs Cuddling and Napping

Cutest Dwarf Ever (with Poop)

The Dwarf Mama

Spinning the Night Away

2006-10-16T02:19:00.000-04:00

Photos and bios are up now of the four new guys... Lenny Briscoe (who is fluffy beyond all belief), Ann Richards (a sweet, stable hamster who is so pretty!), Oubliette (who is young, adorable, and a running superstar), and Spinderella, who is adorable too but has a weird spinning addiction.

Check them out on the NYHH site for full details and cuteness.

In the meantime, here is Ms. Spinderella, DJ extraordinaire--she either loves to dance, or is mentally ill. Only Dr. Pilny will know for sure. I will let you know when I know more, dahlings... of course I hope she is fine, but I want to double check, you know?

Hamsterpalooza!

2006-10-11T02:29:00.000-04:00

Man, what on earth was I complaining about? I now have FOUR new syrian hamsters. I haven't taken pictures of them all yet, and my camera ran out of batteries today because I was at a concert and took too many pictures. But. They were rescued from a lady in upstate NY who was just letting them breed like mad. All four hamsters are ridiculously cute.

Here is one of the new guys. I'll post pics and names of all four on the NYHH site asap.

One of the New Guys

Ack, cute attack! I need to go to the Cute-Doctor. Eek!

New York Lonely House :(

2006-10-08T23:09:00.000-04:00

Wow. Since Thursday, we've adopted out FIVE hamsters. That's got to be a record--five in four days!

We're a little lonely here these days at the Hamster House. It's just me, Sinead and Killer (who are both still so sick), Gingerbread (the largest hamster EVER), Moki (who is set to star in a student film at NYU next month)... the only adoptable hamsters are Inigo Montoya and Cale Hoeflicker, our hamster of the month.

Here's some eye candy:

Moki the Monkey :)

The Gorgeous Ginger!

However, we shan't be lonely for long. We've got FOUR new syrian hamsters coming in tomorrow. They were all rescued from someplace in upstate New York, and are being delivered to the NYHH tomorrow by a friend and supporter, Claudie.

So please, check for updates tomorrow to see the the Fab Four!

I'm off to watch Moki jungle-gym across the top of her cage and run on the top of her wheel. She's quite the gymnast, kids!

A Weekend of Change

2006-10-02T00:58:00.000-04:00

Four hamsters left the New York Hamster House this weekend... Brook Lyn Bridge, Betty, and Jack Bauer were adopted. And One Eyed Willy died.

This morning, I noticed that Willy was breathing heavily. She was also running a lot, though, and eating, so I assumed she was fine. Her eye was clearing up from the medicine that Dr. Pilny and I decided on. But when I took her out of her cage tonight to introduce her to my new roommate Nick, she was breathing really, really heavily. I held her close to me in my hand, and just petted her softly. I tried to give her water, but she couldn't drink it. Her breathing became incredibly labored, and then she died in my hand. I cried a little--I was sad that she was so young when she died. But I really do think she waited for me to die, waited to feel comfortable and safe. Make sure to take a minute today to say goodbye to dear Willy.

I can get really down when a hamster dies... but I have to keep in mind that I am running a shelter here. I've had 92 hamsters now in the past 15 months. Some go on and get adopted, some get sick and die. It's life. And if you run an animal shelter, it's what you end up having to deal with. Some die in their sleep, and some die in my hand. But my goal is to give them the best life possible, and to match each hamster up with the family who will best take care of her. A Columbia student adopted Betty... a cool high school girl and her boyfriend adopted Brook (the boyfriend paid for her cage and made a donation to the NYHH as a present, awww!), and a very sweet couple from the Upper West Side took home Jack Bauer, after they lost their own hamster named Simone the Wonder Hamster.

Ahh, the ups and downs of running a shelter....

Hamsters on a Plane!

2006-09-29T14:44:00.000-04:00

Thanks to NYHH friend Meghan K., who pointed out this article about a hamster who grounded a plane.

The article ends like this: "Austrian Airlines said the jet would remain grounded until the hamster was found ''because it can't take off that way for safety reasons.''"

Hehe :) It's nice to know that I'm not the only one with escape-artist hamsters...

