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    I was very much unprepared for the complete desolation I felt with Abbey’s passing.  ABBEY was my fifth hamster, but her death affected me substantially more than the previous four.  It has been the norm for me to wait several weeks before even considering adopting another hamster.  However, for some reason, I was unable to stop crying over Abbey.  And I made the decision only five days after putting her down that I would return to Aardvark and begin my search for a new baby.  Abbey was such an incredible hamster that it seemed almost a tribute to her that I could not bear to be without one of these creatures.  Past experience had shown that it would likely be a month or two before a short-hair would be available.  Therefore, you can imagine my surprise when I walked into the shop, with no expectations of purchasing anything or anyone that hot August afternoon, only to be greeted by a little girl who would come to be known as Brandy.

    The hamster house had been disinfected and placed away in storage, which necessitated a call home for Vance to retrieve all the parts and rinse them down while I was on my way with the new animal.  I had purchased a FRESH TRAVEL UNIT for Brandy and the owner of the pet store placed some wood shavings from the store cage into it, along with one small CRITTER BLOX.  Brandy sat comfortably in the small enclosure, falling fast asleep during the drive.  It took over an hour and a half to reassemble and outfit the cages to make Brandy’s home.  And when introduced to her new environment, she immediately set about exploring every nook and cranny, leaving the wheel to the very end.  She took to the exercise equipment like all the others, but added a new twist - Brandy took a Critter Blox into the wheel with her.  And it makes the most incessant noise!  I purposely keep the S.A.M. unit so that I can use the SPECIAL WHEEL for the hamsters as it sits outside the cage, is the least likely to cause an injury, and is totally silent in operation.  Except for evenly spaced air holes located on the side of the unit, it is completely enclosed with no openings that could catch a little toe or foot.  But if a hamster takes anything into the ball with her, then it rattles around and makes the most annoyingly loud sound.  Given these little animals are quite sensitive to noise, it amazes me that they would even tolerate all that racket.

    We spent some time on the bathroom floor, getting acquainted, and she rolled around in her ball for a bit, and then returned to her new home.  Her first night was an extremely busy one.  Brandy must be the reincarnation of an engineer or an interior decorator as when I checked on her first thing the next morning, she had removed all the aspen from the S.A.M. Palace, transferred it all to the Hagen Space Station, taken the toilet paper from what was supposed to be her bed, and made a nest on the bare floor of her cage, immediately outside of her wheel.  Food in wheel, bed/nest next to wheel, some logs to climb on, food dish (empty), water bottle close by – my new baby’s environment, as designed by Brandy.

    October 11, 2008:  At just over 11 weeks of age, Brandy has settled nicely into her new family.  She is a very social little pet, preferring to stay in the same room with me while in her ball.  It took her quite a while before she would sample any "wet" food - fresh vegetables and fruits.  She would take small tastes of the food items offered and then throw it away, but now, carrots have become her favourite snack. 
    June 6, 2009:  10 months old - where did the time go?  Brandy is still a very active girl.  One of her favourite games is to climb onto my arm, and then leap into my open hand for a "ride" back down to my lap.  She will repeat this little adventure over and over, until my arms are too tired to continue.  I thinks she believes I am just a human incarnation of her wheel.  We haven't quite mastered the art of sitting quietly in my hand for extended periods yet, but then she's still pretty young.  That will come in time.  She is so incredibly fast (seems almost quicker than the others) that it's difficult to have her free in open spaces as she scrambles out of reach almost immediately.

    Brandy has added broccoli to her menu, and of course, like all the others, continues to enjoy her popcorn once or twice a week.  Every morning, before I leave for work, she pokes her head out of her bed and waits for one-half of a Vitakraft Bonbino - a crunchy little treat containing beetroot.  But her main diet consists of the Critter Blox and HAGEN GOURMET SEEDS.  Sweet baby Brandy ... I hope you have a long, healthy, and happy life.

    Brandy at 5 weeks of age.
    Born - July 24, 2008
    "Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes
    it so much the larger and better in every way." --  John Muir 
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