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I bought Rocky at a pet store on June 11, 2002. Even though we
had decided to be a one-hamster family again, I got Rocky about a month before
Hermione died. She was getting old and moved around
very little, so we wanted to give her peace and quiet in her old age and let her
rest most of the time. Hermione wasn't using all of her cages anymore, so she
didn't mind giving up a couple to provide Rocky with a new home.
Rocky was so named, because he reminded me of a raccoon. He had
dark stripes under his cheeks and dark circles around his eyes. His eyes
looked
open, even when they were closed!
Rocky was good-natured and enjoyed being outside in the grass
and running around the house in his ball. He preferred to be picked up
by crawling into
a tunnel first. His favorite treats were sunflower seeds.
Rocky had long-fur, and thus required a lot of grooming. He spent
many hours cleaning his fur to get just the right softness and sheen. If
we had had
a female hamster then, I'm sure she would have appreciated his efforts. He was
quite a handsome
dude!
Rocky rarely escaped and was always grateful
to go home. He was the only hamster who, when faced with a loose tunnel escape
hole, ignored it and went to bed! However, he did escape occasionally and
usually
was found on the floor near his own cage, just waiting for a rescue. However,
that did not mean he was quite so willing to be caught, because being caught
meant
being touched and that would ruin his beautiful coat of fur!
Rocky was the only hamster we ever had who did not figure
out how to go up or down the stairs. He was willing to go up a step, but
only if you
gave him a one- or two-inch boost with your hand. Going down was apparently way
too scary and was not to be attempted, in Rocky's opinion.
Rocky got along very well with his guinea pig cousins, Scruffles
and Piggles. The only exception was one time when Piggles cornered him suddenly.
Those giant pig eyes staring at him must have frightened him so much that he
lunged towards her nose with his sharp teeth. We don't think Piggles was
actually bitten,
but she sure jumped back in a hurry and retreated quickly.
Sadly, Rocky became ill, possibly with some kind of cancer, and
died on July 12, 2004. He will be missed greatly!
View
Rocky on HAMSTERster.com
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