Doctor Update

2006-09-25T13:24:00.000-04:00

Sinead: Has an adrenal problem, probably Cushing's. Dr. Pilny is going to investigate putting her on the meds for Cushing's, and if they make her better, we'll know that was the problem with her health. If not, it's some kind of hormonal problem which probably can't be treated. She also has some problems with losing the elasticity in her skin, which is why it is bagging and drooping all over her body. Dr. Pilny pointed out that due to her hair loss, it looks like she has a mohawk down her butt :) She's still active, eating, and happy, though. About 31 grams.

Killer: Cancer of the mammary glands. She's got a HUGE tumor that is very red, almost purple, and I do *not* like to look at it. Another nipple seems to have opened up, some sort of rupture, but has healed over. She is, like Sinead, happy, and active, so we're just going to wait and see how it progresses. I'm worried about the tumor, cause it hangs, but we're going to let her enjoy her life and when it seems to be too much, I'll (very regretfully!) have her put down. She may be sick, but she's 52 grams. But about 8 of it is the tumor (!!!).

One Eyed Willy: Dr. Pilny thinks that Willy may have some conjunctive-eye issue. It's interesting, cause although the skin all around her left eye is really swollen and irritated, her actual eyeball is fine. Her lower eyelid is so swollen that it's turned outside a bit. It's hard to tell what it is from, since I don't know how she was treated as a baby. But, I'm giving her saline, visine and ciprofloxacin, and will monitor how it goes. We think with that treatment, she will improve. This one is 34 grams of CUTE.

I only have pictures of Sinead with me at work, so here's another one of her. Note that though she is skinny and her fur is uneven and thinning, she is still absolutely adorable in her own hamster way :)

Dr. Awesome

2006-09-20T21:52:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is a BIG day for the New York Hamster House at Dr. Pilny's.

We've got appointments for Killer (who sadly has a tumor), Sinead (who is still losing hair), and One Eyed Willy (for the other eye, which is all red and irritated). Yikes!

After the appointment, I guess all three of the little guys will come on down to work with me, since I'll be late already and won't have time to go home. Oh well!

I'll update you all afterwards and let you know how the little monsters are doing...

Photo Parade

2006-09-19T01:30:00.000-04:00

Ask and ye shall receive!

I hereby bring forth a DELUGE of cute.

On a scale of Cuteitude, these two new hamsters are the cute equivalent of a super, super intense salt and vinegar potato chip. We're talking mouth-puckering cutness here, people. CAUTION, ok? Be careful.

Introducing... One Eyed Willy!

And super stud Cale Hoeflicker!

Here are Mike and Ike, who left the NYHH for a class of second graders in Astoria.

Mike and Ike are probably busy right now, doing homework and eating vegetables. You know, when I was little, I kind of *loved* doing homework. I kind of rocked homework. My second grade teacher was Mrs. White. Also, that year this girl stole my Barbie from my lunchbox.

PS The pictures of Willy and Cale are super-high res. Click to enlarge them--so crisp! So clear! So whiskers! Dare I say that these pics might even be worthy of... cute overload? I can only dream.

Baby Got Back

2006-09-17T10:46:00.000-04:00

I know that young, impressionable children may this blog, so I need to keep this PG. But, isn't this the cutest, fluffiest butt you ever saw?

Mike and Ike, two new male dwarf hamsters, were adopted yesterday by a really friendly, awesome teacher from Astoria for her second grade class. Mike and Ike, you'd better do all your homework, and no talking in class!

Sinead VS The Walnut Shell

2006-09-14T13:32:00.000-04:00

Grace, this one is for you :)

Last month, a very generous NYHH supporter named Grace send a bunch of walnuts to the hamsters, along with other treats.

The walnuts were a BIG HIT. Sinead, in particular, is obsessed with them. You guys remember Sinead, right? She used to be fat, but now that she is sick she is very skinny and has lost a great deal of her fur. Well, anyway, last night she was sleeping in the Hamster Playground, which is in my bedroom. She woke me up this morning at 5am, wrestling with a walnut shell. She kept it up for about a half hour, and I figured if I wasn't going to get any sleep then I might as well shoot some video.

Without further ado, I give you: Sinead VS the Walnut.

On your mark, get set.... HAMSTER!

2006-09-05T17:09:00.000-04:00

Dude.

DUDE.

Hamster Ball Derby, this Saturday at 2pm at the Petco on 92nd Street.

"Bring your own hamster or come in and cheer for your favorites during our Hamster Ball Derby. Warm up rounds begin at 1:30 pm and hamster races begin at 2 pm. Each hamster must be in a hamster ball to qualify. Prizes will be awarded!"

I am so there. I wonder who should race? Bunnicula, cause she is a speed demon. Sinead, cause she is sick and I want her to have fun. Maybe some of the new guys, too.

Anyone else going? I am SO excited!

Adoption = Awesomedoption

2006-09-04T15:36:00.000-04:00

Today two friends and roommates came to the NYHH today to see about an adoption. And who did they end up taking home? Simon, Garfunkel, AND Dotty. Holy crap! The two girls, Grace and Wendy, were so sweet, and they played with the little cuties until they knew exactly who they wanted. Wendy took Simon and Garfunkel, and Grace had a very hard time deciding between the plucky runner Bunnicula and they plump, calm Dotty. She ended up taking Dotty.

And why am I telling you guys this?

Becuase it just makes me SO happy to know that those two gals are going to give those hamsters such a good life. They are going to be HAPPY--all of them. And that is kind of the best part of the NYHH. I've had 75 hamsters over the course of the past year, and while I've loved them all and treated them all well, I can't possibly give them each the love that they eventually get at their forever homes. I get such a thrill placing the hamsters and gerbils with their new families. So, thanks to you all for making it possible for me to be a matchmaker for these deserving, homeless bundles of CUTE!!!!

A glimpse of the gerbils and Dotty on their way out....

Auf Wiedersehen, Simon und Garfunkel!
Bis spaeter, Dotty!

I hate technology.

2006-08-29T00:37:00.000-04:00

I'm so sorry the website is down... but the darn thing is hamster-powered and they are all taking a nap!

Seriously, I have no idea what is happening. Both the www.nyhh.org site and the www.thejessicawells.com sites have been completely deleted, and my hosting company (godaddy) is claiming complete innocence. I've been on the phone for an hour now arguing with them, but apparently it's all totally deleted and can't be restored. I'll do my best to have some semblance of a website up and runnning as soon as possible. In the meantime, stay in touch here through the blog.

ARGH,
Jess

Warning: EXTREME CUTENESS AHEAD

2006-08-28T01:01:00.000-04:00

So, I got five new hamsters today. And, they are so cute that I need to go to the hospital and get an IV of anti-cute to save me.

The hamsters came from a Department of Transportation office in Queens. Right now, all five hamsters live together, though I don't understand why they are getting along. Technically each one should be living separately. But I figured I don't want to further upset them on their first day here, so I will deal with separating them later this week. I named the mama Dot (Dotty), after the Dept. of Transportation. The three daughters are named after things under the auspices of the DOT: Brook (Brook Lyn Bridge), Dam (Amsterdam Avenue), and Holly (Holland Tunnel). And their aunt is Mulberry (Street).

Now, do you think you can handle the cute?

...

...

...

...

...

Brook

Dotty

Amsterdam

Mulberry

Mulberry and Holly

Brook, Holly, Amsterdam the Hamsterdam, and Dotty

Hamsters Heart Laren

2006-08-26T01:42:00.000-04:00

Wow! Crazy town! Not only is there someone else in Manhattan who was so taken by a mouse on the street that she brought the little munchkin home... but that someone else just mentioned the New York Hamster House in her column for the New York Observer.

Laren, the author, rescued a mouse in Manhattan, just like I did three years ago. I was walking down Houston and saw a small injured mouse scampering around on the sidewalk. I walked into the Film Forum, asked for a tub of popcorn minus the popcorn, and brought the little mouse ("Houston the Mouston") home. She survived one or two days on milk and bread, and then died (which was sad, but at least the rest of her short life was warm, cuddly, and safe.

In Laren's case, she was walking on West 10th and saw the cutester and just had to bring him home. There, she pondered her options. As she writes:

Plan A: Hamster House in Inwood, run by a young, saintly woman who rescues those oft-tossed little rodents. I could make two donations: one financial, one fuzzy. But when I saw Carmen—tiny white ring around her pink nose—carefully ejecting a piece of poop from her log house, I had second thoughts. Would Hamster House appreciate her excellent hygiene? Would they feed her fresh corn, and almonds and the occasional raspberry?

Elsewhere in the article, Laren writes "Maybe the true measure of a person’s humanity lies in the way they treat small creatures." Three cheers for Laren!

In and Out

2006-08-21T01:17:00.000-04:00

We've had a lot of turnover at the NYHH lately... and I've been AWFUL about updating the website and the Petfinder account. But I promise I will update it all within the next day or two.

Rosemary is back--wasn't a good fit with her and the family who had adopted her.

Jackson, the hamster who had been waiting for adoption for over a year, finally has a home. Hopefully, a forever home!

Lovey found a home with a family who can care for her and all her special, adorable needs.

Vanilla and Chocolate were adopted by a family who really knows their way around rodents--and who will, I am sure, treat them very well.

And we have a new resident, too... Moki. SO cute. Her mom was incredibly sad to have to let her go, so I promised to keep her around for a while, just to make her feel incredibly at home and comfy and loved. Which will not be hard. She is a CUTIE.

See?

I played with her for a while today, and let her explore the playground. I think she's gonna like it here!

Can't Stop... Must Post More Photos!!!

2006-08-17T17:41:00.000-04:00

Beth, Dave and Lovey

Clover McFancypants

Ashley and Gingerbread

NYHH Trustees Jess and Jody

Wilhelm Day Recap

2006-08-13T23:55:00.000-04:00

Wow, I kind of dropped the ball in terms of taking pics of Wilhelm Day. So, Jody and Ashley, will you send me some of the pictures you took?

In the meantime, I think that Wilhelm Day was a total success! I mean, let's look at the stats:

Hamsters Adopted Out: Three

Donations Received: Tons of food, snacks, and bedding (thanks, Geoffrey, Virpi and Ellen!)

Cold Hard Cash Received: $225 (checks, but still!!)

Number of New Friends for the NYHH: at least 10

Value of Wilhelm Day: PRICELESS

I mean, I think the day was GREAT. I adopted out three hamsters (Cera and Foxy Brown, and Thor), and got a bunch more people interested in adopting in the future, and met up with some very generous supporters of the NYHH. Jody and Leni both made amazingly generous gifts (Jody's to fund the Frederick A. P. Barnard Memorial Fund), and people brought food, and we ate and chatted and man did we play with the cuties. Virpi was so good with the gerbils; Geoffrey brought three of his dwarves, including the uber-adorable Beep (cousin of Baby Daddy); Ellen knew all about syrians; Ashley brought Clover McFancyPants, the cutest guinea pig of all time; Jody regailed us with stories of Freddie, Frankie, and Peanut; Beth weighed in on mice; Layla charmed Thor; and Leni just knew SO much about the hammies.

Phew. What a GREAT day.

(here are some pics, but more to come!)

One of Geoffrey's.. Big Mama?

Beep beep, beep beep, YEAH!

Cera & Foxy Mama play fighting

An Invitation to WILHELM DAY

2006-08-08T15:12:00.000-04:00

You, dear blog reader, are cordially invited to the very first Wilhelm Day, to be held at the New York Hamster House, this coming Sunday August 13th from noon to 4pm.

All of the NYHH finest--that is, all our hamsters and gerbils--will be on display, happily sleeping and rolling around, eating, chewing, and playing.

Come if you want to adopt a hamster or gerbil. Come if you'd like to say hello, or make a donation, or bring a gift, or just play with the NYHH residents.

Hamster-friends are most welcomed, as are guinea pigs, gerbils, and mice :)

If you need directions, please email me and let me know where you are coming from and whether you need car or subway directions. I'll have crayons and paper on hand for kids who would like to make cards or pictures for the hamsters.

We can't wait to see you guys on our first Wilhelm Day.

RIP Blueberry

2006-08-02T18:11:00.000-04:00

Blueberry died today.

I'm not sure why--just yesterday she bit me super hard and was running on her wheel like a maniac. She was between one and two years old, but seemed in good health. It wasn't from the heat, since the AC has been on for the hamsters through this heat wave. I didn't hear her make any noise today, so she must have gone easily.

As any of you who have met Blueberry will understand, I'm conflicted. I mean, it's hard not to be sad when a cute, fluffy animal dies. I am sad. But... I'm a tiny bit happy that my days of deep, bleeding bites are over.

However, part of what the NYHH is all about is taking care of unwanted animals--and boy oh boy was Blueberry unwanted :) So in a way, she was a great illustration of what I am trying to accomplish here: taking in animals who need homes, regardless of whether or not they are healthy and happy enough to be placed into a new home.

Blueberry, you bit me more times than all the other 65 hamsters I've had put together. Your record for biting, aggression and cage-gnawing will never be surpassed. I hope that in hamster heaven, you calm down and are filled with love.

Velkommen!

2006-07-31T00:44:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-07-31T00:35:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-07-27T23:30:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-07-22T14:26:00.000-04:00

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

2006-07-20T16:46:00.000-04:00

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

2006-07-13T00:20:00.000-04:00

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

2006-07-04T13:53:00.000-04:00

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!

RIP Wilhelm: August 2003 - June 2006

2006-06-30T08:36:00.000-04:00

Kaiser Wilhelm, the hamster who started it all--the first resident of the New York Hamster House, passed away yesterday. He was nearly three years old.

When I found out that he was dead, two supporters of the NYHH were over getting a tour of the place. They were lovely and distracted me, but let me talk about how sad I was too. They took me out to dinner, but then when I came home it really hit me. I put up a little memorial page about him on the NYHH website last night, but it isn't finished. Wilhelm is the hamster I found on the street. He's kind of the head of it all--the sweetest hamster, the best story about why the New York Hamster House is important. Everything. He was my oldest, and most dear hamster and I really did love him. He was friendly, and never ever bit anyone, and was curious and really smart and was a truly great pet. I hope that when people adopt hamsters from the NYHH, they get to bond with their hamster they way I did with Wilhelm. He was with me for two very difficult years of my life, and was there nibbling on his cage and running in his wheel the whole time, and always willing to crawl around on my lap or eat a carrot while I had dinner.

There is so much to say, but I will just say this: I'm really lucky that Wilhelm lived as long as he did, and I was happy to have him with me each and every day. Wilhelm lived a long and happy life.

Baby Names

2006-06-29T17:23:00.000-04:00

The NYHH gerbil babies have been named! With the help of my trusty entymologist friend Lorenzo, I sexed* the babies last night and then gave them names.

Pictures to come tonight, as well as website updates (I can only do that from home)... but for now, the names and living arrangements of my gerbil babies:

Mama Belle, who lives with her two daughters, Melanie and Scarlett.

Her three sons, Charles, Rhett, and Ashley, live together in a bachelor pad.

And then her son Clark Gable was adopted this morning by a family from Long Island (along with Friedrich).

If anyone can guess the full names of Mama and her babies, you win a prize!

* Get your mind out of the gutter! Sexing means separating them by gender so that they can't reproduce.

Cleaning and Dancing

2006-06-28T20:27:00.000-04:00

I've got guests coming over tomorrow night to adopt some hammies, and to take tours of the NYHH (hi Alan!), so tonight I am bopping around to loud (mostly bad) pop music and cleaning the cages. To be honest, cleaning the hamster and gerbil cages has become a seven day a week job... but tonight I will straighten them all up, and clean about a third of them. Argh.

I also got a very sweet donation in the mail today from a gal who thinks the NYHH is pretty cool. Thanks, Erica!

Lastly, I separated Belle's baby gerbils this past week. One boy and five girls, I think. But I'm having my entymologist friend double check my work tonight on the girls. Just in case. It can't hurt!

Ok, back to cleaning....

Hamster Adoption Bonanza!

2006-06-22T22:04:00.000-04:00

Three hamsters were adopted today from the NYHH... which means I only have eighteen thousand left, give or take a few :)

Seriously, though, I'm really excited. They each went home with a wonderful new family, and I know they will all in a truly happy forever home.

Adios, Ophelia!

A Bientot, Banjo!

Auf Wiedersehen, Britt!

Someone also wants to come next week and adopt Friedrich, which makes me really happy because he is SO friendly and good-natured, and he totally deserves an awesome home.

Spread the word, guys, and let's find all of these hamsters some happy homes!

RIP Michael Bloomberg

2006-06-20T00:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, I haven't cried yet, but I am really close. My favorite hamster, after Kaiser
Wilhelm, is dead. Michael Bloomberg died some time today while I was at work. Cause this morning, when I left, he was just hopping around the playground, as happy as can be. I have NO idea what happened. And I feel really sad.

Just like the real Michael Bloomberg, my hamster pulled himself up by the bootstraps to become a success. Except, the real MB founded a wildly successful financial company and this MB was rescued from a bucket and went on to thrive in a pink hamster cage.

Sigh.

I blame this all on Dubya.

Today in the Times, there was a picture of GWB and Michael Bloomberg. Dubya clearly jinxed my hamster, which caused him to get sick and die. Stupid president.

In Michael Bloomberg's honor, let's all watch the video of him traipsing around the hamster playground, sniffing the camera, and falling down.

He was so cute. I miss him.

Worst Mom Ever???

2006-06-19T02:25:00.000-04:00

So, I was away at a wedding in Milwaukee this weekend. When I got home, I checked in on all of the hamsters and gave them new water and food. Everything was a-ok.

Then later, when I was getting dinner ready, I walked down the hallway and saw something on the floor. I looked closer, and was shocked to see that it was one of Hermione's babies! I picked him or her up--still breathing--and quickly put it back into the cage so the mom could take over. How on earth did she get on the floor? I guess technically, they could fit through the bars in the other part of the cage, but how could they climb there? Did Hermione throw her baby out of the cage?

Anyway, while I was standing there wondering how on earth the baby got onto the floor, I noticed that Hermione was running in the wheel and that it was really noisy. I looked over to see her in the wheel, running at full speed, with two of her babies just bouncing around and under her in the wheel! I immediately put my hand on the wheel to stop it. Eventually she walked out of the wheel, and I opened it up and picked up the babies and put them back into the nest of bedding in the cage.

What the heck is going on with Hermione? First she's pushing babies out the window, then she's tossing them around like they are in the washing machine. I don't want to tell anyone how to do their job, but... um, Hermione? I mean, is this normal mother behavoir?

Also, she had four babies before. I only see three now, but I'm scared to go digging through the cage to find the other one since everything I've read says that I should leave the cage alone and not touch anything.

Advice, anyone?

(PS Gerbils are crazy.)

Math, Schmath.

2006-06-15T10:54:00.000-04:00

Here's the math proof:

THIRTY ONE hamsters,

MINUS ONE Baby Mama

PLUS ONE fluffy syrian

PLUS ONE sleek, blonde hamster

MINUS ONE Marie Antoinette

EQUALS...

THIRTY ONE.

All of that action, excitement, cages, transferring--and all in the span of thirteen hours. And I still have thirty one hamsters?!!?!!? Stupid math.

See, last night, a friend of the boy who adopted Josephine came by and adopted Baby Mama. I showed his new mommy how he had his picture in the New York Times, and she was very impressed. Then, this morning, two separate people came by to drop off hamsters, one at 8:35 and one at 8:45. The first hamster is very fluffy and pretty, and kind of light brown and white. The second looks very similar to Baby Mama. Then, on the way from the subway to my office, I stopped by Europan on 8th and 43rd to drop off Marie Antoinette to a boy from Brooklyn.

I'll try and pop up pics and bios tonight of the new guys. Stay tuned!

HamCam, and Hermione's Babies

2006-06-14T01:02:00.000-04:00

Two things, NYHH friends, before I ship off to bed:

Thing One: The idea has been brought up of buying and setting up a HamCam, so people online could watch the hamsters do their hamster thing all day long.

If I am going to do this, I will need to raise money to buy a web cam for my mac, which those of you who know me know I will *never* use for personal use since I hate being photographed, let alone videotaped. This would truly be 100% HamCam. The iSight costs $150. Basically, if people think it would be fun, I'd be up for it. The HamCam could "watch" a different hamster all day long, and it would also be interesting to watch the baby hamsters and gerbils grow and develop. But, if not, I'm happy to concentrate on feeding, cleaning cages, etc.

So, what do you think?

Thing Two: Ack, freaking adorable pictures of Hermione's babies.

Here is a picture of the babies the day they were born.

And here they are tonight... three days old!